Shale and Shatèra, signify to carry, Shapore, a load. The former word consists of Sheth and Ale. Illeh imports dead, and Kaneha lost. They say Shat Kaneha, to carry a thing quite away, or to Canaan.—Likewise, Illeht Kaneha, literally, dead, and lost, or probably, gone to Canaan. Several old Indian American towns are called Kanāai; and it hath been a prevailing notion with many Jews, that when any of their people died in a strange land, they passed through the caverns of the earth, till they arrived at Canaan, their attractive centre. And the word Oobèa, likewise imports dead, or cut off by O E A, or Yohewah; for they firmly believe, as before hinted, they cannot outlive the time the Deity has prescribed them. They likewise say, Hasse Ookklīlle Cheele, “the sun is, or has been, caused to die in the water,” i. e. sun-set. When they would say, “Do not obscure, or darken me,” they cry Ish-ookkīlle Chīnna, verbatim, “Do not occasion Ish, me, to become like the sun, dead in the water.” They call the new moon, Hasse Awáhta, “the moon is called upon to appear by Yohewah:” which plainly shews, that they believe the periodical revolutions of the moon to be caused, and the sun every day to die, or be extinguished in the ocean, by the constant laws of God. When we ask them, if to-day’s sun is drowned in the western ocean, how another can rise out of the eastern ocean to-morrow? they only reply, Pilla Yammi, or Yammi mung; or such is the way of God with his people. It seems to be a plain contraction of יה and אממי Ammi; which was the name of Israel during the theocracy. Besides, Aeemmi signifies, “I believe;” as the peculiar people believed in Yohewah. And it likewise imports, “I am the owner of, &c.”——according to the Hebrew idiom, the words and meaning nearly agree. {53}
Ette signifies wood; and they term any kind of chest, box, or trunk, Eette Oobe; and frequently, Oobe; which seems to point to the “ark of the purifier,” that was so fatal to the laity even to touch; a strong emanation of the holy fire, light, and spirit, residing in it, as well as in that which the priests carried to war, against the devoted enemy.
The Chikkasah settled a town, in the upper, or most western part of the Muskohge country, about 300 miles eastward of their own nation, and called it Ooe-ása;[[25]] which is derived from O E A, and Asa, “there,” or “here, is;” i. e. “YO He Wah presides in this place.” And, when a person is removing from his former dwelling, they ask him, Ish-ooè-à (tūm?) “are you removing hence, in the name, or under the patronage, of YO He Wah?” And it both signifies to ascend, and remove to another place. As, O E A, Aba, the omnipresent father of mankind, is said to dwell above, so the Indian hopes to remove there from hence, by the bounty of Ishtohoollo, the great holy One: according to their fixed standard of speech, had they made any nearer approach to O E A, the strong religious emblem of the beloved four-lettered name, it would have been reckoned a prophanation.
Phutchik signifies a star, and Oonna “he is arrived:” but Phutchik Oonnache, “the morning-star;” because he is the forerunner of light, and resembles the sun that reflects it. And Oonna-hah signifies to-morrow, or it is day. The termination denotes their gladness, that the divine light had visited them again: and, when they are asking if it is day, they say Onna He (tak?). The last monosyllable only asks a question; and the fæminine gender treble note is the mid syllable of the great divine name—which may reflect some light upon the former observations.
Although the Hebrews had a proper name for the human soul, calling it נפש; yet in Prov. xx. 27, it is called נר יהוה, “The candle, or lamp of God;” and figuratively applied, it conveys a strong idea of the human soul: Thus the Indians term it, Nāna Ishtohoollo, “something of, or a relation to, the great holy One;” very analogous to the former method of expressing the rational Fire, as they believe the Deity resides in the new year’s, supposed principle, in allusion to the celestial cherubic name אש, Ashe, holy fire. Because Ish, Man, received his breath from the divine inspiration of the beneficent creator Yah, they term the human {54} species, in their strong-pointing language, Yāhwè; which, though different from the divine, essential, four-lettered name, in sound has יה, Yah, for its radix. But, because the monkey mimics Yahweh, or the rational creation, more than any other brute, in features, shape, gesture, and actions; in proportion to the similitude, they give him a similar name, Shaw-we. This indeed makes a near approach to Ish and Yah, and to Yahwe; but it wants the radix of both, and consequently bears no signification of relation to either. While they urge, that the regularity of the actions of the brute creatures around them, expresses a nice understanding or instinct; they deny their being endued with any portion of the reasoning, and living principle, but bear only a faint allusion to Nana Ishtohoollo, the rational soul. The most intelligent among them, say the human soul was not made of clay, like the brute creation, whose soul is only a corporeal substance, attenuated by heat, and thus rendered invisible.
