Missouri

[David Costa]

> And does 8ic8es mean 'bark'?

It's an archaic morpheme that's not attested in modern Miami, so I'm not
positive what it means. But it's not the basic word for 'bark'. Judging from
Gravier's Illinois form <8ic8essimingi> 'bouleau arbre' ('-imingi' = is a
morpheme meaning 'tree'), it probably means 'birch', so <8ic8es mis8ri> and
its alternate <8ic8essi> would actually mean 'BIRCH boat'.

> If so, then wouldn't that mean that mihso:ri has become the basic word for
> 'boat' or 'canoe' in Illinois, with presumption of 'dugout' if it's
> unqualified?

Even by the old Illinois period, it appears to be the basic 'boat' or
'canoe' word in Illinois, definitely so in Miami. Its cognate is also the
basic 'boat' word in Kickapoo.

> But if the mihs- part of that is from PA 'wood', then the -o:ri part should be
> 'boat'.  Is that ever used independently in Illinois?

No, only as a final. But it is used independently in a few languages, as in
Plains Cree /o:si/ 'canoe'. (Remember, Cree /mihtot/ = 'raft'.)

David