Omaha-Ponca ewaN 'because'

[Koontz John E]

And now for something a little bit different ...

Here's some data from Dorsey 1890/1891 on the use of e'=waN 'because'.
This stuff is in a preliminary format - my apologies.  It was assembled to
supplement an interesting e'=gaN :: e'=waN pair suggested by Kathy Shea at
the recent Dhegiha working meeting (Niskidhe).

E'waN


Wadha'the bdha'the=dhaN e'   gaN'=dha=  tt=      egaN
Food      I eat    the  that he desires IRREALIS HAVING

e'=waN  gaN' t?e'=  tta=the.
because so   he die shall.
\rf jod 1890:356.6

What is function of e' here?  'It is the food that I eat'?
What about e'=waN gaN'?  because-HAVING?
Cf. next sentences also with e'=waN gaN', punctuated as given by Dorsey.

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PpaN'kka=ama e'=waN  gaN',
Ponkas   the because so,

UmaN'haN=ama we'naxidha'=bi=ama.
Omahas   the attacked them  they say.
\rf jod 1890:405.4

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S^aN'ge=ama ppa'hi was^kaN'ttonga=i e'=waN          gaN',
Horse   the neck   it was strong    being the cause so,

a'kkusaNde         gi'?iN       adha'=i.
to him and beyond  carrying him it went.
\rf jod 1890:463.15-16

The man's horse ran away with him and carried him into some Dakotas.

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S^aN' wisi'dha=i=      the,
Yet   I remembered you when,

me'=adi     u's^kaN wiN' S^aaN'= ama'=tta  phi'=     the
last spring deed    one  Dakotas the  to   I arrived when,

e'=waN' e'=gaN, ppi'=             kki,
because so,     I was coming back when,

u's^kaN z^u=az^i ga'gha=i.
deed    wrong    they did.
\rf jod 1890:512-9-513.1

What is e'=waN e'=gaN? because so?
I suspect that the first 'deed' is some kind of idiom I don't quite fathom.
I recall that celebrations are called 'doings' in English and I believe that
this is the corresponding form that Clifford Wolf used for that.  Could this
be 'when I arrived at a Dakhota doings last Spring'?
This is an example of ama + POSTPOSITION, perhaps because the possessor (here
more like a sponsor) is raised to head in a possessive phrase:  [the Dakotas
their doings] + to.
I think this is something like 'I remember you from when I went to a Dakota
doings last spring, because something bad happened on my way back.'

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Kki e'=  ama ha, kkaN'de niN'de=kki
And that the .   plum    ripe   when

a'gaha xu'de a'dhaha=dhiN
on it  gray  adheres the

e'=waN= ama Is^ti'niNkhe
because the Ishtinike
\rf jod 1890:561.16

Notice the embedded sentence initially, roughly "and that's why …"
Notice e'=waN=ama, a continuative.
Notice dhiN as the article.

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DhaN'z^a e=da'=daN wiN' e'=waN=the'=s^te
Though   what      one  "is causing the trouble"

e'=gaN a'haN          e=bdh=e'=gaN.
so     ! (in thought) I think
\rf jod 1890:708.16-17

e'=waN=the=s^te is theoretically 'whatsoever upright cause'.
E=da=daN 'what (definite set?)' is like 'which' here.
Dorsey writes ebdhe'gaN.  I suspect e'=bdh e'=gaN with downstepping.

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Ppi'=az^i=the he'ga=z^i    ga'gha=i z^u'ga bdhu'ga.
Bad       the not a little was made body   whole.

We'naNz^u         akh        e'=waN=i.
Threshing-machine the (sub.) caused it.
\rf jod 1890:710.4-5

Proximate e'=waN=i?  'that (aforementioned) caused it'?
The use of the as the article in the preceding is also interesting.

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Ni'kkagahi=ama iNs^?a'ge=ama e'   e'=waN=i;
Chiefs     the old men   the that caused it;

a'=daN    ikha'ge=awa'dha=m=az^i,          ua'wakkia=m=az^i.
therefore I did not have them for friends, I did not speak to them.
\rf jod 1890:711.14-15

The e' is interesting.  Perhaps it forms something like 'it was (the chiefs,
the elders) who …'?
This is the sort of structure that makes me thing a'=daN goes with the next
clause.
Fictive kinship (or something similar) with the causative 'I did not have
them as friends'.

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Ikha'ge=dhidhe=xti=             kki'=z^i,
They have you for real friends, when,

u's^kaN=ge  gi'ttexi=           ama ha'
deeds   the are hard for (them) the .

dhaN'z^a, ni'kkas^iNga j^u'ba e'=waN=i,
though,   person       some   they caused it,

ni'kkagahi=ma  wa'gdha=i,
chiefs     the they accuse them

dhidaN'ba=b=az^i     e' wakha'=i.
they did not see you it they mean.
\rf jod 1890:743.3-4

More fictive kinship, another 'deed' = 'doings' idiom, and another embedded
initial sentence (with ha').
Also a =kki=z^i 'when' clause, whatever that means.
I find this dhaNz^a and the other above both a bit puzzling, too.

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Spafford Woodhull iz^on'ge     abdhiN'=   dhin'khe=dhon'
Spafford Woodhull his daughter I have her the      in the past

iN't?e,     dhi=e'=waN=        z^aN.
dead to me, you have caused it you do
\rf jod 1890:771.8-9

Notice dhi=e'=waN=z^aN - the second person, so ?wi=e'=waN=maN should be the
first person.  Apparently the structure is INDEPT_PRO + e + w(a)-aN +
IMPERFECT.

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Kki s^aN' waba'gdheze a'dhade=the dhappi'=xti
And yet   book        reading the speaking it well

wase'kkaN adha'=i=  de   ebe'=waN=i                  e'=iN=the
rapidly   they went when who caused it (the trouble) it may be

waba'gdheze a'dhade tti'= the dhis^e'dhaN=i.
book        reading house the was broken up.
\rf jod 1891:35.3-5

Notice ebe'=waN.
This sentence also has =de which I think is the OP equivalent of c^ha as an
indefinite topic particle.  Here it's glossed when, but it is often 'but',
suggesting the 'surprising fact' tendency of c^ha.  The verb glossed 'went'
is glossed 'want' in the Archives.  Dorsey renders it "And yet when the
children were learning to speak English very well, and were improving
rapidly, for some cause or other the school-house was broken up."

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Kkaghe'gi?aN e=a'thaN xa'dha     kki'=i              a.
Flying Crow  why      back again he has reached home !

E=da'=daN e'=waN=   the wa'gazu  ana'?aN   kkaN'=bdha.
What      caused it the straight I hear it I wish
\rf jod 1891:112.17-18

Notice interrogative 'why' in mid-clause.
Cause clause embedded under na?aN 'to hear'.