Through a seeming war-contempt of each other, they all use a favourite termination to their adjectives, (very rarely to their substantives) and sometimes to their verbs; especially when they are flourishing away, in their rapid war-speeches, which on such occasions they always repeat with great vehemence. I shall give a specimen of two words, in the dialects of our southern Indians. RI is the favourite period of the Katāhba Indians; as Mare-ŕi, or Wahre-ŕi, “Good,” and Maretawah-ŕi, or Wah-rètawàh-ŕi, “best,” or very good; Wah, the last syllable of the great divine name, is evidently the radix, and magnifies the virtuous idea to a superlative. In like manner, Shegàre-Wahŕi, “not bad,” but Sheekàre-ŕi, signifies “bad.” With these Indians, Sheeke is the name of a buzzard, which they reckon to be a most impure fowl, as it lives on putrid carcasses; upon which account, they choose that word to convey a vicious idea.
Quo is the sounding termination of the Cheerake; as Seohsta-quo, “good,”—and O-se-u, “best,” or very good. Here they seem to have studiously chosen the vowels:—As the following words will illustrate, Tonnàte-ū, “very honest,” or virtuous, and Y-O-U, “Evil,” or very bad. To corroborate the hints I gave, concerning the Indian names of monkey, and the human species, let it be observed, that though their words convey a virtuous or vicious idea, in proportion as they are constituted out of {55} any of their three divine names, Yohewah, Yah, and Ishtohoollo; or contain the vowels of the great sacred name, yet the aforesaid word Y-O-U, is so far from being a deviation from that general custom, it is an emphatical, and emblematical term to express evil, by the negative of good; for, as it is the only substantive or adjective of that word, it is a strong expressive symbol of the nature, and physical cause of moral evil, by separating YO, the first syllable of the divine four-lettered name into two syllables; and adding U, as a superlative period, to make it malum malorum.
Shèh is the sounding criterion of the Muskohge, or Creek Indians,—a kind of cant jargon, for example; Heettla-sheh, signifies “good,” and Heettla-wah-E-sheh, “very good;” according to their universal standard of speech, it becomes a superlative, by subjoining that part of the divine name to it. With the Chikkasah and Choktah, Heettla signifies dancing; probably because that religious exercise was good and highly pleasing to them, when, according to ancient custom, they danced in their symbolical circles, to, and before, YO He Wah. With the former, Apullowhage sheh, expresses “bad,” or evil, thereby inverting the divine letters.
Skeh is the favourite termination of the Chikkasah and Choktah—as Chookòma-skeh, “good,” Chookòmasto-skeh (alluding to Ishto) “very good;” and Ookproo-skeh, “bad.” Likewise, Ookproosto, “worst,” or very bad; for, by annexing the contracted initial part of the divine name, Ishtohoollo, to the end of it, it is a superlative. These remarks may be of service to the inhabitants of our valuable and extensive barriers, in order to discover the national name of those savages, who now and then cut them off.
Ookproo-see, with those Indians, signifies “accursed;” the two last letters make only a samech, which implies a neuter passive: and, as Ookproo is the only substantive or adjective they use to express “evil,” by doubling the leading vowel of the four-lettered divine name, both at the beginning and end of the word; may we not conjecture at its origin, as glancing at the introduction of sin or evil by man’s overacting, or innovating, through a too curious knowledge, or choice? “Ye shall be as gods,” and, in order to gain the resemblance, they ate what was forbidden. {56}