from _mi_, my; _o′qañ_, action, work, strength, and _kte_, the
future suffix.
_Nañpe_—hand; _mi-na′ñpe_, my hand.
_Nihi′youwĕ_—he is coming for you; from the root _u_, to come; _wĕ_
is the feminine particle, which shows that a woman is speaking.
_Nihu′ñ_—your (singular) mother.
_Niniye′-kta_—it will cause you to live; _miye′_, to come to live;
_ni_, in composition, you, your; _kta_, the future suffix.
_Nita′kuye_—your kindred; _mita′kuye_, my relative.
_Nitu′ñkañshi′la_—your grandfather; _mitu′ñkañshi′la_, my
grandfather. The final _la_ is a euphonic diminutive.
_Niya′te_—for _Ni-a′te_, your father.
_O′găle_—shirt, coat.
_Oho′măni_—around, round about.
_Oka′tañna_—drive it in, drive them in (as nails or tipi pegs);
_na_ is the female imperative particle.
_Oki′le_—looking for its own; _owa′le_, I look for it; _owa′kile_,
I look for my own.
_Oma′ni (-ye)_—walking around, going about.
_Oñchi_—grandmother.
_O′wañcha′ya_—all over, everywhere.
_Oya′te_—tribe, nation.
_Peta_—fire.
_Pte_—buffalo (generic), buffalo cow.
_Puze_ or _Puza_—dry.
_Shaie′la_ or _Shaie′na_—“red,” i. e., “alien;” the Sioux name for
the Cheyenne. The root of the word is _sha_, red, with _la_ or
_na_, the diminutive, frequently used merely for euphony.
_Sitomăni-yañ_—everybody, all over, everywhere.
_Tahe′na_—on this side, this way, in this direction.
_Ta′ku_—something, whatever.
_Tatañka_—a buffalo bull; _pte_, a buffalo cow, or a buffalo
(generic).
_Tewa′qi′la_ or _Tewa′qila-la_—I love him; the final _la_ is a
diminutive or endearing particle, sometimes added to verbs as
well as to nouns.
_Tipi_—a tent, a house; from, _ti_, to dwell or abide.
_Toke′cha_—soon, before long.
_Tuwe′-cha_—who indeed? who can it be? _tu′we_, who?
_U_—coming; _wa-u_, I come.
_Uki′ye_—they are coming; _wa′-u_, I come.
_Uñchi′_—grandmother, my grandmother.
_Upo_—you come (plural imperative); from _wa′-u_, I come.
_U-we_—coming, as he comes; see _u_; _we_ is another form of _ye_,
an emphatic or euphonic particle.
_Wa′chipi_—a dance.
_Wa′kañ_—sacred, mysterious, sacred thing.
_Waka′gha-chĕ_—it is I who made it, I made it indeed. The particle
_chĕ_ conveys the idea of indeed, verily.
_Waka′ghe_—I make it.
_Wakaghi′ñyiñ-kte_—I shall make it; _waka′ghe_, I make it.
_Waka′ñyañ_—sacredly, mysteriously; from _wa′kañ_, sacred,
mysterious.
_Wañ_—a.
_Wañ!_—look! see! why!
_Wana_—now.
_Wana′ghi_—ghost, spirit of the dead.
_Wana′ghi wa′chipi_—Ghost dance, from _wana′ghi_, ghost, or spirit
of the dead, and _wa′chipi_, a dance.
_Wanasa′pi_—see _Wanasa′pi-kta_.
_Wanasa′pi-kta_—they will chase buffalo, they are about to chase
buffalo; from _wana′sa_, to hunt game by surrounding and
shooting it. _Kta_ or _kte_ is the future sign.
_Wañbale′nichala_—a little orphan; from _wa′ñbăle′nicha_, an orphan.
_Wa′ñbăli_—eagle, the war eagle.
_Wañhi′nkpe_—arrow, arrows.
_Wañ-la′ki_—you see it; _wañbăla′ki_, I see it.
_Wañma′yañka-yo_—look at me! _wañbăla′ka_, I see it; _yo_, the
imperative suffix.
