With our father above,
With our father above where he dwells on high—He′e′ye′!
Where our mother dwells—He′e′ye′!
Where our mother dwells—He′e′ye′!
The sentiment and swinging tune of this spirited song make it one of the favorites. It encourages the dancers in the hope of a speedy reunion of the whole Caddo nation, living and dead, in the “great village” of their father above, and needs no further explanation.
CADDO GLOSSARY
Ăă—father.
Ăă Kakĭ′mbawiût—“the prayer of all to the Father;” from aa, the Father, i. e., God, and tsĭmba′dikû, I pray; the Ghost dance, also called Nä′nisa′na Gao′shăn, Nä′nisa′na dance.
A′nana—for Nănă′.
A′nanasa′na—for Nana′sana.
Ba′hakosĭn—“striped arrows,” from bah, arrow; the Caddo name for the Cheyenne. They sometimes call them Siä′näbo, from their Comanche name.
Cha′‛kanĭ′na—“the place of crying;” the traditional first settlement of the Caddo tribes, where they came up out of the ground, at the mouth of Red river, on the south bank, in Louisiana.
Detse-ka′yăă—“dog eaters;” the Caddo name for the Arapaho.
Di′wabon—we see him; tsibo′nă, I see him.
Di′wïti′ă—we are all going up, we shall all ascend; tsidiû′, I ascend.
Do′hya—now, at once.
E′yahe′ya!—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.
E′yehe′!—ibid.
Ganio′sĭt—he (she) is painted; atsĭno′sĭt, I paint myself.
Gao′shăn—a dance; ga′tsioshăn, I dance.
Gû′kwûts—my (plural); gûkwû′nda, my (singular); ha′nĭn gû′kwûts, my children.
Hă′-iă—he (she) dwells there below. Compare Ko′iă.
Ha′-imi—large.
Hai′-nai—a tribe of the Caddo confederacy.
Hă′naă or Hă′nă—there he is! that is he!
Ha′nani′to—this feather, the feather; ni′toh, feather; ha′taha, feather (generic).
Ha′natobi′na—a feather headdress; feathers prepared to wear on the head.
Ha′nĭn—children.
Ha′nitu—for Ni′toh.
Hasi′ni or Hasi′nai—the Caddo; the generic name used by themselves.
Ha′taha—feather (generic); nitoh, feather (specific).
Ha′wano—paint.
Ha′yano—people.
Ha′yo—above, on high. Compare Naha′yo.
He′eye′!—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.
He′yahe′eye′!—ibid.
He′yawe′ya!—ibid.
He′yoi′ya!—ibid.
Hi′na—eagle feathers.
Ika—grandmother; a term sometimes applied to the thunder or storm spirit.
Ină′—mother; na ină′, mother above.
I′tsiya—I have come; hatsi′ûs, I come.
I′wi—eagle; also the name of a Caddo gens.
Ka′găhănĭn—thunder; a Caddo gens.
Ka′g‛aih—crow; a Caddo gens.
Kaka′na—they cried; ha‛tsikaka′s, I cry.
Ka′ntsi—“cheats;” the Caddo name for the Kiowa Apache, Lipan, and Mescalero.
Kĭ′shi—panther; a Caddo gens.
Kiwa′t—village, town, settlement.
Koho′—alligator; another name for the Ta′năhă or Buffalo gens of the Caddo.
Ko′iă—where he dwells above; tă′-iă, he dwells above; datsii′ă, I dwell above.
Na—see! look! now!—also coming down from above, as iwi-na, the eagle coming down from above.
Năă′—father above, i. e., God; from ăă′, father, and na, above, on high.
Na′daka—with the people.
Nahă′—that’s all! now you see! there now!
Naha′yo—up, above, the plural of Ha′yo. Hasi′ni diwĭti′a na′hayo, all the Caddo are going up, everybody of the Caddo is going up.
Na-iye′—sister above; from na, above, in composition, and iye′, sister.
Nănă′ or Nă′nănă′—that one (demonstrative).
Nana′sana—is he making it?
Na‛ni′asa—they are using it; ha′tsĭna′sa, I use it.
Na′nia′sana—for Na`ni′asa.
Nä′nisa′na—an Arapaho word, adopted by the Caddo in the Ghost-dance songs and meaning “my children.”
Nä′nisa′na gao′shăn—“Nänisana dance,” one of the Caddo names for the Ghost dance, from gao′shăn, a dance, and nänisa′na (q. v.), an Arapaho word which forms the burden of so many Arapaho Ghost-dance songs. It is also called Ăă Kakĭ′mbawiût, “the prayer of all to the Father.”
Na′tsiwa′ya—I am coming.
Na′wi—below; ha′yo, above.
Nawotsi—bear; a Caddo gens.
Ni—a syllable prefixed merely to fill in the meter.
Niahu′na—for Nĭ′tahŭ′nt.
Nĭ′tahŭ′nt—it has returned. It has come back; tsĭtsihŭ′nă, I return; Ni′‛tsiho, when I returned.
Ni′toh—feather (specific); ha′taha, feather (generic).
Ni′‛tsiho—when I returned. Compare Nĭ′tahŭ′nt.
Nû′na—because.
O′ăt—raccoon; a Caddo gens.
O′wita—he comes; a′tsiûs, I come.
Sha′‛chidĭ′ni—“Timber hill,” a former Caddo settlement on Caddo lake, Louisiana.
Si′bocha′ha—I want to see them; hatsi′bos, I see.
Sûko—sun; a Caddo gens.
Tă′-iă—he dwells above. Compare Ko′iă.
Ta′năhă—buffalo; a Caddo gens.
Ta′o—beaver; a Caddo gens.
Tasha—wolf; a Caddo gens.
Tsaba′kosh—cut-throats; the Caddo name for the Sioux.
Wa′hiya′ne!—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.
Wi′ahe′eye′!—ibid.
Wi′tŭ!—come on! get ready.
Wû′nti—all of them.
AUTHORITIES CITED
Adjutant-General’s Office [A. G. O.].—(Documents on file in the office of the Adjutant-General, in the War Department at Washington, where each is officially designated by its number, followed by the initials A. G. O. In response to specific inquiries additional information was received in letters from the same office and incorporated into the narrative.)
1—Report of Captain J. M. Lee, on the abandonment of Fort Bidwell, California (1890), Doc. 16633-1, 1890; 2—Documents relating to the Apache outbreak, 1881; 3—Documents relating to Sword-bearer and the Crow outbreak, 1887; 4—Captain J. M. Lee, abandonment of Fort Bidwell, Doc. 16633-1, 1890; 5—Report on the Ghost dance, by Lieutenant H. L. Scott, February 10, 1891, Doc. ——; 6—Report on the abandonment of Fort Bidwell, by Captain J. M. Lee, Doc. 16633-1, 1890; 7—Statement of Judge H. L. Spargur in Lee’s report on Fort Bidwell, Doc. 16633-1, 1890; 8—Letters of Assistant Adjutant-General Corbin and Quartermaster-General Batchelder; 9—Affidavits with Lee’s report on the abandonment of Fort Bidwell, Doc. 16633-1, 1890.