Rory's Mysterious Omaha-Ponca Fragment

[Randolph Graczyk]

What's interesting about tennise'ete is that it is not simply a matter of
code-switching; 'ten cents' has been refashioned into a phonologically normal
Crow expression:
    1) an 'i' is inserted to avoid a weird 'ns' cluster,
    2) the 'nt' cluster is simplied to 't', and
    3) a final vowel is added to conform to the normal pattern for Crow nouns.

The discussion of names reminds me of a story:

Unless it is a ceremonial occasion like a sweat lodge or a giveaway, most
Crows habitually refer to each other by their English names.  However, there are
a few individuals who are almost always called by their Crow names.  One such
individual here in Pryor is Oliver Costa, whose Crow name is Di'akaashe 'does
it well, does it thoroughly'.  Several years ago at a giveaway the announcer,
who was from another district, wanted to call Di'akaashe to come and receive a
gift.  He said to the man next to him, "What's Di'akaashe's Indian name?  The
bystanders thought this was hilarious, and the story is still being repeated
in the sweat lodge.

Randy
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