polaltes?

[Joel S. Berson]

Anyone know what this means?

polaltes

context: When on the bluff, about 400 Indians came running along the
beach flashing their polaltes.

The tribe is Wiyot, was in the San Francisco Bay area around 1820ish.
[Perhaps a word from their "Macro-Algonquian" language (OED on
"Wiyot").  Googling hints that their may be a dictionary.]

(And don't suggest "patooties", unless you have evidence.)

Joel

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