<font size=2 face="sans-serif"><b>From the Dorsey slip file:</b></font>
<br>
<br><a href=http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/miN/opd.02.128.01a.jpg><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><b>http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/miN/opd.02.128.01a.jpg</b></font></a>
<br><a href=http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/miN/opd.02.128.01c.jpg><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><b>http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/miN/opd.02.128.01c.jpg</b></font></a>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">miN'quga</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Rory's reference to "being instructed"
reminded me of the male phrase used to address the singers when passing
by the drum after receiving a gift from someone "Qu'kka woNgithe",
which usually would elicit a round of "aho" from the group.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">I don't think women would use the term,
but older ones will lulu as they pass, gaining the "aho" response
from the drum.</font>
<br>
<br><a href=http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/qp/opd.03.029.06b.jpg><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><b>http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/qp/opd.03.029.06b.jpg</b></font></a>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">qu'ka</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">singers for a dance; one who initiates
someone into a secret society</font>
<br>
<br><a href=http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/qp/opd.03.029.06c.jpg><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><b>http://omahalanguage.unl.edu/dictionary_images/qp/opd.03.029.06c.jpg</b></font></a>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Qu'ka</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">"Singers", a subdivision of
an Omaha clan</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Perhaps this is just tangential to the
question at hand.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Mark Awakuni-Swetland</font>
<br>
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<td width=40%><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>Rory M Larson <rlarson@unlnotes.unl.edu></b>
</font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: owner-siouan@lists.Colorado.EDU</font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">08/22/11 11:43 AM</font>
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<div align=center><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Please respond to<br>
siouan@lists.Colorado.EDU</font></div></table>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">To</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">siouan@lists.Colorado.EDU</font>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">cc</font></div>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Subject</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Re: Omaha and Lakota Words</font></table>
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<br><tt><font size=2>Scott wrote:</font></tt><font size=3> </font><tt><font size=2><br>
> </font></tt><font size=3>I was wondering if anyone may have a breakdown
of the word mexoga in Omaha and the word winkte in Lakota; i.e such as
root words and literal meanings? <br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
The root mi(N) in mi(N)-x^uga is almost certainly the archaic root for
'woman' that exists only in combining form in Omaha. It should be
the cognate of wiN in Lakhota wiNkte, which is still an active word for
'woman'.</font></tt><font size=3> <br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
Both words refer to an MtF transgendered person, i.e. a male who is inclined
to be female.</font></tt><font size=3> <br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
The Dakotan kte (ktA) is the potential particle cognate to Omaha tte. The
combination wiN-kte could probably be translated literally as "would-be
woman" or "inclined to be female".</font></tt><font size=3>
<br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
In Dhegiha, the root mi(N) meaning 'woman' is confusable with the root
mi(N), cognate with Dakotan wi, meaning 'sun' or 'heavenly body'. Fletcher
and La Flesche (p. 132 ff) understand the initial mi to mean 'moon', and
record some Osage stories and lore about the condition which explain it
as being the result of dreaming about the moon (woman) during the young
men's vision quest. In their dream, they lose a handgame with her,
and wind up holding the burdon strap instead of the bow and arrows. Thenceforth,
they must live, speak and dress as women.</font></tt><font size=3> <br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
The authors tell us that x^uga means 'to instruct', and interpret mi-x^uga
to mean "instructed by the moon".</font></tt><font size=3> <br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
Outside of this reference, we do not seem to have any knowledge of a word
x^uga that means 'instruct' or 'instructed'. The term x^uga does
mean 'badger'. In either case, the -ga is probably a type of stative
suffix, so we would be looking for a root meaning of x^u. There is
a root g^u, having a voiced rather than voiceless velar fricative, that
means 'mark', which appears in ri-g^u, 'to draw', and ba-g^u, 'to write'.
I am not sure how sharp the phonemic distinction is between /x^/
and /g^/, because the former is much more common in initial position and
the latter in the interior of words. Badgers, x^u-ga, notably have
a white stripe up their nose, so they could be considered characteristically
'marked' if we suppose that the x^u in their name is the same as the g^u
in ri-g^u and ba-g^u. If so, then mi(N)-x^uga could be translated
as "marked as woman" rather than as "instructed by woman".</font></tt><font size=3>
<br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
This is just a suggestion, though, which rides on a questionable supposition.
We really don't know yet what the x^u in mi(N)-x^uga means. But
the whole term probably means something like "woman-inclined",
one who is inclined to be a woman.</font></tt><font size=3> <br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
The mi(N)-x^uga term seems to be general in Dhegiha. I believe I
have also run into the same construction in IOM, or possibly Hochunk, so
this is probably an older term than Lakhota wiN-kte. I wonder if
Jimm or Iren could add anything here?</font></tt><font size=3> <br>
</font><tt><font size=2><br>
Rory</font></tt><font size=3> </font>
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