More regarding "wa"

[Tom Leonard]

In light of the present conversations regarding "wa", I have a question regarding the use of "wa" in Omaha/Ponca. Please understand I have little formal linguistic training.

In Ponca we have "ni'the" -to heal. "Wani'the" translates as "THE healer" (Jesus). In this sense, it seems to me, "wa" acts like a "personifier" (correct term?).

We have "xu'be" -holy or mysterious. "Waxu'be" translates as "sacred thing", "sacred bundle", etc. We find "ni ni waxu'be" for "sacred pipe". 

Similarly, we find "wa sa'be" - "sa" or "sa'be" meaning "black" - for "black bear".

Then there's "washa'be" - "sha" often having a translation such as "grey", "in a mist", "in between black and white", "a dark object -like on the horizon". Joe HairyBack (Ponca) (have this on tape) said "washabe" clan is the "buffalo clan" but the word means "buffalo in a mist or a fog...you can't quite make it out".

La Flesche (1939) calls the War Ceremony "Washabe Athi^n". Jablow points out "the Washabe gens, one of the gens in charge of the tribal hunt, 'was the same as THE NAME OF THE CEREMONIAL STAFF used by the Omaha leader of the annual tribal buffalo hunt, and also of that subdivision of the Omaha Honga gens..."

To throw one more wrench in the engine -in light of the discussion regarding "wa wa" - La Flesche (1939) has  WaWa as "the Peace Ceremony" (although I think this comes from wa'o^n -to sing or song).

In light of the present conversations regarding "wa" and its uses, how do these examples fit in?

wi'btha hai ho!
TML


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