Attn: Dhegihanists.

[Rankin, Robert L]

Hi,

I have a question one or more of you might be able to help me with --
especially since there are no Kaw speakers I can consult with.

In the Kaw (Kansa) migration story there is reference to a village named
"maNdaxpaye" (accent on first syllable, secondary accent on -pa-). It is
referred to as "the name of the village in Mo, at which resided the
ancestors of the present Osages, Kansas, Omahas and Poncas." An Osage
cognate of "maNtaxpadhe" is given.

I have two questions about the village name. (1) What does it mean, and (2)
have any of your consultants ever heard the name or any accounts/stories
about it? If so, what do they say?

The Omaha/Ponca cognate, if there is one, should be either *maNdaxpadhe or
*maNnaxpadhe, depending on whether the d/n goes back to a dental stop or a
"funny R". If it is the 'by extreme temperature' instrumental, it would be
-na-, otherwise probably -da-. The KS and OS cognates don't tell us which.

As for meaning, I'm not entirely sure where or how to segment the word. In
Kansa, if you segment it "maN-" and then "da:xpaye", the latter part would
be the verb 'to burn down' (like a house or lodge on fire). The rest,
"maN-", would have to be something else, presumably the noun that was burned
down. MaN may be the root for 'land'.

On the other hand, it might be "maNda" plus "xpaye" which might possibly
refer to a 'lost maNda', whatever that might be. In Kansa "maNda" is a
'prohibitive' and generally means just "Don't do __________." So that
wouldn't seem to fit. So far I like the 'burn down' scenario better, but I
can't tell if that's what it is without help from a speaker of one of the
languages or an Omaha/Ponca cognate.

This is the most specific reference to the 4 tribes living together after
the split with the Quapaws that I can locate in the Dorsey collections. I'd
like to be able to figure it out. Any help will be much appreciated.

Best,

Bob