University of California. 
 
 
 FROM THE LIBRARY OF 
 
 
 Dr. JOSEPH LeCONTE. 
 
 
 
 GIFT OF MRS. LECONTE. 
 
 
 
 Mo. 7 ^O 
 
 LTlif 
 
 
 
 
 
VOCABULARY 
 
 CATAWBA LANGUAGE, 
 
 WITH SOME REMARKS ON 
 
 ITS 'grammar, construction and pronunciation. 
 
 By OSCAR M. LIEBER, 
 
 State Geologist of tfouth-Carohna. 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 
 of the South-Carolina Historical Society, Vol. II.] 
 
 CHARLESTON, S. C. 
 
 JAMES AND WILLIAMS, PRINTERS 
 
 16 STATE-STREET. 
 1858. 
 

 K 
 
VOCA HULA RY 
 
 OF T!lK 
 
 CATAWBA LANGUAGE, 
 
 WITH SOME 
 
 Remarks on its Grammar, Construction and Pronunciation. 
 By OSCAR M. LIEBER. 
 
 Slate Geologist of S. O. 
 
 During part of the year 1856, I had as a camp-servant, a 
 Catawba Indian and occasionally amused myself in the even- 
 ings, after the day's field duties in the State geological survey of 
 South-Carolina were over, by noting down some words of his 
 language — a linguistic study which may well be considered par- 
 donable only as a recreation, when it is known that the Catawba 
 nation at present numbers but fifty human beings, men, women 
 and children. Nevertheless, since this once powerful tribe is thus 
 rapidly passing away, owing to debauchery and disease — for 
 they have always been on amicable terms witfc the whites, and 
 the rifles of the latter are not among the causes of extermination 
 — there may be those to whom the subject may not appear 
 unworthy of preservation. I am informed that nothing has ever 
 been written on this Indian tongue, and there may be a period 
 when its omission might be regarded with regret by the Ameri- 
 can philologist. 
 
 To endeavor to lay bare all the intricate labarynth of an In- 
 dian grammar is not my object. All that I propose to do, is to 
 give the words which I learnt, to point out some perceptible 
 derivations of words, to explain their pronunciation, and to show 
 the little that it was possible to learn regarding the gramma- 
 tical construction of sentences. 
 
 A knowledge of other Indian languages would be necessary 
 to point out the more important features, and this I do not 
 possess. The difficulty of the study of the Catawba is increased 
 
4 THE CATAWBA LANC.UAC.E. 
 
 by the fact, that, as it is very evident in some instances, many 
 words are lost, while others are modified, or applied to other 
 than the original object, by constant contact with so different a 
 language as our own. An instance of the former we find in the 
 word co-ne-he-rlh, good, the comparative of which is him-baar me 
 rah-e-deh, and the superlative him-baar me-r'ih-K r , for now they 
 possess no word him-baar for our *' good," although we still find 
 him-baar or him-bah employed as the affirmative, " yes." 
 
 With regard to the conjugation of the verbs, two prominent 
 difficulties exist in seeking to obtain correct information in 
 another language from an illiterate person. In the first place, 
 how is one to describe to him the present, past and future? Take 
 for instance the verb to kill. " I kill " is di-guah, but how do 
 we know that di-guah may not mean " I am killing ?" Di-quan 
 tareh is the past; but whether it is the perfect or imperfect, it is 
 difficult to say. The probability, however, is that tareh means 
 11 have " in this application, and that this is therefore the perfect. 
 The imperative is d't-k'6-d-dlh; but it would rather seem from 
 other cases that da, means " go," and that therefore da-ko-d-dth 
 signifies "go kill." 
 
 As a rule, it appears that tareh signifies the past, and horeh the 
 future, though in some verbs as in de-tchahn-deh, I eat, the past 
 is irregular : — doo-tchahn-che-reh, and in others the irregularity is 
 found in the future, dt-gua-wlih-sau-wd-rlh, I shall kill, and da-s64- 
 rechn-deh, I shall play. 
 
