The American Indians / Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and Manuscripts

by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Compound or Noun-Adjective Animate.
Black	Mukkuddaw	izzi		Makuddaw	izzid.
White	Waubishk	izzi		Wyaubishk	izzid.
Yellow	Ozahw	izzi		Wazauw	izzid.
Red	Miskw	izzi		Mashk	oozzid.
Strong	Söng	izzi		Söng	izzid.

Noun-Adjective Inanimate.
Black	Mukkuddäw	au		Mukkuddäw	aug.
White	Waubishk	au		Wyaubishk	aug.
Yellow	Ozahw	au		Wäzhauw	aug.
Red	Mishkw	au		Mishkw	aug.

The animate forms in these examples will be recognized, as exhibiting a further extension of the rule, mentioned in the preceding chapter, by which substantives are formed from the indicative of the verb by a permutation of the vowels. And these forms are likewise rendered plural in the manner there mentioned. They also undergo changes to indicate the various persons. For instance onishisha is thus declined to mark the person.

Wänishish-eyaun	I (am) good or fair.
Wänishish-eyun	Thou (art) good or fair.
Wänishish-id	He (is) good or fair.
Wänishish-eyang	We (are) good or fair (ex.)
Wänishish-eyung	We (are) good or fair (in.)
Wänishish-eyaig	Ye (are) good or fair.
Wänishish-idigj	They (are) good or fair.

The inanimate forms, being without person, are simply rendered plural by in, changing maiskwaug, to maiskwaug-in, &c., &c. The verbal signification which these forms assume, as indicated in the words am, art, is, are, is to be sought in the permutative change of the first syllable. Thus o is changed to wä, muk to mäk, waub to wy-aub, ozau to wäzau, misk to maisk, &c. The pronoun, as is usual in the double compounds, is formed wholly by the inflections eyaun, eyun, &c.

The strong tendency of the adjective to assume a personal, or pronomico-substantive form, leads to the employment of many words in a particular, or exclusive sense. And in any future practical attempts with the language, it will be found greatly to facilitate its acquisition if the adjectives are arranged in distinct classes, separated by this characteristic principle of their application. The examples we have given are chiefly those which may be considered strictly animate, or inanimate, admit of double forms, and are of general use. Many of the examples recorded in the original manuscripts employed in these lectures, are of a more concrete character, and, at the same time, a more limited use. Thus shaugwewe, is a weak person, nökaugumme, a weak drink, nokaugwud, a weak, or soft piece of wood. Sussägau, is fine, but can only be applied to personal appearance: beesau, indicates fine grains. Keewushkwa is giddy, and keewushkwäbee, giddy with drink, both being restricted to the third person. Söngun and songizzi, are the personal and impersonal forms of strong, as given above. But Mushkowaugumme, is strong drink. In like manner the two words for hard, as above, are restricted to solid substances. Sunnuhgud is hard (to endure,) waindud, is easy (to perform.) Söngedää is brave, Shaugedää cowardly, keezhinzhowizzi, active, kizhekau, swift, onaunegoozzi lively, minwaindum happy, gushkwaindum, sorrowful, but all these forms are confined to the third person of the indicative, singular. Pibbigwau, is a rough or knotted substance. Pubbiggoozzi, a rough person. Keenwau is long, or tall, (any solid mass.) Kaynozid is a tall person. Tahkozid a short person. Wassayau is light; wassaubizzoo, the light of the eye; wasshauzhä, the light of a star, or any luminous body. Keenau is sharp, keenaubikud, a sharp knife, or stone. Keezhaubikeday, is hot metal, a hot stove, &c. Keezhaugummeda, is hot water. Aubudgeetön, is useful,—a useful thing. Wauweeug is frivolous, any thing frivolous in word, or deed. Tubbushish, appears to be a general term for low. Ishpimming is high in the air. Ishpau, is applied to any high fixture, as a house, &c. Ishpaubikau is a high rock. Taushkaubikau, a split rock.

These combinations and limitations meet the inquirer at every step. They are the current phrases of the language. They present short, ready, and often beautiful modes of expression. But as they shed light, both upon the idiom and genius of the language, I shall not scruple to add further examples and illustrations. Ask a Chippewa, the name for rock, and he will answer awzhebik. The generic import of aubik, has been explained. Ask him the name for red rock, and he will answer miskwaubik,—for white rock, and he will answer waubaubik, for black rock mukkuddäwaubik,—for yellow rock, ozahwaubik,—for green rock, ozhahwushkwaubik,—for bright rock, wassayaubik, for smooth rock, shoishkwaubik, &c., compounds in which the words red, white, black, yellow, &c., unite with aubik. Pursue this inquiry and the following forms will be elicited.

Impersonal.
Miskwaubik-ud.	It (is) a red rock.
Waubaubik-ud.	It (is) a white rock.
Mukkuddäwaubik-ud.	It (is) a black rock.
Ozahwaubik-ud.	It (is) a yellow rock.
Wassayaubik-ud.	It (is) a bright rock.
Shoiskwaubik-ud.	It (is) a smooth rock.
Personal.
Miskwaubik-izzi.	He (is) a red rock.
Waubaubik-izzi.	He (is) a white rock.
Mukkuddäwaubik-izzi.	He (is) a black rock.
Ozahwaubik-izzi.	He (is) a yellow rock.
Wassayaubik-izzi.	He (is) a bright rock.
	He (is) a smooth rock.

Add bun to these terms, and they are made to have passed away,—prefix tah to them, and their future appearance is indicated. The word "is" in the translations, although marked with brackets, is not deemed wholly gratuitous. There is, strictly speaking, an idea of existence given to these compounds, by the particle au in aubic, which seems to be indirectly a derivative from that great and fundamental root of the language iau. Bik, is, apparently, the radix of the expression for "rock."