_Wa′oñ we_—I am in that condition, I am it; _we_ is the feminine
suffix.
_Wañwayag_—to see it. Compare _Wañma′yañka-yo_.
_Wañwe′gala′kiñ-kte_—I shall see my own. Compare _Wañma′yañka-yo_.
_Wañyañ_—for _wañ_, a (the article).
_Wañyegalake-kta_—you (plural) shall see your own; from
_wañbăla′ki_, I see it. _Kte_ or _kta_ is the future suffix.
_Washte′_—good.
_Wa′sna_—pemmican. See Sioux song 7.
_Wati′ñ-kte_—I shall eat; _wawa′te_, I eat.
_Wawa′kabla-kte_—I shall spread out the meat to dry; _ka′bla_, to
spread out meat for drying.
_Wa′yana_—now; another form of _wana_.
_We_—an emphatic suffix particle equivalent to verily or indeed.
_Wecha′ghe_—I made them for him.
_Wichĕ′shka_—a tipi; the word literally means only the opening at
the top of the tipi.
_Wihu′ta_—the bottom of a tipi.
_Wowa′hiñ-kte_—I shall cook; _wowa′hañ_, I cook (generic).
_Yanipi-kta_—you (plural) will live; from _ni′wa-uñ_, I am alive.
_Yañyañ_—an unmeaning word used in the songs to fill up the measure.
_Ye_—an emphatic, imperative, or precatory particle or suffix,
usually spoken by a woman. In the songs it seems frequently to
be used merely for euphony.
_Ye′ye!_—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.
_Yoyoyo_—ibid.
THE KIOWA AND KIOWA APACHE
KIOWA TRIBAL SYNONYMY
_Be′shĭltchă_—Kiowa Apache name, meaning unknown.
_Caygua_—Spanish form, from their proper name, _Kaigwu_.
_Gahe′wa_—Wichita and Kichai name; another form of Kiowa.
_Kâ′igwŭ_—“real or principal people,” proper tribal name.
_Kai-wă_—Comanche and Caddo name; from their proper name, _Kaigwu_.
_Kiowa_—popular name, a corruption of the name used by themselves.
_Kwŭ’da_—“going out;” old name formerly used by the Kiowa for
themselves.
_Ñĭ′chihinĕ′na_—“river men,” Arapaho name; so called because they
formerly lived on upper Arkansas river, from which the Arapaho
claim to have driven them.
_Tepda_—“coming out,” “issuing;” another old name formerly used by
the Kiowa for themselves.
_Witapä′hat_ or _Witapä′tu_—Cheyenne name, from their Sioux name,
_Witapähä′tu_.
_Wi′tapähä′tu_—“island butte people” (?), Sioux name.
KIOWA TRIBAL SIGN
The Kiowa tribal sign indicates “hair cut off at right ear,” in
allusion to a former custom of the warriors. From a careless habit in
making this sign it has sometimes been wrongly interpreted to mean
“foolish,” or “rattle-brain.”
SKETCH OF THE KIOWA
So far as present knowledge goes, the Kiowa constitute a distinct
linguistic stock; but it is probable that more material will enable
us to prove their connection with some tribes farther north, from
which direction they came. They are noticed in the Spanish records as
early at least as 1732. Their oldest tradition, which agrees with the
concurrent testimony of the Shoshoni and Arapaho, locates them about
the junction of Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin forks, at the extreme
head of Missouri river, in the neighborhood of the present Virginia
City, Montana. They afterward moved down from the mountains and formed
an alliance with the Crow, with whom they have since continued on
friendly terms. From here they drifted southward along the base of
the mountains, driven by the Cheyenne and Arapaho. About 1840 they
made peace with the latter tribes, with which they have since commonly
acted in concert. The Sioux claim to have driven them out of the Black
hills, and in 1805 they were reported as living upon the North Platte.