 I generally found it most convenient to place a substantive 
 with the verb, s<fthat the sentence would appear more complete 
 to the Indian. Here again, however, a difficulty occurred, for it 
 is customary with them to cut up words most barbarously, and 
 either to leave a part of it only to indicate its presence in the 
 sentence, or else to splice the mutilated portion into it in the most 
 singular way — not unlike the German in fact. As an instance of 
 the former, I might give the sentence: "Da wheet haak-pang 
 hctoeh," " Go saddle the horse;" literally, " Go horse saddle put." 
 In this wheet stands for wheetsanguayeh, which is the word for 
 horse, and huak-pang for haak^pdng-hay, saddle. 
 
 A feature which appeared to me very singular, is the 
 fact, that even now it is easy to perceive the derivation of 
 words, and these are not those alone which relate to new 
 objects, and for which, since the appearance of the whites, 
 they had to create new words, like the Creek word tcholocco, 
 horse, from tchoco, deer, and locco, large. Thus we have impo 
 
THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. O 
 
 yatchah, toe, from ihm-puh, foot, and yatehah, a designation which 
 is common to toe and finger, for finger is called eek-sa-ya-tchah , f 
 eek-sah or eek-seh signifying " arm." Eek-sleh peh is tisskj from Or eCtyt 
 eek-seh, arm, and pieh, alone. A fine instance is wat-kd-no-no- ' 
 saing-wi-M-r'di, yellow, from wat-kd-nbh, egg, meaning therefore 
 egg-colored. In other cases, a derivation* is not so manifest, 
 although also discernable. Thus the moon is termed nuh-too- 
 tcha-o-vjeh, evidently derived from 7iuh-teh, sun, and iveet-tcha-wah, 
 night or darkness. Strange to say, star, wapitnoh, is literally 
 little sky or skyling, perhaps child of the sky. for sky is wapit, 
 and noh is the diminutive, as tangseh, dog; tangsehnoh, puppy; 
 hopkeh, cat; hopkehnok, kitten; though we have also a diminu- 
 tive termination nuh, as in wtd-dd-hi-nuh, calf, from wtd-dd-yah, 
 cow. Wuss-in-too-ta-heh, dirt-dobber, is very evidently derived 
 from ivuss, wasp, and ihn-toh, clay, while with equal certainty is 
 weet-tchd-wdh-reh, evening, derived from weet-tcha-ivah, night. 
 Whether or not the bo-yeh in wi-db-b6-yeh, a deer, may have re- 
 ference to the root of the word for gun, (gun being termed bo-heh) 
 and may therefore mean the animal that shoots or dashes past, I 
 am unable to say. That yai-tro-wah, baby, is derived from i-til-rti- 
 wah, little, is self-evident, and it is also very plain that itarowah is 
 connected with taro, large, meaning, indeed, that which is not 
 large, unlarge. Thus also is ugly, conehaareh, derived from 
 conehoreh, good, and onehaareh, not, meaning therefore not good, 
 not pretty. Nepetoosehaapreh, panther, is composed of tooseh, 
 tail, haapreh long and nepe, which may be a part of the word for 
 beast — the long-tailed beast therefore. 
 
 For many simple things two words are used, as rice, gusseraak 
 taaktseheh, from gusseraak, wheat, and taaktcheh, white ; and these 
 should not be mistaken for one word, difficult as it is to find out 
 the divisions of words. 
 
 The pronunciation of this language is peculiar, and presents 
 a great variety, although in this it may not differ from other In- 
 dian tongues, with which, as already remarked, I am unacquaint- 
 ed. Most noticeable to me appeared the nasal sound indicated 
 by italics in the vocabulary in such words as i-scang, head; tang- 
 seh, dog; scang-treh, white man; scang-seh, hair, andwongh, arrow; 
 and the strong German gutteral ch as in heh-ich-s$-reh, I cook, or 
 coch-riih-hhr'eh, I go. The pronunciaticn of the ch in these two 
 words is, however, somewhat different. The second is the Ger- 
 man sound exactly; the first is spoken more through the nose, 
 42 
 
