Osage

[TOM LEONARD]

Thought I might chime in here regarding 'waz^az^e'.

Several elderly Poncas have told me the word 'waz^az^e' comes from we'sa,
the Ponca word for snake. I've recorded this several different times over
the last 25 years from several different Ponca sources.

It's interesting to note most of the individual and family names in the
Ponca Waz^az^e Clan, both in Ponca and translated into English surnames,
generally have something to do with 'snake' (e.g. "Little Snake" or
"Snake").

Regards,
Tom Leonard


----- Original Message -----
From: "Rankin, Robert L" <rankin at ku.edu>
To: <siouan at lists.colorado.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 1:21 PM
Subject: RE: Osage


> >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?

> I tend to doubt it.  it seems to go back a long way. Some say it has to do
> with snakes in some way.
>
> >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,"
>
> A Nialus^ka (forMrs. Rowe Mialus^la) is a water monster in Kaw.
>
> >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?).
>
> Chungguo 'middle kingdom'
>
> That Osage term wazhazhe is very old and unanalyzable unless John's idea
is
> right.  Middle waters occurs prominently in Matthews's book, but I don't
> know if it extendsto the OS language.  Carolyn would probably have better
> idea.
>
> Bob