According to the Kiowa account, when they first reached Arkansas river
they found their passage opposed by the Comanche, who claimed all the
country to the south. A war followed, but peace was finally concluded,
when the Kiowa crossed over to the south side of the Arkansas and
formed a confederation with the Comanche, which continues to the
present day. In connection with the Comanche they carried on a constant
war upon the frontier settlements of Mexico and Texas, extending their
incursions as far south at least as Durango. Among all the prairie
tribes they were noted as the most predatory and bloodthirsty, and have
probably killed more white men in proportion to their numbers than
any of the others. They made their first treaty with the government
in 1837, and were put upon their present reservation jointly with the
Comanche and Apache in 1868. Their last outbreak was in 1874–75, in
connection with the Comanche, Apache, and Cheyenne. While probably
never very numerous, they have been greatly reduced by war and disease.
Their last terrible blow came in the spring of 1892, when the measles
destroyed over 300 of the three confederated tribes. Their present
chief is _Gu′i-pä′go_, Lone Wolf. They occupy the same reservation
with the Comanche and Apache, between Washita and Red rivers, in
southwestern Oklahoma, and numbered 1,017 in 1893.
The Kiowa do not have the gentile system, and there is no restriction
as to intermarriage among the divisions. They have six tribal
divisions, including the Apache associated with them, who form a
component part of the Kiowa camping circle. A seventh division, the
_K̔uăto_, is now extinct. The tribal divisions in the order of the
camping circle are:
1. _K̔a′ta_—“biters,” i. e., Arikara or Ree; so called, not because of
Arikara origin, but because they were more intimate with that tribe in
trade and otherwise when the Kiowa lived in the north.
2. _Ko′‛gu′i_—“elks.”
3. _Kâ′igwŭ_—“Kiowa proper.” This is the oldest division, to which
belongs the keeping of the medicine tipi, in which is the grand
medicine of the tribe.
4. _Kiñep_—“big shields.” This is the largest division in the tribe and
of corresponding importance.
5. _Semät_—“thieves,” the Apache.
6. _Koñtä′lyui_—“black boys.” Sometimes also called _Si′ndiyu′i_,
“Sindi’s children.” Said to be of darker color than the rest of the
tribe, which, if true, might indicate a foreign origin. Sindi is the
great mythic hero of the Kiowa.
7. _K̔u′ato_—“pulling up from the ground or a hole.” An extinct
division, speaking a slightly different dialect, and exterminated
by the Sioux in one battle about the year 1780. On this occasion,
according to tradition, the Kiowa were attacked by an overwhelming
force of Sioux and prepared to retreat, but the chief of the K̔uato
exhorted his people not to run, “because, if they did, their relatives
in the other world would not receive them.” So they stood their ground
and were killed, while the others escaped. Their place in the tribal
camp circle is not known.
[Illustration: +Fig. 104+—Kiowa camping circle.]
In the annual sun dance and in other great tribal gatherings the
several divisions camped in the order shown in figure 104.
Although brave and warlike, the Kiowa are considered inferior in most
respects to the Comanche. In person they are dark and heavily built,
forming a marked contrast to the more slender and brighter-complexioned
prairie tribes farther north. Their language is full of choking and
nasal sounds, and is not well adapted to rhythmic composition, for
which reason they frequently used the Arapaho songs in the Ghost
dance, without any clear idea of the meaning or correct pronunciation,
although they have quite a number of songs of their own.