6 THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 but is by far the most common of the two. In the vocabulary 
 this is spelt with a simple ch, while the tch sound which occurs 
 in our word " cheese " is indicated by tch This is a very com- 
 mon sound. We have it in i-tch-ivth, pine; tri-tchiek-neh, plum; 
 ya-ivitch-tcha-hah, girl, and a great number of other words. JST 
 very singular, but not so common sound is that heard in the word 
 he-hun, screech-owl, which resembles the one emitted when a stone 
 is cast into water, and may be onomatopoetic as the word ichat- 
 kue-yan-eh, whip-poor-will, certainly is. Besides this peculiar 
 pronunciation of the u, we have a short u as in cus, corn, pro- 
 nounced precisely like the German u kuss," and the broad u as 
 in sook, house, which is prolonged more than in the English 
 words " cook" or "book." A seems to be the only other vowel 
 which has a peculiar pronunciation, if we except the nasal o in 
 wongh, also perhaps onomatopoetic in reference to the sound of 
 a flying arrow, and that peculiar prolonged o in doiuote. A is 
 frequently pronounced very broad, as in a-ge-raap, they, the others, 
 hob-kaat, now; haap, up; paak-saing, rabbit. The sound ai, really 
 a passage from the broad a to e is rare, but occurs for example 
 in cai-yah, turtle, and yaitrowah, baby. 
 
 One might suppose, that catching the sound of a foreign lan- 
 guage would be the easiest thing in the world, but the fact that 
 foreign accents are so common to all who learn a new language, 
 proves that this is not the case. In a tongue, however, 
 where one word is so frequently drawn into another, this is pe- 
 culiarly the case. By making my Indian tutor repeat his words 
 slowly, I sought to remedy the evil, although there again a dif- 
 ficulty arose; for he having been accustomed to hear them 
 rapidly spoken, the slow pronunciation appeared, even to him, 
 a wrong one. In English, the word "been" is commonly pro- 
 nounced "bin," and one, who had only heard it thus rapidly spo- 
 ken and did not know its orthography, would scarcely be able 
 to speak it slowly, or, if he did, would probably make it sound 
 like " binne." I need scarcely here allude to the additionally 
 most difficult task of inventing an orthography for such odd 
 sounding words as do-we-te, wongh or he-hun, when description 
 even fails to explain the pronunciation. 
 
 "We will now proceed to the vocabulary in which it will be 
 proper to make such divisions only as will separate the various 
 parts of speech. 
 
THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 God, wah-ro-weh. 
 Devil, (evil spirit,) yeh- 
 
 tcheh. 
 White man, scang-treh. 
 Negro, yeh-hoke-tcheh. 
 Boy, yeh-tcha-hah. 
 Girl, ya-wltch-tcha-hah, 
 Baby, ya i-tro- wal 1 . 
 Father, yeh-muh-seh-hah. 
 Mother, yak-suh. 
 Son, cur-rih-deh. 
 Daughter, e-no-wah. 
 Wife, yaa-ke-tcheh. 
 Hand, ike-seh pl-eh. 
 Foot, ihm-piih. 
 Finger, eek-sa-ya-tcha. 
 Toe, im-po-ya-tcha. 
 Head, ihs-ska. 
 Hair, scang-seh. 
 Tongue, so-miis-eh. 
 Eye, 1-too. 
 Nose, pmg-suh. 
 Mouth, ihs-so-muh. 
 Thigh, tus-sooh. 
 Leg, 1-keh. 
 Arm, eek-sah. 
 Heel, l-tche-pit. 
 Back, e-re-tuck. 
 Tail, too-seh.* 
 Side, haak-peh. 
 Middle, dar-rang. 
 Fist, ik-so-w6h. 
 Chin, is-so-mo-ha-pls. 
 Fat, no-yank. 
 Dog, tang-seh. 
 Cat, hop-keh. 
 Opossum, wunk, 
 Skunk, ihn-sui. 
 Screech-owl, he-hun. 
 
 * Anus, it-ta-chcr ; flatus, 
 fern, ih-mi-tun. 
 
 NOUNS. 
 
 Man, yehm-burt-tcheh. 
 oo-ren- Woman, n'-yah. 
 
 Indian, ye-yeh. 
 
 Mosquito, tchi-wih-ha-uh. 
 
 Bull, ya-sid-imm^. 
 
