149 



vany and the Ornagua *, two languages of 

 nations formerly very powerful. It may be 

 conceived, 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 constella- 

 tion of the Southern Cross to a Pareni Indian, 

 who covered the lantern while I was taking the 

 circummeridian heights of the stars ; and he 

 called it Bahumehi, a name which the carlhe 

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

 He was ignorant of the name of the belt of 

 Orion ; but a Poignavi^ Indian, who knew the 

 constellations better, assured me, that in his 

 tongue the belt of Orion bore the name of Fue- 

 hot; 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 

 Omagua, 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.) 



+ 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 j yet water is called in 

 Poignave, as well as in Maypure, ouen'u 



