149 



ran'y and the Omagua*, two languages of na 

 tions formerly very powerful. It may be con- 

 ceived, that, with the worship of the stars and 

 of the powers of nature, the words which have 

 a relation to these objects might pass from one 

 idiom to another. I showed the constellation 

 of the Southern Cross to a Pareni Indian, who 

 covered the lantern while I was taking the cir- 

 cummeridian heights of the stars ; and he 

 called it Bahumehi, a name which the caribe 

 fish, or serra-salme, equally bears in Pareni. 

 He was ignorant of the name of the belt of Ori- 

 on ; but a Poignavif Indian, who knew the 

 constellations better, assured me, that in his 

 tongue the belt of Orion bore the name of Fue- 

 bot ; he called the Moon Zenquerot. These two 

 words have very singular features for words of 

 American origin. As the names of the constella- 

 tions may have been transmitted to immense dis- 

 tances from one nation to another, these Poignavi 



* Sun and Moon, in Guarany, Quarasi and Jasi ; in 

 Qmagua, Huarassi and Jase. I shall give farther on these 

 same words in the principal languages of the two worlds. 

 (See note A, at the end of the seventh book.) 



t At the Oroonoko the Puinaves, or Poignaves, are distin- 

 guished from the Guaypunaves (Uipunavi). The latter, on 

 account of their language, are considered as belonging to the 

 Maypure and Cabres nations ; yet water is called in Poig- 

 nave, as well as in Maypure, oucni. 



