Francis Drake and the California Indians, 1579Heizer, Robert F. (Robert Fleming)
History
Francis Drake and the California Indians, 1579
Heizer, Robert F. (Robert Fleming)
Drake, Francis, approximately 1540-1596 -- Travel -- California; Indians of North America -- California
Madox's word for king, _Hioghe_, is similar to that given by Fletcher
(_Hioh_ or _Hyoh_), except that the _ghe_ ending is unusual. From the
words of the Indian song given by Madox (see below), in which _heigh_
(i.e., _hai_) appears, it might be suspected that the _gh_ is silent;
yet why is the terminal _e_ present? It may be that if _Hioghe_ were
exactly similar phonetically to _Hioh_, there would not be a terminal
_e_ in _Hioghe_. Thus Madox's' _Hioghe_ may indicate a terminal sound
(short or weak _e_?) and therefore be close to modern Coast Miwok
_hoipa_ (and Sierra Miwok _haiapo_). That the _gh_ might be an
indication of the _p_ sound is possible, or, again, it could represent
Madox's attempt to render a weak or indefinite labial sound which was
imperfectly remembered by his informant. Too close a phonetic
transcription of an Indian language by Elizabethan Englishmen should not
be expected--there was little standardization in English spelling[106]
at that time. The foregoing is not advanced as an argument to show that
the terminal "e" was sounded, but is merely presented as a possibility.
Elizabethan English commonly used an unpronounced terminal "e." The song
of the Indians "when they worship god" is given by Madox as _Hodeli oh
heigh oh heigh ho hodali oh_. No Coast Miwok or Pomo song on record
accords exactly with that given by Madox, although some are quite
similar. For example, a Coast Miwok _Suya_ song transcribed by Kelly is
a repetitive line _Yo ya he yo he o_. Other examples from the Coast
Miwok are not available, but some Pomo ceremonial songs may be cited.
Stephen Powers[107] gives a Sanel Pomo song:
_Hel-lel-li-ley
Hel-lel-lo
Hel-lel-lu_
E. M. Loeb[108] gives several Pomo songs which are associated with the
Kuksu or ghost ceremony:
1. _He yo he yo he yo
He yoha eheya ye
To ya he yo ho ho_
2. _Tali, tali, yo yo weya yo, weya yo,
ha hi he ya he hotsaii ya hi ho._
3. _He ha le me, le lu hi ma humane, hu ..._
Other Pomo songs used in ceremonies are given by Loeb:[109]
1. _=U =u hulai leli ha ha._
2. _He he la le ha hi hi hi, ya ya ya, hu wa!_
3. _Yo yo hale e he na gagoyá =o he he!_
4. _Ho yu ko, he he, a ha a a. Hi ye ko, lai ye ko, He tsi ye._
5. _Yo ho yo ho yaho, he yo ho waha._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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