 Cow, wid-da-yah. 
 
 Calf, wid-da-hi-muh. 
 
 Fish, yi-eh. 
 
 Raccoon, a-tchig-neh. 
 
 Squirrel, rjH-y&ng. 
 
 Deer, wl-do-bd-yeh. 
 
 Bear, ni-meh. 
 
 Snake, dah or yah. 
 
 Frog, 'dY-ra-raing. 
 
 Horse, wheet-sangr-wa-yeh. 
 
 Panther, ne-pe-too-se-haa-preh. 
 
 Rabbit, paak-samgr. 
 , Darkness, weet-tcha-her. 
 s Night, weet-tcha-wah. 
 , Day, ya-breh. 
 . Evening, weet-tcha-wah-reh. 
 
 • Morning, ya-ope. 
 .Yesterday, soon-dah. 
 
 • To-morrow, ya-wer. 
 •Sun, nuh-teh. 
 
 . Moon, niih-too-tcha-6-weh. 
 Sky, wa-pit. 
 Star, wa-pit-noh. 
 Water, yang-yeh* 
 Fire, im-peeh. 
 Wind, hi-yeh. 
 Ice, mo-hay. 
 Frost, wa-tah. 
 Sand, ya-wo-tah. 
 Mud, ma-nuh. 
 Rock, en-tih. 
 Clay, ihn-toh. 
 River, ihs-sivttng. 
 Flower, d'na-pa-sing-weh. 
 
 na-pung ; partes geaitale3 : — masc. eh-yan ; 
 
8 
 
 THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 AYhip-poor-will, wat-kue-yan-eh. 
 
 Dirt dobbcr, wuss in-too-ta-heh, 
 
 Wasp, wuss. 
 
 Buffalo, ya-daas. 
 
 Turtle, cai-ya. 
 
 Grass, sar-raak. 
 
 *Chesnut, yer-6-peh. 
 
 ^Hickory, ohn-eh-kuh, 
 
 *Plum, tchick-neh. 
 
 *Peach, yeh. 
 
 *Apple, tcho-geh. 
 
 Grape, tchi-ri-tchah. 
 
 Watermelon, s6r-roh-beh. 
 
 Victuals, no-yang. 
 
 Homini, gush-shuh. 
 
 Potatoe, wit-te-keh. 
 
 Sweet potatoe, wit-te-keh tchoo- 
 
 wah. 
 Corn, koos (like German kuss). 
 Salt, ttiss (very short). 
 Gourd, wa-deh. 
 
 Fruit, trill. 
 
 Wood, (also tree) l-ap. 
 
 Pine, itch-weli. 
 
 Oak, yab-yeh. 
 
 Sassafrass, gus-tii-peh, 
 
 Rice, gus-se-raak taak-tcheh 
 
 (literally white wheat). 
 Egg, wot-ka-noh. 
 Mountain, suck. 
 Valley, a-gua, (like Spanish for 
 
 water, precisely.) 
 House, sook. 
 Tent, hab-ne]^irtlfceh. 
 Knife, sim-pah. 
 Gun, bo-heh. 
 Enemy, ate-koo-ni-wah. 
 A little (of something) a-tcheh. 
 Meat, whid-yoh. 
 Bread, gustah. 
 Saddle, haak^a^-hay. 
 Pipe, wah-me-suh. 
 
 Wheat, giis-se-raak. 
 
 PERSONAL. 
 
 PRONOUNS. 
 
 POSSESSIVE. 
 
 I, deh-reh. 
 
 Thou, yeh-yeh or yeh-teh. 
 
 She, J d - wSr ' a " w °- kS - 
 
 W T e, do-wah, do-wo-te or d6- 
 
 wo-ke. 
 You, we-wer, he-a-kan-e-her or 
 
 wi-a-kan-e-her. 
 They, a-ge-raap, ( others, f) I-a- 
 
 kan-e-her. 
 
 Mine, deh-deh-e-deh. 
 Thine, yeh-yeh-e-deh. 
 His, our-e-he-deh. 
 Her, mni-yah, or n'-yah.J 
 Our, doh-wah. 
 Your, yeh-yeh-e-deh. 
 Their, ow-wah-eh. 
 
 DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS. 
 
 This, ha-ree; that, coo-ree. 
 
 INTERROGATIVES, ADVERBS AND INDICATIVE PRONOUNS. 
 
 What, ta-reh-teh. Who, toe-wen-teh. 
 
 When, tam-be-teh. Whose, taing-ke-ech-neh. 
 
 Where, ta-teh. Why, ta-nech-neh or ta-neck. 
 
 * When iri is prefixed to these it denotes the fruit; if not, the tree is meant. 
 
 f Whether there is really a distinct word for " they" I could not find out, 
 owing to the difficulty of explaining what I wanted. 
 
 I The same may he said in reference to " her." 
 
THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 
 NUMERALS. 
 
 
 CARDINALLY 
 
 18, pitch-i-ne na-po-sah ock-sah. 
 
 1, 
 
 d'no-po-neh or ne^paing. 
 
 19, pitch-i-ne want-tchah ock- 
 
 2, 
 
 nao-preh. 
 
 sah. 
 
 3, 
 
 nao-me-neh*. 
 
 20, pitch-i-nao-preh. 
 
 4, 
 
 par-6-preh. 
 
 25, pitch-i-nao pock-treh ock- 
 
 5> 
 
 pock-treh. 
 
 sah. 
 
 6, 
 
 dip-creh. 
 
 30, pitch-i-nao-me-neh. 
 
 % 
 
 was-sig-nlu. 
 
 40, pitch-i-par-o-preh. 
 
 8, 
 
 na-po-sah. 
 
 100, pitch-i-haa-reh. 
 
 9, 
 
 want-tchah. 
 
 102, pitch-i-haa-reh nao-preh 
 
 10, 
 
 pitch-i-neh. 
 
 ock-sah. 
 
 11, 
 
 pitch-i-ne fb^-paing ock- 
 
 200, pitch-i-haa-reh nao-preh. 
 
 
 sah.* 
 
 300, pitch-i-haa-reh nao-me-neh. 
 
 12, 
 
 pitch-i-ne nao-preh ock-sah. 
 
 1000, lp-si-ne-moy-eh. 
 
 13, 
 
 pitch-i-ne nao-me-neh ock- 
 
 ORDIXALIA. 
 
 
 sah. 
 
 First, a-raas-ke-he. 
 
 14, 
 
 pitch-i-ne par-6-preh ock- 
 
 Second, de-keh-he. 
 
 
 sah. 
 
 Third, doo-ga-re-he. 
 
 15, 
 
 pitch-i-ne pock-treh ock- 
 
 The cardinal numbers are 
 
 
 sah. 
 
 used for all the following ordi- 
 
 16, 
 
 pitch-i-ne dip-creh ock-sah. 
 
 nal numbers. 
 
 If, 
 
 pitch-i-ne was-sig-niu och- 
 sah. 
 
 
 
 ADJECTIVES. 
 
 All, cti-nihp. 
 
 Good, co-ne-ho-reh. 
 
 Bad, im-bar-rah. 
 
 Little, i-ta-ro-wah, ta-ro-ha 
 
 tunher. 
 Large, ta-roh, pot-ki-he-reh. 
 Old, ihs-saing-deh. 
 Young, ih-w6hl-deh. 
 Dead, lh-wah-e-reh. 
 High, haf-meh. 
 
 Short, low, mun-eh-ki-sa-e-reh 
 Dirty, tchi-6-we-he-de. 
 Clean, trap-he-de-deh. 
 Strong, lh-meh-roh. 
 Sour, hlt-tah. 
 
 Live, ih-wahn-ah, also alive, adv. 
 Lean, sab-meh. 
 Fat, noh-oh-tchoh-deh, m-doh. 
 or Black, a-woke-kah. 
 Green, ya-hah. 
 Blue, why-an-ka-reh. 
 Yellow, wat-ka-no-no-sa^gr-wi- 
 
 he-reh (egg-coloured.) 
 White, taak-tche or ihm-taak- 
 
 tche. 
 Hot, wah-ro-pa-reh. 
 Cold, tching-her. 
 Pretty, tor-he-reh. 
 Long, haa-preh. 
 
