The American Indians: Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and ManuscriptsSchoolcraft, Henry Rowe
History
The American Indians: Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and Manuscripts
Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe
Indians of North America
Kaegat wahwinaudj abbenoejeeug, is an expression indicating _they are very
handsome children_. Bubbeeweezheewug monetoesug, denotes _small insects_.
Minno neewugizzi, is good tempered, he is good tempered.
Mawshininewugizzi, is bad tempered, both having their plural in _wug_.
Nin nuneenahwaindum, I am lonesome. Nin nuneenahwaindaumin, we
(excluding you) are lonesome. Waweea, is a term generally used to
express the adjective sense of _round_. Kwy, is the scalp. (_Weenikwy_
his scalp.) Hence Weewukwon, hat; Wayweewukwonid, a wearer of the hat;
and its plural Wayeewukwonidjig, wearers of the hats--the usual term
applied to Europeans, or white men generally. These examples go to
prove, that under every form in which the adjective can be traced,
whether in its simplest or most compound state, it is susceptible of
number.
The numerals of the language are converted into adverbs, by the
inflection _ing_, making _one_, _once_, &c. The unit exists in
duplicate.
Paezhik, One, general unit } Aubeding, Once.
Ingoot, One, numerical unit}
Neesh, Two. Neeshing, Twice.
Niswee, Three. Nissing, Thrice.
Neewin, Four. Neewing, Four-times.
Naunun, Five. Nauning, Five-times.
N'goodwaswae, Six. N'goodwautshing, Six-times.
Neeshwauswae, Seven. Neeshwautshing, Seven-times.
Shwauswe, Eight. Shwautshing, Eight-times.
Shongusswe, Nine. Shongutshing, Nine-times.
Meetauswee, Ten. Meetaushing, Ten-times.
These inflections can be carried as high as they can compute numbers.
They count decimally. After reaching ten, they repeat, ten and one, ten
and two, &c., to twenty. Twenty is a compound signifying two tens,
thirty, three tens, &c., a mode which is carried up to one hundred,
_n'goodwak_. Wak, then becomes the word of denomination, combining with
the names of the digits, until they reach a thousand, _meetauswauk_,
literally, _ten hundred_. Here a new compound term is introduced made by
prefixing twenty to the last denomination, neshtonnah duswak, which
doubles the last term, thirty triples it, forty quadruples it, &e., till
the computation reaches to ten thousand, n'goodwak dushing n'goodwak,
_one hundred times one hundred_. This is the probable extent of all
certain computation. The term _Gitshee_, (great,) prefixed to the last
denomination, leaves the number indefinite.
There is no form of the numerals corresponding to second, third,
fourth, &c. They can only further say, _nittum_ first, and _ishkwaudj_,
last.
LECTURE IV.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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