(O)maha

[Koontz John E]

On Mon, 22 Mar 2004, David Costa wrote:
> > Out of curiosity, what is the modern MI form for Omaha?
>
> None is attested, sadly.

Thanks, this was quite helpful!  I guess in the context I would sum it up
that the only attestation in any way, shape, or form of 'Omaha' in
Miami-Illinois of any age at all is the maha(s) on the Marquette map,
which is only presumably of MI origin.  However, MI seems to delete short
vowels from the initials of ethnonyms, pretty much across the board, even
in the Old Illinois stage, and more recently also from other kinds of
words, so that it is not implausible that omaha or umaha would be reduced
to (?) maha.

If it weren't reduced, one would expect (?) amaha, because of constraints
on possible initial vowels.

Maha, plural mahaaki, is attested in Shawnee.

All of this allows us to suspect that the convention of referring to the
Omahas as Mahas may have originated in Miami-Illinois, though there are a
few missing links in the evidence.

JEK