Padouca

[Rory M Larson]

> I might have missed something in this Padouca discussion. What language
does
> the word come from; what's the etymology?
>
> Michael

We don't know the language or etymology, but it is probably
from lower Missouri Siouan, perhaps Osage or Iowa-Oto.  John
had a couple of good paragraphs on it:

> From the pre-Comanche through the early Comanche periods we are in the
> period before vocabulary lists for Siouan languages, and very nearly so
> for Miami-Illinois.  The sources for the term(s) in this period are
French
> texts.  The source of the form seems to be Dhegiha, Ioway-Otoe and
> possibly Miami-Illinois sources, presumably with a tendency toward
> Miami-Illinois intermediaries.  I'm not really able to site chapter and
> verse on the arguments these days.
>
>  [...]
>
> The etymologies for both terms are obscure, though Padouca might be
'round
> head', assuming that some u and n confusion was involved early on, and
> assuming that the term as it occurs in some modern languages has been
> borrowed from French.

The /pa/ part would probably be 'head', or 'nose'.  The "douca' part
might be Osage duka, 'wet', or doNka, 'short and stubby, like a bear's
tail'.  (La Flesche Osage dictionary)  I don't know if that is what
John has in mind for his suggested gloss 'round'; I don't recognize it
otherwise.  John?

Rory