Dzunuqua WAKASHAN

[Henry Kammler]

Dell Hymes wrote:

> I don't know enough about Nootka to say, but there seem to be
at least
> three words in Chinookan languages proper (not CJ) shared with
Nootka, and
> which probably came from Nootka to Chinookan.  One is a word
associated
> with spirit power (ts'a:yiq),

This is very interesting. The ts'aayiq (secret) societies seemed
to be
widespread on the pacific coast. Boas supposed ts'aayiq (the word
and the
institution) to be of Kwakiutl origin. Indeed, in historical
times it was only
known to the Nuuchaahnulth groups of the inner Barkley Sound
area. If I'm not
wrong it also existed among the northern Straits Salish.

> And Kwakiutl Ts'o:noqoa, 'an ogress reprsened on masks and
house posts, seems
>
> likely to come from Chinookan -t'u-naqu, which is analyzable in
Chinookan
> (t'u- good, powerful)

Another interesting case. The sources are not exhaustive on this
but among the
Nuuchaahnulth the Ts'o:noqoa (or Dzu:nuq'wa) went by the name of
I'iishsu'ilh
[?i?iis^su?il] which is something like "pitch woman". [The one
that used to
snatch children in order to put them into her smoke house like
salmon, as
staple food. Later Snot Boy  - !intHtin - kills her.] If we don't
find a trace
of the Tsonoqua-word among the N., then maybe the word travelled
via the Salish
peoples. Any evidence on the Salish side?
(maybe I should cross-post this...)

Henry