Siouan and Iroquoian "buffalo"

[David Kaufman]

Hi,

I was intrigued to find that the Biloxi word for "buffalo" is yinisa (or nsa abbreviated).  The Cherokee word for buffalo is yanssi.  Am I totally off the mark in thinking these are somehow related, perhaps through borrowing?  Especially since the Biloxi word is so far afield from the northern Siouan (e.g., Hidatsa and Dakota) words for buffalo: mité and pte.  I don't know what the word for buffalo is in other Iroquoian languages (e.g., Seneca or Mohawk) and I don't know what the Muskogean words are.  I'm wondering if both the Biloxi and Cherokee words may be borrowed from Muskogean, since both the Biloxi and Cherokee tribes originally bordered on opposite sides of Muskogean territory?  Does anyone know the Muskogean (e.g., Creek or Choctaw) words for "buffalo"?   (BTW--the Ofo dictionary does not show a word for buffalo.)

One other thing: has anyone done comparative wordlists for both the Siouan and Iroquoian families, and/or comparative grammars, that are available and accessible?

Thanks,

Dave

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