postural verbs, verbs of motion

[Justin McBride]

> This noun
> is unique to Dakotan, unless it's irregularly related to waz^az^e 'Osage',
> say from *wi/ayas^-.  I'd guess the root there might be *yas^- 'name', but
> this etymology has never pleased anyone but myself.

Okay, here's a truly ignorant question or two.  An Osage friend of mine once
told me that 'waz^az^e' was an Otoe word originally.  I had never heard this
before.  Has anyone else ever heard this or anything like it?  Also, I have
seen in a couple of places a word like 'nialus^ka' or something to that
effect (forgive me if I messed that up, I am having difficulty recalling the
word) used as the "Osage word for  Osage," but I can't be sure of where I
even came across it.  The popular story around these parts is that 'Osage'
is a corruption of the words for "middle water" (isn't that similar to the
word for China?).  I can see that thought more plainly in the second of the
two above constructions, if only because I immediately recognize 'ni,'
although I thought 'middle' was something more like 'oketsa.'   Does anyone
have any information about this?  It's no biggee; I am just curious... and
truly unaware of the facts of the matter!

Jm