306 ON THE ETHNOGRAPHY AND PHILOLOGY OF THE 
‘ 
The literature of the Arikara language is quite brief. They call themselves Sa-nish’ 
or Ta-nish’, which means “the people,” a common form of expression among the Indian 
tribes, indicating their supposed superiority in their own estimation. Rees, Ricaras, 
Ayvicaras, Arickaras, &c., are names which have been given them by the early traders, but 
their origin is obscure. ‘The first vocabulary of their language, which is quite an exten- 
sive and excellent one, was obtained by the Prince Neuwied, in the winter of 1833 and 
4. At that time, the Arikaras did not occupy their village on the Missouri, but had re- 
moved the year before, far into the prairie country toward the southwest, and were said 
to live somewhere near the sources of the Platte River. The exact time of their return is 
not known to me, but it must have been soon after, or rather their absence could not 
have been more than three or four years. At the time when Catlin visited the Upper 
Missouri, the Arikaras lived in their dirt village near the mouth of Grand River. In 
the appendix to his important work on the North American Indians, he has given an ex- 
cellent though brief vocabulary. No others of importance have been published, so far as 
Ican learn. The following vocabulary, which is more extensive than any ever before 
obtained, was taken by me from the lips of an Arikara chief, aided by Mr. Andrew 
Dawson, an intelligent Scotchman, who was superintendent of Fort Clark for many years, 
and spoke the Arikara language with a good degree of fluency. From the Indian chief 
I obtained the correct pronunciation, and from Mr. Dawson the true meaning of the 
words. I therefore publish it in this memoir, with a good degree of confidence in its ac- 
curacy. 
PHRASES, NUMERALS, ETC. 
ti-he-pe’-nu-he, on the tree yonder. ka-késh’-ka, you are not wise. 
a-ka’-nu-tik-a’-ku, inside the house. koh-tésh’-ka, I will be wise. 
wet-heu’-kut-a, go across the water. koh-ésh’-ka, you will be wise. 
shish-hau’-kut-a, come across the water. ée-kiin’-hau-kre, where have you been? 
ka-weu'-tre-ha-na/-ni-ku, are you married ? we-tut-swin’-heu, it rains hard. 
ée-kiin-hau-whit’, where are you going ? wi-ta’-su, it is raining. 
sku’-hu-ne-sié-ali-u, give me a knife. wi-ta’-ha, it is snowing. 
koli-ti-kut’-¢ish, I will be glad. shth-kre’-nit, put some wood on the fire. 
tut-itik’-tsh, I am strong. tir-aub’-sha, it is smoking. 
tre-tik’-iish, you are strong. ta-we’-ris-ta, it is a warm day. 
aps-ko’-tik-ot, he will die. tir-i-wi’-it, it is hot. 
kohi-he’-kot, you will die. tip’-si, it is cold. 
kol-tik-ot’, I will die. wet-ik’-dt, it is dead. 
we-te-ko’-te-hem’, I am dying. wet-ster’-it, it is tied. 
we-tuh-nu’-ba-ik, he speaks bad of me. kak-ster’-it, it is not tied. 
na-tu-tésh’-ha, [ am wise. shuli-he-re’-pi, 
\ tic it, (imp.) 
tash-ha’, you are wise. shih-ster’-it, 
