The Lenâpé and Their Legends: With the complete text and symbols of the Walam olum, a new translation, and an inquiry into its authenticityBrinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
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The Lenâpé and Their Legends: With the complete text and symbols of the Walam olum, a new translation, and an inquiry into its authenticity
Brinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
Delaware Indians; Delaware language -- Texts; Picture-writing, Indian
_Maskaboush_ = Chip. _mashka_, strong, _wabos_, usually translated hare
or rabbit, but really "White One." I have fully explained this mistaken
sense of the word in _American Hero Myths_, pp. 41, 42, and elsewhere.
9. The Algonkin myth relates that Michabo or Nanaboj after having
formed the earth on the primal ocean, walked round and round it, and by
this act increased it constantly in size.
Rafinesque's translation is:--"Being born creeping, he is ready to move
and dwell at _Tula_;" and in his note to the line he adds, "_Tula_
is the ancient seat of the Toltecas and Mexican nations in Asia; the
_Tulan_ or _Turan_ of Central Tartary."
The entire absence of connected meaning in this and other lines of
Rafinesque's translation is strong evidence that he did not fabricate
the text; otherwise he would certainly have assigned it some coherent
sense.
The turtle is, as usual, the symbol of the land or earth (see page 133).
12. _Manito-dasin_, the Divine Maiden, or the Daughter of the Gods, as
it might be freely translated. The reference is to the Virgin who at
the beginning of things descended from heaven, and alighting on the
back of the turtle became the mother of Nanaboj and his brothers. She
was well known in Eastern Algonkin mythology, as I have already shown.
(See above, p. 131.)
13. This and the three following verses form, observes Rafinesque, a
rhymed hymn to Nanabush.
14. In this line the men are referred to as _Linapi_, not _lennowak_ as
before. Here then begins the particular history of the Lenape tribe,
whose chief sub-tribe was the Turtle clan.
The meaning of the line is very obscure. It seems to refer to the
origin of the Unami, or Turtle sub-tribe of the Delawares.
16. _Kwamipokho_, translated by Raf. "plain and mountain," does
not appear to me to bear any such rendering. I take it as a form
of _champeecheneu_, Z. "it is still or stagnant water," the
appropriateness of which to the context is evident.
_Sitwalikho_, Raf. renders "path of cave," deriving it obviously from
_tsit_, foot, and _woalheu_, a hole. It has no sort of meaning in
this rendering, and I assume, therefore, that it is a derivative from
_tschitqui_, silent.
_Maskan wagan_, probably an error for _maskanakon_, as in v. I.
_Palliwi, palliwi_, "is elsewhere, is elsewhere," or, "is foiled, is
overcome."
III.
1. _Wittank talli_: in the MS. these words are first translated
"dwelling town there," but the last two words are erased and "of Talli"
substituted. This is one of a number of instances where Rafinesque
altered his first translations, which is further evidence that he did
not manufacture the text. In this instance, as frequently, he altered
it for the worse. _Wittank_ is from _witen_, to go with or be with,
Zeis., and _talli_ is the adverb "there."
3. _Meshautang_, "many deer" (see Vocabulary), translated by
Rafinesque, "game."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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