GLOSSARY OF CHEROKEE WORDS
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Mooney, James
Swannanoa—see Suwa′lĭ-nûñnâ′hĭ.
Swim bald—see Sehwate′yĭ.
Swimmer—see Aʻyûñ′inĭ.
tadeyâ′statakûhĭ′—“we shall see each other.” See number 75.
Tae-keo-ge—see Taʻski′gĭ.
ta′gû—the June-bug (Allorhina nitida), also called tu′ya-dĭskalawʼsti′skĭ, “one who keeps fire under the beans.” See number 59.
Ta′gwa—see Ani′ta′gwa.
Ta′gwădihĭ′ (abbreviated Ta′gwădi′)—“Catawba-killer,” from Ata′gwa or Ta′gwa, Catawba Indian, and dihihĭ, “he kills them” (habitually) from tsi′ihû′, “I kill.” An old masculine personal name, still in use upon the East Cherokee reservation. It was the proper name of the chief known to the whites about 1790 as “The Glass,” from a confusion of this name with adakĕ′ʻtĭ, glass, or mirror.
Tagwâ′hĭ—“Catawba place,” from Ata′gwa or Ta′gwa, Catawba Indian, and hĭ, locative. A name occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country. A settlement of this name, known to the whites as Toccoa, was upon Toccoa creek, east of Clarkesville, in Habersham county, Georgia; another was upon Toccoa or Ocoee river, about the present Toccoa, in Fannin county, Georgia; a third may have been on Persimmon creek, which is known to the Cherokee as Tagwâ′hĭ, and enters Hiwassee river some distance below Murphy, in Cherokee county, North Carolina.
Tahkeyostee—see Unta′kiyasti′yĭ.
Tahlequah—see Tălikwă′.
Tahchee—see Tătsĭ′.
Takatoka—see De′gătâ′gă.
tă′lădŭ′ (abbreviated tăldŭ′)—twelve, from tă′lĭ, two. Cf. tăla′tŭ, cricket.
Tăʻlasĭ′—a former Cherokee settlement on Little Tennessee river, about Talassee ford, in Blount county, Tennessee. The name has lost its meaning.
Talassee—see Tăʻlasĭ′.
tăla′tŭ—cricket; sometimes also called dita′staye′skĭ (q. v.), “the barber.” Cf. tă′lădŭ′, twelve.
Tâle′danigi′skĭ (Utâle′danigi′sĭ, in a dialectic form)—variously rendered by the whites “Hemp-carrier,” “Nettle-carrier” or “Flax-toter,” from tâle′ta or utâle′ta, flax (Linum) or rich weed (Pilea pumila), and danigi′skĭ, “he carries them (habitually).” A former prominent chief on Valley river, in Cherokee county, North Carolina. See number 95 and notes.
Talihina—given as the name of the Cherokee wife of Samuel Houston; the form cannot be identified. See page 223.
Tălikwă′ (commonly written Tellico, Telliquo or, in the Indian Territory, Tahlequah)—the name of several Cherokee settlements at different periods, viz: 1. Great Tellico, at Tellico Plains, on Tellico river, in Monroe county, Tennessee; 2. Little Tellico, on Tellico creek of Little Tennessee river, about ten miles below Franklin, in Macon county, North Carolina; 3. a town on Valley river, about five miles above Murphy, in Cherokee county, North Carolina; 4. Tahlequah, established as the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, in 1839. The meaning of the name is lost.
Tali′wă—the site of a traditional battle between the Cherokee and Creeks about 1755, on Mountain (?) creek of Etowah river in upper Georgia. Probably not a Cherokee but a Creek name from the Creek ta′lua or ita′lua, town. See pages 38 and 384–385.
Talking-rock—see Nûñyû′-gûñwani′skĭ.
Tallulah—see Tălulŭ′.
Tăl-tsu′skă′— “Two-heads,” from tă′lĭ, two, and tsu′skă′, plural of uskă′, (his) head. A Cherokee chief about the year 1800, known to the whites as Doublehead.
talulĭ—pregnant; whence alulĭ′, (she is) a mother, said of a woman.
Tălulŭ′ (commonly written Tallulah, and appearing in old documents, from the Lower dialect, as Taruraw, Toruro, Turoree, etc.)—a name occurring in two or more places in the old Cherokee country, viz: 1. An ancient settlement on the upper part of Tallulah river, in Rabun county, Georgia; 2. a town on Tallulah creek of Cheowa river, in Graham county, North Carolina. The word is of uncertain etymology. The dulu′sĭ frog is said to cry tălulŭ′. See number 125. The noted falls upon Tallulah river are known to the Cherokee as Ugûñ′yĭ, q. v.
Taluntiski—see Ata′lûñti′skĭ.
Tamaʻli—a name, commonly written Tomotley or Tomatola, occurring in at least two places in the old Cherokee country, viz: 1. On Valley river, a few miles above Murphy, about the present Tomatola, in Cherokee county, North Carolina; 2. on Little Tennessee river, about Tomotley ford, a few miles above Tellico river, in Monroe county, Tennessee. The name can not be translated, and may be of Creek origin, as that tribe had a town of the same name upon the lower Chattahoochee river.
Tănăsĭ′—a name which can not be analyzed, commonly spelt Tennessee, occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country, viz: 1. On Little Tennessee river, about halfway between Citico and Toco creeks, in Monroe county, Tennessee; 2. “Old Tennessee town,” on Hiwassee river, a short distance above the junction of Ocoee, in Polk county, Tennessee; 3. on Tennessee creek, a head-stream of Tuckasegee river, in Jackson county, North Carolina. Tanasqui, visited by Pardo in 1567 (see page 29), may have been another place of the same name. See number 124.
Tanasqui—see Tănăsĭ.
Taʻski′gi (abbreviated from Taʻskigi′yĭ or Daʻskigi′yĭ, the locative yĭ being commonly omitted)—a name variously written Tae-keo-ge (misprint), Tasquiqui, Teeskege, Tuscagee, Tuskegee, etc. derived from that of a foreign tribe incorporated with the Cherokee, and occurring as a local name both in the Cherokee and in the Creek country. 1. The principal settlement of this name was on Little Tennessee river, just above the junction of Tellico, in Monroe county, Tennessee; 2. another was on the north bank of Tennessee river, just below Chattanooga, Tennessee; 3. another may have been on Tuskegee creek of Little Tennessee river, near Robbinsville, Graham county, North Carolina. See page 29 and number 105.
Tasquiqui—see Taʻski′gi.
Tassel, Old—see Utsi′dsătă′.
Tătsĭ′—“Dutch,” also written Tahchee, a western Cherokee chief about 1830. See page 141.
tatsu′hwă—the redbird.
tawa′lĭ—punk.
Tawa′lĭ-ukwanûñ′tĭ—“Punk-plugged-in,” from tawa′lĭ, punk; the Cherokee name of a traditional Shawano chief. See number 100.
tăwi′skă, tăwi′skage—smooth, slick.
Tăwi′skălă—“Flint”; a Cherokee supernatural, the personification of the rock flint; tăwi′skălûñ′ĭ, tăwi′skălă, flint, from tăwi′skă, smooth, slick; cf. Iroquois Tăwiskaroñ. See number 25 and notes.
Tayûnksĭ—a traditional western tribe; the name can not be analyzed. See number 105.