... Word for "Chief" ...

[Rankin, Robert L]

> The sets for 'chief' are pretty irregular and are probably loans > from
somewhere.  At one point Allan Taylor suggested Spanish
> Cacique (from a South American source, I think).  The OP root is > gahige
(~ hagi) if I recall.

> > 2. Wangegihi etc (fr. Wange 'man' + gi 'towards something' +
>  hi 'to cause' = 'Causes a person to go [do? something]',
> relating to the authority of a chief. You could render gihi as
> 'send(er)'.

Nikka-gahi is another variant in Dhegiha dialects. Nikka 'man' with gahi as
the root for 'chief'. Hi does not function as a causative in Dhegiha
languages, and they routinely have ga- (Dakotan ka-) where Chiwere and
Winnebago have gi-. So it certainly looks as though Dhegiha speakers analyze
the root as gahi- (with ga- > gi- in CH/WI). I can't say anything about
trying to derive it from Spanish Cacique, but i tend to doubt it.

bob