Vocabulary
ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ – Indian
ᏚᎾᏙᎥᎢ - names
ᎠᏲᏁᎦ (ᏲᏁᎦ) - Whiteman
ᏗᏎᏍᏗ - numbers
ᎪᎯᎩ - longtime
ᏥᎨᏒᎩ – it was
ᏌᏊᎭ – just one
ᎤᏂᎮ – they had it, they told me
ᎣᏂᏃ – but
ᎢᏴᎢ -
ᏂᎦᏛ – everybody, all
ᎨᎦᏎᏍᏗ ᏄᎵᎦᏔᎴᎢ – had to get enrolled
ᎾᏊ – now
ᎠᏎ – but
ᏱᏓᎾᏓᏁᎭ -
ᎩᎳ –
ᎨᎦᏎᏍᏗᏍᎨᎢ – they gave us a number, they told me
ᏌᏊᎭᏃ – but just one
ᎨᏒ – it was
ᏴᏫ – person
ᏱᏚᏙᎠ – when/if he was called/named
ᎦᏰᏥᏁᏗ -
ᎨᏎ – it was, they told me
ᎠᎦᏎᏍᏗ – they - to him a number
ᎨᏒᎢ – (see ᎨᏒ)
ᎾᏊᏃ – now (emphasis)
ᎨᎦᏍᏔᏅ -
ᎤᏅᏒᏊ -
ᎠᏂᏩᏗᏍᎬ -
ᏔᎵᏁ – the second
ᏫᎨᏒ -
ᏧᎾᏙᏍᏙᏗ -
ᎾᏁᎵᏍᎬᏃ -
ᎠᏲᏁᎦᏊ -
ᎦᏪᏟᎭᏊ -
ᎠᎾᏗᏍᎬᎢ -
ᎾᏍᎩ – that mentioned
ᎢᏳᏍᏗ – same, like
ᎣᎧᏜᏛ ᎠᎹ – Drywaters
ᎠᎴ – and, or
ᎤᏃᏴᎩᎦᎸᎾ – Rattlinggourds
ᏎᎷᏧᏩᏂᎨᎢ – Roastingears
ᎤᏩᏬᏛ – Nakedheads
ᎠᎹᎤᏍᎦᏎᏗ – Dreadfulwaters
ᏥᎦᎾᏙᎠ – they were named, called
ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏚᎾᏙᎥᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏲᏁᎦ ᏗᏎᏍᏗ
ᎪᎯᎩ ᏥᎨᏒᎩ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᏌᏊᎭ ᎤᏂᎮ ᏚᎾᏙᎥᎢ. ᎣᏂᏃ ᎢᏴᎢ ᏂᎦᏛ ᎨᎦᏎᏍᏗ ᏄᎵᎦᏔᎴᎢ ᎾᏊ ᎠᏎ ᏔᎵ ᏚᎾᏙᎥ ᏱᏓᎾᏓᏁᎭ ᎩᎳ ᎨᎦᏎᏍᏗᏍᎨᎢ. ᏌᏊᎭᏃ ᎨᏒ ᏴᏫ ᏔᎵ ᏱᏚᏙᎠ ᎩᎳ ᎦᏰᏥᏁᏗ ᎨᏎ ᎠᎦᏎᏍᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎾᏊᏃ ᏴᏫ ᎨᎦᏍᏔᏅ ᎤᏅᏒᏊ ᎠᏂᏩᏗᏍᎬ ᏔᎵᏁ ᏫᎨᏒ ᏧᎾᏙᏍᏙᏗ ᎾᏁᎵᏍᎬᏃ ᎯᎠ ᎠᏲᏁᎦᏊ ᎦᏪᏟᎭᏊ ᎠᎾᏗᏍᎬᎢ. ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏎ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᎣᎧᏜᏛ ᎠᎹ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏃᏴᎩᎦᎸᎾ ᎠᎴ ᏎᎷᏧᏩᏂᎨᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏩᏬᏛ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎹᎤᏍᎦᏎᏗ ᏥᎦᎾᏙᎠ.
