Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names
Following publication of my short paper on mammal and bird names in the Indian languages, Dr. C. Stuart Houston of Saskatoon kindly pointed out to me that a considerable number of Cree animal names are given in the Fauna Boreali Americana of Richardson and Swainson. As this publication is based on j...
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ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/65920 2023-05-15T14:19:19+02:00 Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names Höhn, E. Otto 1974-01-01 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/65920 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/65920/49834 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/65920 ARCTIC; Vol. 27 No. 2 (1974): June: 89–164; 153-154 1923-1245 0004-0843 Stellaria info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 1974 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:22:54Z Following publication of my short paper on mammal and bird names in the Indian languages, Dr. C. Stuart Houston of Saskatoon kindly pointed out to me that a considerable number of Cree animal names are given in the Fauna Boreali Americana of Richardson and Swainson. As this publication is based on journeys made by Richardson in 1819-1821 and 1825-1827, whereas I collected Cree names in 1971, it is possible to compare names in use at two periods separated by an interval of approximately 150 years. Richardson travelled over most of the Cree country, from Hudson Bay to present day Alberta, while my informants were all from central or northern Alberta. Many differences in the two lists of names may therefore be due to regional, as opposed to temporal, differences; nevertheless a preponderant similarity between the old and the present-day names is evident on comparison. Richardson also listed a few Chipewyan animal names, so that a similar comparison, though on a small sample, can be made for this language as well. I have grouped the results of the comparison into three categories: names which are alike, and in many cases the same, allowing for the fact that there is often more than one way of writing the same sound for English readers; names which are cognate; and names which are different. Some examples, using Cree names only, are tabulated below. Of 23 mammals for which Cree names are given in the two sources compared, 18 were alike, 4 cognate and only one different. In the case of 42 bird names, 21 were alike, 7 cognate and 14 were different. For all 65 names the proportions are: 60% alike, 17% cognate and 23% different. The few Chipewyan names given in the Fauna Boreali-Americana make it possible to compare ten (six mammal and four bird) names with ones from my own material. Eight of these names are alike and two different. Irving, comparing Eskimo bird names in use in 1877 and 1960 in one locality, Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, and thus eliminating the factor of regional differences, found that 92% were alike. Hisdata and that given above for two Indian languages indicate that animal names in these particular Amerindian languages are no less enduring in time than those used in languages which have writing. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Baffin Island Baffin Chipewyan Cumberland Sound eskimo* Hudson Bay University of Calgary Journal Hosting Baffin Island Cumberland Sound ENVELOPE(-66.014,-66.014,65.334,65.334) Hudson Hudson Bay Indian ARCTIC 27 2 |
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Stellaria Höhn, E. Otto Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names |
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Following publication of my short paper on mammal and bird names in the Indian languages, Dr. C. Stuart Houston of Saskatoon kindly pointed out to me that a considerable number of Cree animal names are given in the Fauna Boreali Americana of Richardson and Swainson. As this publication is based on journeys made by Richardson in 1819-1821 and 1825-1827, whereas I collected Cree names in 1971, it is possible to compare names in use at two periods separated by an interval of approximately 150 years. Richardson travelled over most of the Cree country, from Hudson Bay to present day Alberta, while my informants were all from central or northern Alberta. Many differences in the two lists of names may therefore be due to regional, as opposed to temporal, differences; nevertheless a preponderant similarity between the old and the present-day names is evident on comparison. Richardson also listed a few Chipewyan animal names, so that a similar comparison, though on a small sample, can be made for this language as well. I have grouped the results of the comparison into three categories: names which are alike, and in many cases the same, allowing for the fact that there is often more than one way of writing the same sound for English readers; names which are cognate; and names which are different. Some examples, using Cree names only, are tabulated below. Of 23 mammals for which Cree names are given in the two sources compared, 18 were alike, 4 cognate and only one different. In the case of 42 bird names, 21 were alike, 7 cognate and 14 were different. For all 65 names the proportions are: 60% alike, 17% cognate and 23% different. The few Chipewyan names given in the Fauna Boreali-Americana make it possible to compare ten (six mammal and four bird) names with ones from my own material. Eight of these names are alike and two different. Irving, comparing Eskimo bird names in use in 1877 and 1960 in one locality, Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, and thus eliminating the factor of regional differences, found that 92% were alike. Hisdata and that given above for two Indian languages indicate that animal names in these particular Amerindian languages are no less enduring in time than those used in languages which have writing. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Höhn, E. Otto |
author_facet |
Höhn, E. Otto |
author_sort |
Höhn, E. Otto |
title |
Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names |
title_short |
Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names |
title_full |
Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names |
title_fullStr |
Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evidence for the Temporal Stability of Cree and Chipewyan Indian Animal Names |
title_sort |
evidence for the temporal stability of cree and chipewyan indian animal names |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
1974 |
url |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/65920 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-66.014,-66.014,65.334,65.334) |
geographic |
Baffin Island Cumberland Sound Hudson Hudson Bay Indian |
geographic_facet |
Baffin Island Cumberland Sound Hudson Hudson Bay Indian |
genre |
Arctic Baffin Island Baffin Chipewyan Cumberland Sound eskimo* Hudson Bay |
genre_facet |
Arctic Baffin Island Baffin Chipewyan Cumberland Sound eskimo* Hudson Bay |
op_source |
ARCTIC; Vol. 27 No. 2 (1974): June: 89–164; 153-154 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/65920/49834 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/65920 |
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ARCTIC |
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27 |
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