THE INSTRUMENTAL CASE. 479 



1. The primary function of -tka. which is also the most characteristic 

 and most frequently occurring, is that of forming an instrumental case, thus 

 corresponding to with, hy means of, hy the aid or help of, throiiyh. AH the 

 other functions of -tka are reducible to the idea of instrumentality. Its use 

 is almost entirely restricted to nouns of the inanimate order. 



pakshtga lakpeks shuyega he lifted ashes with (his) j^i^ye, 14, 6. 

 shikenikishtka yutetampka they began to fire with pistols, 14, 6. 

 watchatka (and watchat) husho'tchna to ride on horseback. 

 kak6atk saktatk ska'ntsna to sew ivith a bone-awl. 



Connected with a passive verb, it stands for -am in : 



tumantka shute-uapka laki the chief shall be elected by the many, hy the 

 majority, 90, 3. 



2. A locative meaning, resulting from the instrumental one, appears in 

 sentences like the following : 



niishtga tupka to stand on, upon one^s head. 

 gatcheshtka gena to pass through the brushwood. 

 shtiitka watch ni'ukna to drive horses on the road. 

 nu gena amputka / go into or through the water. 



3. A temporal function corresponding to that of the case-suffix -e'mi, 

 which is more of a verbal character and is chiefly appended to verbals, 

 appears in the following nominal forms: 



yamashtka while the north wind blows, 155 ; 16. 24. 

 gelola sha shewat;iastka they dismounted at noon, 19, 10. 

 gaptsatka, t^opowatka in May, June (and in the other month-names), 

 74, 1. 6. 



6. Locative case in -tat. 



We begin the long series of locative case-endings with that which has 

 the most comprehensive bearings, and is also the most frequent. The suffix 

 -tat is an abbreviation of tiita tvhere, there, and this is a reduplication of the 

 pronominal radix ta, as tu't, tuta is of tu ; cf. tata, tu in Dictionary. It also 

 appears in the form of -ta, -t, -at, -ut, or is suppressed altogether, as in 