THE KIOWA APACHE
A small tribe of Athapascan stock, calling themselves _Na′-isha_ or
_Na-di′isha-de′na_, and popularly known as Apache or Kiowa Apache,
has been associated with the Kiowa as far back as the traditions of
either tribe go. While retaining their distinct language, they nearly
all speak and understand Kiowa and form a component part of the Kiowa
camping circle. In dress and general habits of life they are in no way
distinguishable. They have come from the north with the Kiowa, and
are mentioned under the name of Cataka as living in the Black-hills
country in 1805. La Salle speaks of them under the name of Gattacka as
early as 1681. There is no reason to suppose that they ever formed a
part of the Apache proper of Arizona and New Mexico, but are probably,
like the Sarsi, a distinct Athapascan people who have always lived
east of the mountains, and who, having been obliged by weakness of
numbers to unite themselves with a stronger tribe, have since shared
their migratory fortunes southward along the plains. The Na-isha are
called _Ga′taqka_ by the Pawnee and sometimes by the Wichita; _Cataka_
by Lewis and Clark, in 1805; _Kataka_ in their first treaty with the
government, made jointly with the Kiowa in 1837; _Ta′shĭn_ by the
Comanche; _Gĭnä′s_ by the Wichita; _Ka′ntsi_, “deceivers,” by the
Caddo; _Kĭri′năhĭs_ by the Kichais; _Tha‛kahinĕ′na_, “knife-whetting
men (?)” by the Arapaho, and _Mûtsiănătä′niuw′_, “whetstone people,”
by the Cheyenne. They have several names among the Kiowa, but are
commonly known by them as _Semät_, “thieves.” Other Kiowa names for
them are _Tagu′i_, of unknown meaning, and _Sa′dălso′mte-k̔iñago_,
“weasel people.” The tribal sign for them, as for the Apache, Lipan,
and Navaho, conveys the idea of “knife whetters.” In 1891 they numbered
325. In 1893 they had been reduced, chiefly by an epidemic of measles,
to 224.
More extended information in regard to the Kiowa and Kiowa Apache
will be given in the author’s memoir, “Calendar History of the Kiowa
Indians,” now in preparation for the Bureau of Ethnology.
SONGS OF THE KIOWA
1. +Da′ta-i so′da′te+
Da′ta-i so′da′te,
Da′ta-i so′da′te.
Do′m ezä′nteda′te,
Do′m ezä′nteda′te.
De′ĭmhä′date,
De′ĭmhä′date.
Be′a‛ma′nhäyi′,
Be′a‛ma′nhäyi′.
_Translation_
The father will descend,
The father will descend.
The earth will tremble,
The earth will tremble.
Everybody will arise,
Everybody will arise.
Stretch out your hands,
Stretch out your hands.
This is a summary of the Ghost dance doctrine, closing with an
invocation to all present to stretch out their hands toward the west
and pray to the Father to hasten his coming.
2. +Da′k̔′ñago (ĭm) zä′nteähe′dal+
Da′k̔i′ñago (ĭm) zä′nteähe′dal,
Da′k̔i′ñago (ĭm) zä′nteähe′dal,
De′dom ezä′nteähe′dal,
De′dom ezä′nteähe′dal.
De′ĭmgo (ä-)dä′tode′yo′,
De′ĭmgo (ä-)dä′tode′yo′.
De′beko′datsä′,
De′beko′datsä′.
_Translation_
The spirit army is approaching,
The spirit army is approaching,
The whole world is moving onward,
The whole world is moving onward.
See! Everybody is standing watching,
See! Everybody is standing watching.
Let us all pray,
Let us all pray.
In this song the verb _ĭmzä′nteähe′dal_ implies that the spirits are
coming on like an army or like a great herd of animals. The termination
_he′dal_ implies that it is a matter of report or common belief and not
of personal knowledge.
3. +Gu′ato ädâ′ga+
Gu′ato ädâ′ga nyä′ongu′m,
Gu′ato ädâ′ga nyä′ongu′m,
Go′mtäyä′ ätso′dalsâ′dal,
Go′mtäyä′ ätso′dalsâ′dal.
Ä′nyä‛gâlo′nte,
Ä′nyä‛gâlo′nte.
Tä′lyi ĭmhä′go,
Tä′lyi ĭmhä′go.
_Translation_
I scream because I am a bird,
I scream because I am a bird,
I bellow like a buffalo,
I bellow like a buffalo.
The boy will rise up,
The boy will rise up.
This song was composed by Pa-guadal, “Red Buffalo,” at a Ghost dance
held on Walnut creek in the summer of 1893, under the direction of
the prophet Pa-iñgya (see page 907), for the purpose of resurrecting
Red Buffalo’s son, who had recently died. Pa-iñgya assured the people
that if they held the dance as he directed, the dead boy would rise
up alive from the ground before their eyes. In the dance Red Buffalo
became “crazy” and composed this song. In his trance he evidently
imagined himself a bird. His father was one of the “buffalo doctors,”
or surgeons of the tribe, who are under the special protection of the
buffalo and whose war cry is an imitation of the bellowing of a buffalo
bull. Red Buffalo claims to have inherited his father’s knowledge;
hence his assertion that he bellows like a bull. The boy was not
resurrected.
