GLOSSARY OF CHEROKEE WORDS
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Mooney, James
Iskagua—“Iakagua or Clear Sky, formerly Nenetooyah or the Bloody-Fellow.” The name appears thus in a document of 1791 as that of a Cherokee chief frequently mentioned about that period under the name of “the Bloody Fellow.” In one treaty it is given as “Eskaqua or Bloody Fellow.” Both forms and etymologies are doubtful, neither form seeming to have any reference either to “sky” (gălûñ′lăhĭ) or “blood” (gi′ga). The first may be intended for Ik-e′gwa, “Great-day.” See page 69.
Istanare—see Uʻstăna′lĭ.
Iʻsû′nigû—an important Cherokee settlement, commonly known to the whites as Seneca, formerly on Keowee river, about the mouth of Conneross creek, in Oconee county, South Carolina. Hopewell, the country seat of General Pickens, where the famous treaty was made, was near it on the east side of the river. The word cannot be translated, but has no connection with the tribal name, Seneca.
Itaba—see I′tăwă′.
Ităgû′năhĭ—the Cherokee name of John Ax.
I′tăwă′—The name of one or more Cherokee settlements. One, which existed until the Removal in 1838, was upon Etowah river, about the present Hightower, in Forsyth county Georgia. Another may have been on Hightower creek of Hiwassee river in Towns county, Georgia. The name, commonly written Etowah and corrupted to Hightower, cannot be translated and seems not to be of Cherokee origin. A town called Itaba, Ytaua or Ytava in the De Soto chronicles existed in 1540 among the Creeks, apparently on Alabama river.
Itsă′tĭ—commonly spelled Echota, Chota, Chote, Choquata (misprint), etc; a name occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country: the meaning is lost. The most important settlement of this name, frequently distinguished as Great Echota, was on the south side of Little Tennessee river a short distance below Citico creek in Monroe county, Tennessee. It was the ancient capital and sacred “peace town” of the Nation. Little Echota was on Sautee (i. e., Itsâ′tĭ) creek, a head stream of the Chattahoochee, west of Clarkesville, Georgia. New Echota, the capital of the Nation for some years before the Removal, was established at a spot originally known as Gănsa′gĭ (q. v.) at the junction of the Oostanaula and Conasauga rivers, in Gordon county, Georgia. It was sometimes called Newtown. The old Macedonia mission on Soco creek, of the North Carolina reservation, is also known as Itsâ′tĭ to the Cherokee, as was also the great Nacoochee mound. See Naguʻtsĭ′.
Itse′yĭ—“New green place” or “Place of fresh green,” from itse′hĭ, “green or unripe vegetation,” and yĭ, the locative; applied more particularly to a tract of ground made green by fresh-springing vegetation, after having been cleared of timber or burned over. A name occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country, variously written Echia, Echoee, Etchowee, and sometimes also falsely rendered “Brasstown,” from a confusion of Itse′yĭ with ûñtsaiyĭ′, “brass.” One settlement of this name was upon Brasstown creek of Tugaloo river, in Oconee county, South Carolina; another was on Little Tennessee river near the present Franklin, Macon county, North Carolina, and probably about the junction of Cartoogaja (Gatug-itse′yĭ) creek; a third, known to the whites as Brasstown, was on upper Brasstown creek of Hiwassee river, in Towns county, Georgia. In Cherokee as in most other Indian languages no clear distinction is made between green and blue (saʻka′nige′ĭ).
i′ya—pumpkin.
iya′-iyu′stĭ—“like a pumpkin,” from iya and iyu′stĭ, like.
iya′-tăwi′skage—“of pumpkin smoothness,” from i′ya, pumpkin, and tăwi′skage, smooth.
Jackson—see Tsek′sĭnĭ′.
Jessan—see Tsĕsa′nĭ.
Jesse Reid—see Tsĕ′sĭ-Ska′tsĭ.
Joanna bald—see Diyâ′hăli′yĭ.
Joara, Juada—see Ani′-Suwa′lĭ.
John—see Tsa′nĭ.
John Ax—see Ităgû′năhĭ.
Jolly, John—see Ahu′lude′gĭ.
Junaluska—see Tsunu′lăhûñ′skĭ.
Jutaculla—see Tsulʻkălû′.
kâ′gû′—crow; the name is an onomatope.
Kâgûñ′yĭ—“Crow place,” from kâ′gû′, crow and yĭ, locative. See number 63.
ka′ĭ—grease, oil.
Kala′ăsûñ′yĭ—“Where he fell off,” from tsĭla′ăskû′, “I am falling off,” and yĭ, locative. A cliff near Cold Spring knob, in Swain county, North Carolina.
Kâ′lahû′—“All-bones,” from kâ′lû, bone. A former chief of the East Cherokee, also known in the tribe as Sawănu′gĭ (Shawano), and to the whites as Sawnook or Flying-squirrel.
Kâ′lănû—“The Raven”; the name was used as a war title in the tribe and appears in the old documents as Corani (Lower dialect, Kâ′rănû) Colanneh, Colona, etc. It is the Cherokee name for General Samuel Houston or for any person named Houston.
Kâ′lănû Ahyeli′skĭ—the Raven Mocker. See number 120.
Kâ′lănûñ′yĭ—“Raven place,” from kâ′lănû, raven, and yĭ, the locative. The proper name of Big-cove settlement upon the East Cherokee reservation, Swain county, North Carolina, sometimes also called Raventown.
kalâs′-gûnăhi′ta—“long-hams” (gûnăhi′ta), “long”); a variety of bear. See number 15.
Kâl-detsi′yûñyĭ—“Where the bones are,” from kâ′lû, bone, and detsi′yûñyĭ, “where (yĭ) they (de—plural prefix) are lying.” A spot near the junction of East Buffalo creek with Cheowa river, in Graham county, North Carolina. See number 122.
kăma′ma—butterfly.
kăma′ma u′tanû—elephant; literally “great butterfly,” from the resemblance of the trunk and ears to the butterfly’s proboscis and wings. See number 15.
kanahe′na—a sour corn gruel, much in use among the Cherokee and other southern tribes; the tamfuli or “Tom Fuller” of the Creeks.
kănăne′skĭ—spider; also, from a fancied resemblance in appearance, a watch or clock; kănăne′skĭ amăyĕ′hĭ, the water spider.
Kăna′sta, Kănastûñ′yĭ—a traditional Cherokee settlement formerly on the headwaters of the French Broad river near the present Brevard, in Transylvania county, North Carolina. The meaning of the name is lost. A settlement called Cannostee or Cannastion is mentioned as existing on Hiwassee river in 1776. See number 82 and notes.
kanâ′talu′hĭ—hominy cooked with walnut kernels.
Kana′tĭ— “Lucky Hunter”; a masculine name, sometimes abbreviated Kanat′. The word can not be analyzed, but is used as a third person habitual verbal form to mean “he is lucky, or successful, in hunting”; the opposite is uʻkwa′legû, “unlucky, or unsuccessful, in hunting.” See number 3.
kanegwâ′tĭ—the water-moccasin snake.
Kănu′ga—also written Canuga; a Lower Cherokee settlement, apparently on the waters of Keowee river in South Carolina, destroyed in 1761; also a traditional settlement on Pigeon river, probably near the present Waynesville, in Haywood county, North Carolina. See number 81 and notes. The name signifies “a scratcher,” a sort of bone-toothed comb with which ball-players are scratched upon their naked skin preliminary to applying the conjured medicine; de′tsinuga′skû, “I am scratching it.”