GLOSSARY OF CHEROKEE WORDS
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Mooney, James
Gustĭ′—a traditional Cherokee settlement on Tennessee river, near Kingston, Roane county, Tennessee. See number 79. The name cannot be analyzed. Wafford thought it a Cherokee attempt at “Kingston,” but it seems rather to be aboriginal.
Gu′wisguwĭ′—The Cherokee name for the chief John Ross and for the district named in his honor, commonly spelled Cooweescoowee. Properly an onomatope for a large bird said to have been seen formerly at infrequent intervals in the old Cherokee country, accompanying the migratory wild geese, and described as resembling a large snipe, with yellow legs and unwebbed feet. In boyhood John Ross was known as Tsan′-usdi′, “Little John.”
Gwalʻgâ′hĭ—“Frog place,” from gwalʻgû, a variety of frog, and hĭ, locative. A place on Hiwassee river, just above the junction of Peachtree creek, near Murphy, in Cherokee county, North Carolina; about 1755 the site of a village of refugee Natchez, and later of a Baptist mission.
gwehe′!—a cricket’s cry. See number 119.
ha!—an introductory exclamation intended to attract attention or add emphasis; about equivalent to Here! Now!
ha′-ma′ma′—a song term compounded of ha! an introductory exclamation, and mămă′, a word which has no analysis, but is used in speaking to young children to mean “let me carry you on my back.” See number 117.
Hanging-maw—see Uskwâ′li-gû′tă.
ha′nia-lĭl′-lĭl′—an unmeaning dance refrain. See number 24.
Hard-mush—see Gatûñ′waʻlĭ.
ha′suyak′—a song form for hasuya′gĭ′, “(thou) pick it out” (imperative); “I pick it out, or select it,” ga′suyăgiû′; second person, ha′suyăgiû′. See number 19.
ha′tlû—dialectic form, ga′tsû, “where?” (interrogative).
ha′wiye′ĕhĭ′, ha′wiye′-hyuwe′—unmeaning dance refrains. See numbers 32 and 118.
hayû′—an emphatic affirmative, about equivalent to “Yes, sir!” See number 115.
hayuya′haniwă′—an unmeaning refrain in one of the bear songs. See number 75.
he-e!—an unmeaning song introduction.
Hemp-carrier—see Tâle′danigi′skĭ.
Hemptown—see Gatûñlti′yĭ.
hi!—unmeaning dance exclamation.
hi′gĭna′liĭ—“(you are) my friend”; agina′liĭ, “(he is) my friend.” In white man’s jargon, canaly.
Hickory-log—see Wane′-asûñ′tlûñyĭ.
Hightower—see I′tăwă′.
hĭla′gû?—how many? how much? (Upper dialect); the Middle dialect form is hûñgû′.
hĭlahi′yu—long ago; the final yu makes it more emphatic.
hi′lûñnû—“(thou) go to sleep”; from tsĭ′lihû′, “I am asleep.”
hĭ′skĭ—five; cf. Mohawk wĭsk. The Cherokee numerals including 10 are as follows: sâ′gwû, tă′lĭ, tsâ′ĭ, nûñ′gĭ, hĭ′skĭ, su′tălĭ, gûlʻkwâ′gĭ, tsune′la, sañne′la, askâ′hĭ.
Hiwassee—see Ayuhwa′sĭ.
hi′yagu′wĕ—an unmeaning dance refrain. See number 32.
Houston, Samuel—see Kă′lănû.
hûñgû—see hĭla′gû.
huhu—the yellow-breasted chat, or yellow mocking bird (Icteria virens); the name is an onomatope. See number 45.
hûñyahu′skă—“he will die.”
hwĭ′lahĭ—“thou (must) go.”
igăgû′tĭ—daylight. The name is sometimes applied to the ulûñsû′tĭ (q. v.), and also to the clematis vine.
i′hya—the cane reed (Arundinaria) of the Gulf states, used by the Indians for blowguns, fishing rods, and basketry.
ihyâ′ga—see atsil′sûñʻtĭ.
i′nădû′—snake.
I′nădû-na′ĭ—“Going-snake,” a Cherokee chief prominent about eighty years ago. The name properly signifies that the person is “going along in company with a snake,” the verbal part being from the irregular verb asta′ĭ, “I am going along with him.” The name has been given to a district of the present Cherokee Nation.
i′năgĕ′hĭ—dwelling in the wilderness, an inhabitant of the wilderness; from i′năge′ĭ, “wilderness,” and ĕhĭ, habitual present form of ĕhû, “he is dwelling”; gĕ′û, “I am dwelling.”
I′năge-utăsûñ′hĭ—“He who grew up in the wilderness,” i. e. “He who grew up wild”; from i′năge′ĭ, “wilderness, unoccupied timber land,” and utăsûñ′hĭ, the third person perfect of the irregular verb, ga′tûñskû′, “I am growing up.”
Inâ′lĭ—Black-fox; the common red fox is tsu′lă (in Muscogee, chula). Black-fox was principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1810. See page 86.