Articles and Existentials with Ethnonyms in Omaha-Ponca

[Carolyn Quintero]

I don´t know about Omaha-Ponca, but in Osage the counterparts of these sentences can be explained as noted after asterisks below****.
Carolyn Q.

Existentials by Making Verb of Noun

JOD 396.10
kkaN'za=i= the  ha
K       PL EVID DEC
'they are (apparently) Kansas'
*****(they are present and still)

JOD 1890:456.5
wa?u= i  ha
woman PL DEC
'they are women'



Simple Examples of Singular/Plural (Animate Proximate) Articles

umaN'haN=akha
O        the sg
****(the Omaha person is present and still)

umaN'haN=ama
O        the pl
*******(the Omaha person or persons are absent, or are present but moving)


Use of "Singular" Article with Plural Reference

JOD 1890:399.7
umaN'haN=akha   j^u'ba
O        the sg some
'a few Omaha*s*'
*****(they are present and still)

JOD 1890:426.12
umaN'haN=akha=  tta=dhis^aN bdhe
O        the sg to  drawing I go
'I go toward those who are Omaha'

******(they are present and still)

JOD 1890:437.3, 1890:748.5
umaN'haN=akha
O        the sg
'the Omaha*s*'
******(they are present and still)


Use of Doubled Articles In Identifications

JOD 1890:396.12
umaN'haN=am=    ama
O        the pl
'they were Omahas moving'
******(they were moving)


Use of =e Cleft in Identification

JOD 1890:666.4
ppaN'kka=akh=   e
P        the sg it is
'it is the Ponca'
*****(present and still)

JOD 1890:63.11
is^tiniNkhe=akh=   e     akha
I           the sg it is
'Ishtinike is the one'
*****(present and still)

JOD 1890:101.32
mi'kkase=akh=e
C        the it is
'it is the Coyote'
*****(present and still)

JOD 1890:79.10
aN'phaN=am=    e
elk     the pl it is
'it was elk' (?)
*****(present and moving)


Use of a Single Article (Progressive Verb?) in Identification

JOD 1890:456.4
ni'kkas^iNga=ama    ha
person       the pl DEC
'they are persons who are moving'
*****(present and moving)



In summary, based on the Omaha-Ponca texts, the most likely reading for
kkoNze=akha (ha) is 'they are (a specified quanitity of, by default all?)
the Kansas'.  The most likely reading of kkoNze=akh=e would be 'it is (a
specified number, by default all?) the Kansa (who)'.