•263 



in this paper. It happens, of course, that many words have lost 

 their original significance and become mere names. Very few of 

 us^ could tell why we call grass, wheat, trees and some other 

 things by these names, yet there once was a reason. Others are 

 easily understood. Nor are Indians always exact in distinguishing 

 species, except for special reasons, and for this cause and brevity 

 1 use our common names. Thus Onondagas do not separate by 

 name the Virginia and the Poison Ivy. Both are Ko-hoou-tas, 

 ihe stick that makes you sore." No distinction is ordinarily 

 made in the species of Pine, which is O-neh-tah, " Like porcupines 

 holding to a stick." The Hemlock Spruce differs little, and is 

 0-ne-tah, " Greens on the stick," The Milkweed is expressive, 

 O-wah-kiven-stah, " Milk that sticks to the fingers." Violets arc 

 ^a-keah-7ios-'wi-dHS, "Two heads entangled;" in allusion to 

 their childish game of interlocking the flowers. The Soft Maple 

 IS Ak-weh- hot-kwah, or the "Red Flower " ; from Ah-weh-hah, 

 Flower, and Hot-kzvah, Red. For the Slippery Elm they say 

 Oo~koosk-ah, " It slips." The Apple is simply Szva-hii-na, " Big 



W 



guish it from the Wild Crab. The Yellow 



The Red 



Kwen 



^^ _^ y 



"Red Tree." The Witch Hazel is ( 

 Stick." The Spice Bush, Da-ivah-tah-ahn-yuks, "Stick that 

 breaks itself," i. e., that is brittle. Sassafras is Wah-eh-nah-kas, 

 "Smelling Stick." The Thistle is Ooch-hah-ne-tah, "Something 

 that pricks." By adding the syllable ah, we have "Small Thistle," 

 i- e., the Canada Thistle. The berries are interesting. The Red 

 Raspberry is O-nah-Joo-ktva, "A Cap"; add ^^<?-//^, and we 

 have "Big Cap" for the Thimble Berry. The Blackberry is 

 Sa-he-is, or " Long Berry." The Black Raspberry is Tn-to- 

 hok-toon, "The Plant that bends over." The Huckleberry is 

 called 0-heah-che, or " Blackberry." The name of the Straw- 

 berry with us expresses its straying habit, with the Indians its 

 frequent situation, Nooji-tak-tek-hah-kwa, "Growing where the 

 I^nolls are burned." Ska-hcns-skah-he is a simple name for Cur- 

 rant ; add goo-na, and we have Large Currant or Gooseberry. 

 Another adjective expresses the wild thorny fruit. The Wild 

 Grape is Oh-heun-kwc-sa, " Long Vine " ; add goo-na, and it 



