Introduction and Native Countries of the Siouans and Catawbans

[Blair Rudes]

Hi Travis, 
In all the extant data from the Catawba language, I have found nothing  that 
would qualify as what you call “country names.” The evidence from early  
narratives indicates that from earliest times, Catawba names such as Esaw (Ysa,  
Yssa), Catawba (Catapa, Cataba), Saraw (Xual(l)a, Joara), etc. were the names 
of  towns, not the names of “countries.” As I noted in my article “Place Names 
of  Cofitachequi” (Anthropological Linguistics 46.4 (2004):359-436), the only 
 Catawban town name for which a relatively certain etymology can be proposed 
is  Esaw (Ysa, Yssa) (from Catawba ‘i:suwaN’ ‘river’). With the exception of 
Esaw,  Speck’s proposed analyses of purported Catawba names in his “Siouan 
Tribes of  the Carolinas” are purely speculative. I discuss many of them in the 
“Place  Names of Cofitachequi” article. The name Cofitachequi, which was the 
name  applied by the Spaniards to the political entity and the territory in 
the  Carolinas that included the towns of Ysa and Catapa, is of Muskogean 
origin and  appears to have been given to the Spaniards by Muskogean speakers on 
the south  side of the Savannah River. (See the article “Catawba and Its 
Neighbors” by  Blair Rudes, Thomas Blumer, and J. Alan May in the Southeast volume of 
HNAI.)  
With respect to your questions “are all of these peoples thought to be  
Catawban?” and what about the other (likely) Catawban tribes, such as the  
Keyauwee?,” here is a quick summary of information that is discussed in greater  
detail in the previously referenced articles by Ives Goddard and me in  
Anthropological Lingusitics and in my co-authored chapter on the Catawba in the  
Southeast volume of HNAI. 
1. There are good reasons to believe that the Eno, Shakori, Keyauwee,  Waxhaw 
were not Catawban-speakers.  
2. There is one piece of evidence, discussed in both Ives Goddard’s and  my 
articles in Anthropological Lingusitics, to suggest that the Santee-Seretee  
were Catawban speakers. There is also circumstantial evidence suggesting that  
the Sewee were politically allied with the Santee-Seretee, which may also  
indicate a cultural-linguistic connection, although that is  uncertain. 
3. The relationship between the Saraw (Xual(l)a, Joara, Sauro) and the  
Cheraw (Chara) is complicated, but one or both of the groups apparently spoke a  
Catawban language/dialect. 
4. The linguistic affiliations of the Pedee, Wateree, Congaree, and other  
historic towns of the Province of Cofitachequi are wholly unknown due to lack of 
 data, although Catawban etymologies are possible for their names. As Bob 
noted,  just because a Catawban etymology is possible for a town name, it does 
not mean  the people in the village spoke a Catawban language. It may simply 
mean that it  was speakers of a Catawban language who gave the name to the 
individuals who  wrote it down. 
There are a few examples of Catawban names for non-Catawban peoples that  
might be considered “country names,” for example, the name M’aNturaN’  ‘Cherokee
’. However, the antiquity of such names, and their etymologies are  
uncertain. 
I hope this information is useful. 
Let me know if I can help you in any other way with your  proejct. 
Best regards, 
Blair
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/siouan/attachments/20070129/e16a37cb/attachment.htm>