Word for 'prairie'?

[Carolyn Q.]

Mrs. Holding (Osage) always said that the name for Hominy district
zaaNce'oliiN was 'living on the prairie' (oliiN' is 'live, dwell').  I think
LF says "living in the upland forest" in this instance, but she said that
was wrong, insisted on 'prairie' or 'country' which she felt to be the same.
Carolyn

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-siouan at lists.colorado.edu
[mailto:owner-siouan at lists.colorado.edu]On Behalf Of Alan Hartley
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 1:05 PM
To: siouan at lists.colorado.edu
Subject: Re: Word for 'prairie'?


Rankin, Robert L wrote:

> how to say 'prairie' in Kaw.  I don't have much I can tell them.
> Does any of your work with Omaha, Ponca or Osage (or other languages)
> yield any insight.

Some Algonquian languages have a word based on a root (*mas^kw- ?)
meaning 'grass', e.g., Fox mas^kote:wi, Ojibway mas^kode.

Canadian French and American English 'prairie' refers to grassy areas
ranging in size from a small meadow to a great plain.

Alan