318* 



THE SERI INDIANS 



(El H.ANN. 17 



The next nine forms are so contracted, irregular, and, perhaps, iniswritteu that an 

 analysis of them is a matter of doubt and difficulty, but the following ten terms are 

 cognate and siguify "two fives (hands)", or, denotively, "ten". In the comparative 

 list of nanus for the "arm, hand, finger'', etc., shah, shawas, shawarrn, and eesarh/a 

 are a few of the many variants of siil, " arm, hand, finger", etc. So, in such a form 

 as sahhoke (o) the sah is the name for " hand" and hoke is the n-nmeral "two", the 

 combination signifying "two lives, hands", or "ten". The other nine terms are but 

 variants of the original of this compound. In selgh-iamdt (14), sclgh for ixa!gh is the 

 element denoting "hand'', or "five", while iamat means "added to, upon, nvi-r", 

 there being the subaudition of the element denoting "five". Hence the original 

 combination meant "five added to five", or "ten". This is a strict aiiplication of 

 the qninary system. 



The Kiliwee term cliepam-mesig (23) signifies literally "one cheiyam". If refer- 

 ence be made to the " five '' list, it will be seen that there sol-chepam signifies " five", 

 or, to be exact, is the translation of the term " five". Now, the element sol- of this 

 compound is a variant of esal, "hand", while chepam, judging from analogy, must 

 signify " the whole, entire, the complete'', collectively " all". Moreover, the Kiliwee 

 terms for " fingers (dedos)" and " toes (dedos del pi(?)" are salchepa and emechepah, 

 respectively, wherein the element chepah is added toeaa!, "hand", and to erne, "leg". 

 Hence it may be inferred that clie2)am-inexifi signifies " one complete count of all the 

 fingers", and so "ten". The next is Cochimi, in which ttagnntia means "hand'', 

 and the last term (1) appears to be miswritten. It will be seen from these partial 

 analyses of the names for the digit " ten " that there is no linguistic relationship 

 between the Serian and the Yuman terms. 



Serian 



Ytnnan 



A. 

 B. 

 C. 

 1). 



tan-tasd-qne 



The only Seri example of the numeral "eleven " is that which was recorded by 

 Mr Bartk-tt, who writes it tan-ia-su-ijtw, instead of Ui>i-iaii6-qtie, which exhibits the 

 component elements of this compound. This expression signifies " one added to, or, 

 over, upon''. Its conce|itnal base is the numeral 1as6, "one". The initial tan- has 

 already been discussed while treating of the numeral "seven ". It was there made 

 a cognate of the initial torn- or («»i-of the several examples of that digit, and likewise 

 of taiichl in Mr Bartlett's numbers 12-19. It would seem that the correct form for 

 "eleven" should be tanchl-iaioque, i. e., "ten-one-added-on ". Where "hiind'' is the 

 name for "five" and is an element in the name for "ten" there arises confusion, 

 unless there is marked difference between the two expressions. 



