Wanikiya Tun -> omaka

[Alan H. Hartley]

> I’m sure that the connection is as you say makha ‘earth’ and the
> abstract making or locative prefix o-, linking time with the changing
> phases of mother earth in the year.
> I believe that this is also true in Cree, which often mirrors Lakota
> in such things although they are not etymologically related but not
> far from each other geographically. I remember that they use pipon
> ‘winter’ for ‘years of age’ as in nisosaap e piponeyaan ‘when I was 12
> years old’, but I’m sure that they also use askiy ‘earth’ in some way
> for year

That's really interesting, Bruce. In Wolfahrt & Ahenakew's Plains Cree
dictionary, I find aski:wi- 'be the earth, exist as world; be a year.'

Alan