Kristineaux

[Alan H. Hartley]

Bruce,

> I know this is a Siouan List.  I also know there are Algonquianists out
> there.  Does anyone know the origin of Kristineaux or Kelistineaux from which
> is derived the name Cree.  I have read somewhere that 'one branch of the Cree
> (presumably Eastern) called themselves Kenistenoag from whence we get this
> name.  If this is true, does anyone know what  Kenistenoag means.

The etymology is pretty opaque. Here is what is known, thanks mostly to
David Pentland (U. Manitoba) in his synonymy in vol. 6 of the Hdbk. of
N. Amer. Indians, and in personal communications:

Fr. Christinaux (and inumerable variants) < Ojibway kiris^tino: probably
< a (so far unattested) Cree band-name of unknown meaning.

The various forms of the sort kVn-, kVr- and kVl- represent synchronic
and diachronic variants in Ojibway. The cluster s^t is foreign to Oj.
but common in Cree. The -g in some Eng./Fr. forms represents the
Algonquian animate plural suffix -k. Dave says "Possibly the
kiris^tin(w)- part was a non-Algonquian place name or descriptive term,
and only the -o:w is real Algonquian." (The final -ow: in Cree [just -o:
in Oj.] is an ethnonymic suffix.)

As Dave says, "I know this doesn't clear up any problems, but proper
names without contemporary translations are always hard to analyze."

Alan
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Alan H. Hartley
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