Old Otoe-Missouria term for "bear"

[Sky Campbell]

I've had a name from an old Otoe treaty (1817) that has always puzzled me.
The name is:

 

Wathapayignet - the Small Bear

 

There is no mųnje (bear/black bear) or mąnto (grizzly bear) terms to be
found in there.  The "small" part is easy enough to pull out of there
(yignet = -inye).  Then the thought struck me about the Ponca term for bear
(wasabe) and how the Ponca "s" can sometimes be the Otoe "th" in cognate
terms.  This gives me "wathabe" as the term for bear.  Now before I run with
this, does anyone have anything to back this up?  It certainly makes sense
and the pieces fit.  But I have never seen "wathabe" anywhere as an Otoe
word for bear.  But if I am right, this would give me:

 

Wathabeinye - Small Bear

 

If I am correct, then I'm thinking that this is an extremely old term.

 

Anyone else come across this before?

 

Sky


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