Virtues-wolves-coyotes

[Koontz John E]

On Tue, 16 Jul 2002 bi1 at soas.ac.uk wrote:
> I do agree that a connection with Navaho or Apache seems unlikely in
> terms of the movement of these groups and the geography involved.

Actually, it would depend on when you assumed the contact.  The Apache, or
some of them, were on the western Plains into the 1700s.  The Spanish
encountered the Apache on the Plains north and east of the Pueblos.  The
Plains Apache never left the Plains, of course.  The usual ethnographic
assessment is that the Apache were pushed into the Southwest by the
Comanche entering the Plains and moving south the get better access to
Spanish horses.  Archaeologists are still arguing as to what portion of
the southern Athabascans came south by way of the Plains and the Basin.
The Navajo are usually said to have used the Basin route.

The northern Plains Avonlea culture is sometimes considered to be early
Athbascan, and it has at least one offshoot in north central Minnesota
sometime around 1000 AD or so - I'm not sure I remember the date properly.
There is another possible lexical sharings between Athabascan and Siouan,
the 'metal' term.

JEK