Quappa

[Michael McCafferty]

There actually seems to have been an intimate connection between Miami-
Illinois speakers and Dhegiha speakers. For example, it is thought the 
Michigamea were originally a Dhegiha-speaking group that come under the roof 
of the Illinois subtribes in late prehistory. I think John Koontz, in fact, 
mentions that at his website. In the 1700s Illinois residency and hunting 
extended far down the western side of the Mississippi valley and contact with 
Dhegiha speakers is a given. Perhaps it should be said in this connection that 
the Wea, of all the Miami subtribes, were the most friendly with the Illinois 
historically.


Quoting David Costa <pankihtamwa at earthlink.net>:

> >> The Miami-Illinois name for the Quapaw is /kaahpa/, with a preaspirated
> /p/.
> >> I'd wager the 'f' is not a misreading, but a mishearing of a
> semi-labialized
> >> /h/ preceding the /p/.
> 
> >> This phenomenon of /hp/ being heard as [fp] is seen here and there in
> other
> >> records of Miami-Illinois, e.g., Hockett's fieldnotes.
> 
> > Thanks, David: that's great, especially with Hockett.
> 
> > On the subject of Miami-Illinois, did the Wea in particular get far enough
> > south to associate with the Quapaw?
> 
> I see no indication of it in either Tanner's atlas or the Handbook, but that
> doesn't mean some stray band of Weas didn't wander down to Arkansas at some
> point.
> 
> Dave
>