GLOSSARY OF CHEROKEE WORDS
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Mooney, James
Waʻyâ′hĭ—“Wolf place,” i. e. place of the Wolf clan; the form Ani′-Waʻyâ′hĭ is not used. Wolftown settlement on upper Soco creek, on the East Cherokee reservation, in Jackson county, North Carolina.
Waya gap—see Aʻtâhi′ta.
Wayeh—see Wâyĭ.
Wâyî—“Pigeon”; the modern Cherokee name for Big Pigeon river in western North Carolina; probably a translation of the English name. It appears also as Wayeh.
Welch, Lloyd—see Da′siʻgiya′gĭ.
wesă—cat; a corruption of “pussy.”
White-path—see Nûñnâ′hĭ-tsune′ga.
Willstown—a former important settlement, so called from the halfbreed chief known to the whites as Red-headed Will, on Will’s creek below Fort Payne, in Dekalb county, Alabama. The settlement was frequently called from him Wili′yĭ, “Will’s place,” but this was not the proper local name.
Wĭlsĭnĭ′—the Cherokee name for H. W. Spray, agent and superintendent for the East Cherokee reservation; an adaptation of his middle name, Wilson.
Wil-usdi′—“Little Will,” from Wilĭ′, Will and usdi′ga or usdi′, little. The Cherokee name for Colonel W. H. Thomas, for many years the recognized chief of the eastern band.
Wissactaw—see găhăwĭ′sita.
Wolftown—see Waʻyâ′hĭ.
Wootassite, Wrosetasatow—see Outacity.
Wude′ligûñ′yĭ—the west; literally “there where it (the sun) goes down” (w prefixed implies distance, yĭ, locative). See also Usûñhi′yĭ and wusûhihûñ′yĭ.
Wuliga′nătûtûñ—excelling all others, either in good or bad; it may be used as equivalent to wastûñ, “beyond the limit.” See page 232.
wusûhihûñ′yĭ—“there where they stay over night,” i. e. “the west.” An archaic term used by the narrator of the story of Ûñtsaiyĭ′, number 63. The common word is wude′ligûñ′yĭ, q. v., while the term in the sacred formulas is Usûñhi′yĭ, q. v.
Xuala—see Ani-Suwa′lĭ.
-yă—a suffix denoting principal or real, as tsiskwa′yă, “principal bird,” the sparrow; Ani′-Yûñwiyă′, “principal or real people,” Indians.
Yahoola—see Yahulâ′ĭ.
Yahulâ′ĭ—“Yahu′la place,” from Yahu′la, a Cherokee trader said to have been taken by the spirit people; Yahu′la seems to be from the Creek yoho′lo, a name having reference to the song (yoholo), used in the “black drink” ceremony of the Creeks; thus a′si-yoho′lo, corrupted into Osceola, signified “the black drink song”; it may, however, be a true Cherokee word, yahu′lû, or yahu′lĭ, the name for a variety of hickory, also for the “doodle-bug”; Ûñyahu′lă is a feminine name, but can not be translated. Yahoola creek, near Dahlonega, in Lumpkin county, Georgia. See number 86 and notes.
Yalâ′gĭ—Alarka creek of Little Tennessee river, above the junction of Tuckasegee, in Swain county, North Carolina; the meaning of the name is lost.
yañdaska′ga—a faultfinder. See number 61.
Yân-e′gwa—“Big-bear,” from yânû, bear, and egwa, great, large. A prominent chief about the year 1800; the name occurs in treaties as Yonah, Yohanaqua and Yonahequah. See page 164.
yâ′nû—bear.
Yâ′nû-dinĕhûñ′yĭ—“Where the bears live,” from yânû, bear, dinĕhû′, “they dwell” (ĕ′hû, “I dwell, I live”), and yĭ, locative. A place on Oconaluftee river, a short distance above the junction with Tuckasegee, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Yânûgûñ′skĭ—“The bear drowns him” (habitually), from yânû, bear, and tsigûñ′iskă′, “I am drowning him.” A noted East Cherokee chief, known to the whites as Yonaguska or Drowning-bear. See page 162.
Yâ′nû-u′nătawasti′yĭ—“Where the bears wash” (from yânû, bear, and yĭ, locative); a former pond in the Great Smoky mountains, about the extreme head of Raven fork, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 122.
yân′-utse′stû—“the bear lies on it”; the shield fern (Aspidium). See number 126.
Yawâ′ĭ—“Yawă place”; a place on Yellow creek of Cheowa river, in Graham county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Yellow-hill—see Elăwâ′diyĭ.
Yohanaqua—see Yân-e′gwa.
yoho-o!—an unmeaning song refrain. See number 75.
Yonaguska—see Yâ′nûgûñ′skĭ.
Yonah—1. (mountain) see Gadalu′lŭ. 2. An abbreviated treaty form for the name of the chief Yân-e′gwa.
Yonahequah—see Yân-e′gwa.
Ytaua, Ytava—see I′tăwă′.
Yu!—an unmeaning song refrain and interjection.
Yuha′lĭ—Euharlee creek, of lower Etowah river, in Bartow county, Georgia. The name is said by the Cherokee to be a corruption of Yufala (Eufaula), a well-known Creek local name. See number 105.
yûnsû′—buffalo; cf. Creek yĕna′sa, Choctaw yanash, Hichitee ya′nasi.
Yûnsâ′ĭ—“Buffalo place”; West Buffalo creek of Cheowa river in Graham county, North Carolina; the site of a former Cherokee settlement. See number 122.