4. +Da′ta-i nyä′hoănga′mo+
Ä′häyä′ Ehä′eho′! Ä′häyä′ Ehä′eho′!
E′häyä′ Ehä′eho′! E′häyä′ Ehä′eho′!
Da′ta-i nyä′hoănga′mo,
Da′ta-i nyä′hoănga′mo.
Äde′tepo′nbä,
Äde′tepo′nbä,
Ä′guănpo′nbä,
Ä′guănpo′nbä.
_Translation_
_Ä′häyä′ Ehä′eho′! Ä′häyä′ Ehä′eho′!
E′häyä′ Ehä′eho′! E′häyä′ Ehä′eho′!_
The father shows me the road,
The father shows me the road.
I went to see my friends,
I went to see my friends,
I went to see the dances,
I went to see the dances.
The composer of this song went, in her trance, to the other world,
led by the Father, who pointed out the way, and saw there her former
friends and joined them in the dance.
5. +Dak̔iñ′a bate′yä+
Dak̔iñ′a bate′yä,
Dak̔iñ′a bate′yä.
Guăto ton nyäâmo,
Guăto ton nyäâ′mo.
Ähiñ′äih nyäâ′mo,
Ähiñ′äih nyäâ′mo.
_Translation_
The spirit (God) is approaching,
The spirit (God) is approaching.
He is going to give me a bird tail,
He is going to give me a bird tail.
He will give it to me in the tops of the cottonwoods,
He will give it to me in the tops of the cottonwoods.
The “bird tail” refers to the feathers (_wakuna_, Arapaho) worn on the
heads of the dancers (figure 91). The song is peculiar in implying that
the recipient must climb up into the tree tops to obtain it.
6. +Na′da′g äka′na+
Heyĕ′heyĕ′heyĕ′heye′ Äho′ho′!
Heyĕ′heyĕ′heyĕ′heye′ Äho′ho′!
Na′da′g äka′na,
Na′da′g äka′na,
De′gyägo′mga da′tsä′to,
De′gyägo′mga da′tsä′to.
Äo′ñyo, Äo′ñyo.
_Translation_
_Heyĕ′heyĕ′heyĕ′heye′ Äho′ho′!
Heyĕ′heyĕ′heyĕ′heye′ Äho′ho′!_
Because I am poor,
Because I am poor,
I pray for every living creature,
I pray for every living creature.
_Äo′ñyo! Äo′ñyo!_
Although the words of this song do not contain much meaning, the tune
is one of the best among the Kiowa ghost songs. The introductory line
gives somewhat the effect of Comanche song 1. The last line is supposed
to be a prayer or entreaty to the messiah, and is an imitation of the
Kiowa funeral wail.
7. +Ze′bät-gâ′ga igu′ănpa′-ima′+
Ze′bät-gâ′ga igu′ănpa′-ima′,
Ze′bät-gâ′ga igu′ănpa′-ima′.
Bälä′gâ na′ta′dălgo′ma,
Bälä′gâ na′ta′dălgo′ma.
Tä′lyiă be′`pe′te,
Tä′lyiă be′`pe′te.
_Translation_
He makes me dance with arrows,
He makes me dance with arrows.
He calls the bow my father,
He calls the bow my father.
Grandmother, persevere,
Grandmother, persevere.
This song embodies the Ghost-dance idea of a return to the old Indian
things. The expression, “He calls the bow my father,” is worthy of an
oriental poet. The last line is a general exhortation to the women to
persevere or “push hard” in the dance.
8. +Be′ta! To′ngyä-gu′adăl+
Be′ta! To′ngyä-gu′adăl äto′tl-e′dal,
Be′ta! To′ngyä-gu′adăl äto′tl-e′dal.