ᏌᏊ ᎢᏳᏩᎫᏗ ᎠᏲᏁᎦ ᎤᎷᏤᎢ ᏚᎾᏢᏁ ᎤᏂᏣᏗ ᎠᎭᏂ ᏧᏂᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗᏱ ᏩᏥᏂ ᎤᏤᎵᎦ. ᏂᎦᏛᏃ ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ ᏗᎪᏪᎵ ᏕᎦᏁᎲ ᏗᏎᏍᏗ ᏗᎨᎪᏪᎵ. ᎣᎩᏃᎯᏎᎸ ᎣᎦᏎᏍᏛ ᏙᏗᎪᎵᏰᎢᏏᏒᎢ ᏱᏙᏥᏁᎸ ᏙᎦᏙᎥᎢ. ᏧᏬᏪᎶᏗᏃ ᏙᎦᏙᎥ ᏕᎦᏁᎲ ᏗᎪᏪᎵ. ᏚᎪᎵᏰᎠᏃ ᎢᎬᏱ ᏗᏎᏍᏗ ᏧᎳᏍᎩ ᏁᏩᏓ ᎤᏓᏃᎯᏎᎸ ᏚᏙᎥᎢ. ᎤᎿᏊ ᎤᏲᎯᏍᏔᏅ ᎠᏲᏁᎦ ᏕᎪᏪᎵᏍᎬᎢ. ᎯᎠ ᏄᏪᏒᏱᎧ. ᏄᎳ ᎢᏥᏍᎦᏯ. ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏓ ᎾᏏ. ᎯᎠ ᏗᎦᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗᎢ. ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᏗᏍᎩᎥᏏᏕᎶᏙᎥᎢ ᏗᏉᏪᎶᏗᏃ ᎠᎭᏂ ᎠᏪᎵᎢ. Ꮭ ᏯᏆᏚᎵ ᏧᎦᎸᏓ ᎢᏥᏬᏂᏏᏓᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᏴ ᎨᏙᎲᎢ.
ᎪᎯᏗᏃ ᎢᏳ ᎣᏂ ᏙᎢ ᏄᎾᏛ ᏁᎸ ᏴᏫ ᎩᎳ ᎤᏙᎯᏳᎾᏁᎴ ᏚᏳ ᎪᏛ ᏚᎾᏙᎥᎢ. ᏅᏱᏁᏃ ᏗᎪᏪᎸ ᎤᎪᎵᏰᎠ. Ꮭ ᏱᎦᏅᏓᏗᎠ ᎤᏙᎯᏳ ᏔᏬᏗᏗᏲᎯᎯ ᏬᏱ ᎠᎴ ᏥᏍᏆᎦᏙᎬ ᏄᏬᏛᎾ ᏱᎩ. ᎾᏍᎩᏊᎴ ᏱᎩ ᎾᎤᏛᏐᏅ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᏆᎾᏗᎩᏍᎩ ᏆᎾᏗᎩᏍᎩ.
Indian Names and Whiteman Numbers
In the old days the Cherokees all used to have just one name; but back when everybody had to get enrolled, they had to give two names before they were given a roll number. That was so there would be no confusion about people with the same name. Well when people went down to enroll they would pick out just anything for a second name, because they thought it was all just some sort of whiteman's joke anyway. I guess that's how the Drywaters and
Rattlinggourds and Roastingears and Nakedheads and Dreadfulwaters all got their names.
One time there was a whiteman that came and hired a crew from around here to work on a
government project. We all went down to work the first morning and that whiteman had a list
of roll numbers and we were all supposed to give him our names, so he could write them
down in his book. Well, he read out the first number and Crabgrass Gritts gave him his name. Then he read the second number and Chickadee Augerhole gave his name. Then he read the third number and Groundhog Rooster told him his name. That was when that whiteman quit
writing and said, "Now come on, you fellows, this is a serious business. I've got to have your
real names to put down here; and I don't want you fooling around and stringing me along like
that.
Well, after a long time we got him quieted down so he believed that all those names were
real names, sure enough. So then he called out the fourth roll number, and I don't remember now if it was Hawkshooter Pigeon or Birdtail Nofire that answered. Come to think of it, it might have been that old man Peacheater Peacheater.