450 ON THE LANGUAGE OF THE DAKOTA OR SIOUX INDIANS. 



ces, beverages, &c. Thus, coffee is called x^eiihuta sapa, literally, J>/ac& 

 medicine ; just as the Chippewas express it in their language hj malcade 

 masJiMM icabu, (black medicine water.) 



^^ The word mitii (water) is the same M'hich is contained also in the 

 name of Minnesota^ (properly mini-sota,) meaning whitish water, and refer- 

 ring to the Wa]q)a minisota, which is the Minnesota or St. Peter's River, 

 and also to the Mde oninisota, the so-called " Clear Lake." 



^^ It is often the case that Indians give to other nations names simply 

 derived from some entirely external, merely accidental, and altogether 

 unessential circumstance or quality in thesfe strangers, which at first 

 princii)ally struck their attention. Thus, for instance, the inhabitants 

 of the United States are called by the Dakotas Isavitanka, meaning Big 

 Knives; by the Chippewas, Idtchimolioman^ which likewise signifies Big 

 Knives, probably from the swords of the United States soldiers in the 

 Territories. 



^" Just in the same way, the erroneous orthography of " Minnesota" 

 was introduced for the more correct Minisota ; and this is seen again — 

 we mention it in passing — in that monstrous Dakota-Greek compound, 

 "Minneapolis," meaning " Watcrtown." 



^^ Any such meanings of ihaiia, as " to huhhie " and making a noise 

 like that of tcaterfalls must be considered simply as secondary, as a 

 mere extension of the original signification of that word, viz. laughing, 

 t+]l«]i«, mouth-curling, as it were; nothing whatever being contained in 

 the constituents of that word which could have even the remotest refer- 

 en{;e to u-ater or a cascade. The word itself seems to follow this devia- 

 tion from its projjcr import, being even difiereutly accentuated in that 

 sort of figurative acceptation, viz. ihaiia instead of ihdha. 



^^ Similar blunders frequently occur. Thus, in the erroneous and un- 

 meaning English translation of Indian names generally — for instance, 

 of " Hole-iu-the-Day " — in which word it was intended to express simply 

 one who (as a powerful archer) perforates the sly with his arrows, which 

 we could easily place beyond any doubt, if it would not lead us too far 

 from our present subject. So have travelers, too, themselves put the 

 words " squaw,''^ "jjajjws," &c., into the mouths of the Dakotas, though 

 these words belong exclusively to widely different tribes, and are on 

 other occasions again rei)eat<?d by the Dakota Indians to strangers, as 

 they simply suppose such words to be English, and, therefore, more in- 

 telligible to the latter ! The same applies to the Chippewa word " «/to," 

 {he died or ^s- dead,) which travelers, probably deeming it the general 

 and only Indian term for that idea, taught, as it were, to the Dakotas, 

 wlio constantly make use of it in their conversation with Americans, 

 mistaking it in turn and in like manner for an English word, or some- 

 thing more easily accessible to the mind of the strangers. 