Bä′ate′ñyi, Bä′ate′ñyi.
Da′te gyäko′m ä′omhe′dăl,
Da′te gyäko′m ä′omhe′dăl.
_Translation_
Now I understand! Red Tail has been sent,
Now I understand! Red Tail has been sent.
We cry and hold fast to him,
We cry and hold fast to him.
He was made to live a long time,
He was made to live a long time.
This song was made by Mary Zoñtom, a woman who speaks very fair
English, and refers to a young man named _To′ngyä-gu′adal_, Red Tail,
who used to go into frequent trances. The expression “he was sent”
implies that he is a recognized messenger to the spirit world, while
“we hold fast to him” is equivalent to “we have faith in him.”
9. +Da′ta′-i änka′ñgo′na+
Da′ta′-i änka′ñgo′na,
Da′ta′-i änka′ñgo′na.
Da′mânhä′go, Da′mânhä′go.
Ka′ante damânhä′go,
Ka′ante damânhä′go.
_Translation_
My father has much pity for us,
My father has much pity for us.
I hold out my hands toward him and cry,
I hold out my hands toward him and cry.
In my poverty I hold out my hands toward him and cry,
In my poverty I hold out my hands toward him and cry.
10. +Da′ta-i iñka′ñtähe′dal+
Ähä′yä Ehä′eho′,
Ähä′yä Ehä′eho′.
Da′ta-i iñka′ñtähe′dal.
A‛da′ta′-i dä′sa,
Ä‛da′ta′-i mâ′nsâ′dal,
Ä‛da′ta′-i to′ñsâ′dal,
Ä‛da′ta′-i o′mda.
_Translation_
_Ähä′yä Ehä′eho′,
Ähä′yä Ehä′eho′._
My father has had pity on me.
I have eyes like my father’s,
I have hands like my father’s,
I have legs like my father’s,
I have a form like my father’s.
“So God created man in his own image.”
11. +Dak`iñ′ago äho′ähe′dal+
Dak`iñ′ago äho′ähe′dal,
Dak`iñ′ago äho′ähe′dal.
Gâ′dal-gâ′ga äho′ähe′dal,
Gâ′dal-gâ′ga äho′ähe′dal.
Do′m-gâ′ga äho′ähe′dal,
Do′m-gâ′ga äho′ähe′dal.
_Translation_
The spirit host is advancing, they say,
The spirit host is advancing, they say.
They are coming with the buffalo, they say,
They are coming with the buffalo, they say.
They are coming with the (new) earth, they say,
They are coming with the (new) earth, they say.
12. +E′hyu′ñi degi′ăta+
[Music]
E′hyuñ′i degi′ăta,
E′hyuñ′i degi′ăta.
Tsä′hop ä′ä′he′dal,
Tsä′hop ä′ä′he′dal.
Na de‛gu′ănta, de‛gu′ănta; Na de‛gu′ănta, de‛gu′ănta;
Gâ′dal-guñ t`añ′gya deo′ta,
Gâ′dal-guñ t`añ′gya deo′ta.
Go′ dehi′äta, dehi′äta,
Go′ dehi′äta, dehi′äta.
_Translation_
I am mashing the berries,
I am mashing the berries.
They say travelers are coming on the march,
They say travelers are coming on the march.
I stir (the berries) around, I stir them around;
I take them up with a spoon of buffalo horn,
I take them up with a spoon of buffalo horn,
And I carry them, I carry them (to the strangers),
And I carry them, I carry them (to the strangers).
This song gives a pretty picture of the old Indian home life and
hospitality. In her dream the woman who composed it imagines herself
cooking fruit, when the word comes that travelers are approaching, the
verb implying that they are on the march with their children, dogs,
and household property. She stirs the berries around a few times more,
lifts them out with a spoon of buffalo horn, and goes to offer them to
the strangers. The translation is an exact paraphrase of the rhythmic
repetition of the original. The berry called _eyhuñ′i_, “principal or
best fruit,” is not found in the present country of the Kiowa, but is
remembered among the pleasant things of their old home in the north. It
is described as a species of cherry.
13. +Go′mgyä-da′ga+
Go′mgyä-da′ga,
Go′mgyä-da′ga,
Do′ nyä′zä′ngo,
Do′ nyä′zä′ngo,
Go′ da′gya iñhä′po,
Go′ da′gya iñhä′po.
_Translation_
That wind, that wind
Shakes my tipi, shakes my tipi,
And sings a song for me,
And sings a song for me.
To the familiar this little song brings up pleasant memories of the
prairie camp when the wind is whistling through the tipi poles and
blowing the flaps about, while inside the fire burns bright and the
song and the game go round.
14. +Dak̔iñ′a daka′ñtähe′dal+
Dak̔iñ′a daka′ñtähe′dal,
Dak̔iñ′a daka′ñtähe′dal.
Tsi′sûs-ä daka′ñtähe′dal,
Tsi′sûs-ä daka′ñtähe′dal.
Da′gya nyäpa′de,
Da′gya nyäpa′de.
Da′gya iñatä′gyi,
Da′gya iñatä′gyi.
_Translation_
God has had pity on us,
God has had pity on us.
Jesus has taken pity on us,
Jesus has taken pity on us.
He teaches me a song,
He teaches me a song.
My song is a good one,
My song is a good one.
In their confounding of aboriginal and Christian ideas the Kiowa
frequently call the Indian messiah “Jesus,” having learned the latter
as a sacred name through the whites.
15. +Anso′ gyätä′to+
[Music]
Anso′ gyätä′to,
Anso′ gyätä′to;
Â′dalte′m ga′tä′dalto′-o′,
Â′dalte′m ga′tä′dalto′-o′;
Änĭmhä′go, Änĭmhä′go.
_Translation_
I shall cut off his feet,
I shall cut off his feet;
I shall cut off his head,
I shall cut off his head;
He gets up again, he gets up again.
This is one of the favorite Kiowa ghost songs and refers to the
miraculous resurrection of the dismembered buffalo, according to the
promise of the messiah, as related in Sword’s narrative. See page 797.
KIOWA GLOSSARY
_Äähe′dal_—they are coming, it is said (_ää′_, I come); the suffix
_hedal_ implies a report.
_Ädâ′ga_—because I am; the suffix _ga_ gives the idea of because.
_Â′daltem_—head; literally hair bone, i. e., skull; from _â′dal_,
hair, and _tem_, bone.
_Ädalto′yui_—“young mountain sheep,” literally “herders” or
“corralers,” one of the degrees of the Kiowa military
organization. Also called _Teñbeyu′i_. (See Arapaho song 43.)
_Ä‛′data′i_—like my father, resembling my father; from _data′-i_,
father, my father.
_Ädä′tode′yo′_—he is standing watching it; _ädä′tode_, I stand
watching it.
_Äde′tepo′nbä_—I went to see my friends; _äde′teponbäta_, I am
going, etc; _de′te_, friend.
_Äguănpo′nbä_—I went to see dancing; _ägu′anponbä′ta_, I am going
to see a dance; _guan_, a dance.
_Ähäyä′_—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.
_Ä′hiñ-aih_—in the tops of the cottonwood; from _ä′hiñ_,
cottonwood, and _aih_, in or on the tree tops.
_Aho′ähe′dal_—they are approaching, it is said (as a family on the
move, or an army on the march, with household goods, etc); the
suffix _hedal_ implies a report or rumor. _Äho′ä_, I am coming
on, with my family and possessions. Compare _Imzä′nteähe′dal_.
_Äho′ho!_—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.
_Ähyä′to_—the Kiowa name for the Arapaho, meaning unknown. The
Kiowa call the wild plum by the same name.
_Äka′na_—for _Äka′on_, q. v.
_Äka′on_—I am poor. The words for “rich” and “poor” refer rather
to reputation and mental and moral qualities than to temporal
possessions. A man may own many horses, but if he has no war
record he is accounted poor.
_Änĭmhä′go_—he gets up again, he rises again. _Dehä′go_, I rise;
_behä′_, get up; _ĭmhä′go_, he will get up.