 Ugly, co-ne-haa-reh. 
 Ock-sah may mean " and" though otherwise not used. 
 
10 
 
 THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 Sweet, l-tcho-wah. 
 Broken, cat-her. 
 
 Dark, a-werk-tchi-reh. 
 Inside, da-tuc-coh. 
 
 ADVERBS, &c. 
 Well, wan-tchach-ma-hi-de-deh. Slow, ivmig-se-r'ih. 
 Much, e-so-wong. 
 More, me-raa-e-deh, most, me- 
 
 raa-her. 
 As much as, 6ke-se-ran-her. 
 Perhaps, ohn-e-tcheh. 
 Almost, oh-ne-reh-de-reh, or 6h- 
 
 ne-reh-de-deh. 
 
 Always, oh-ni-na^pain^-rah. 
 
 Sometimes, ku-rape. 
 
 Back, no-imn^-stih-he-reh. 
 
 Either, or, haateh-haateh, 
 
 Other, her-ech-neh. 
 
 Painful, d'ne-pa-ha-ya-geh, (lit- 
 terally " it pains.") 
 
 Yes, him-bah, (probably origi- 
 nally meaning " good," 
 " well," " all right," and is 
 the source of the him-baar 
 in the comparative and 
 superlative of conehoreh.) 
 
 No, 6-haa-reh. 
 
 Fast, quick, baa-neh. 
 
 Rather, tolerable, cu-ni-he-reh, 
 or o-ke-ru-mich-her. 
 
 Soon, ut-ka-nah. 
 
 Down, huk. 
 
 Up, haap. 
 
 Enough, plenty, s'tcho-yea-e-reh. 
 
 Alone, pi-eh. 
 
 Drunk, ya-aing-sah. 
 
 Sleepy, ih-mer-rer. 
 
 But, 6-ne-kan. 
 
 Not, 6-ne-haa-reh, (from 6-haa- 
 reh.) 
 
 After or afterwards, de-tah. 
 
 Right, ihk-saam-beh. 
 
 Left, 'it-chehd-kut-tcheh. 
 
 Near, ha-ynt, a-kih. 
 
 Our, t&v-rang (also outside,) to- 
 rang. 
 
 Far, ut-ka-neh. 
 
 Beyond, a-tchid-tick. 
 
 This side of, ha-miht-coh. 
 
 VERBS. 
 
 I have, ta-reh. 
 
 I work, do-rihs-se-deh. 
 
 I play, ih-so-weh, or do-so-weh. 
 
 I eat, de-tchan-deh. 
 
 I drink, cur-riih-so-deh. 
 
 I ride, sag-na-te-deh. 
 
 I walk, you-wah-so-deh. 
 
 I wash, ne-po-nep-ko ta-reh. 
 
 I smoke, po-ke-su-deh. 
 
 I sleep, na-mo-reh. 
 
 I am awake, da-ta-re-deh. 
 
 I fish, ih-tchdng-so-reh. 
 
 I hunt, p'no-po-tchar-eh. 
 
 I hide, we-riih-so-deh. 
 I bite, tchuhk-sa-reh. 
 I dig, n'dah-ha-reh. 
 I laugh, ha-ha-se-reh. 
 I cry, 6-waih-se-reh. 
 I whip, je-ha-do-reh. 
 I kiss, so-mo-tchoh-so-reh. 
 I talk, neen-daa-se-reh. 
 I cook, he-ich-se-reh. 
 I make, na-cat-tche-reh. 
 I smell, hakes-se-reh. 
 I run, (after someting,) I chase, 
 doh-trahn-deh. 
 
THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 11 
 
 I love, ne-mo-sah. I copulate, yag-na-te-deh. 
 
 I see, da-ne-reh. I cough, e-he-peh-reh. 
 
 I run, tchi-rik-se-deh. I sneeze, ha-o-pe-sln-peh-reh. 
 
 I jump, ivang-so-deh. I whistle, 6-wim-ser-eh. 
 
 I shoot, boh-so-deh. I wish, 6-na-neh. 
 
 I kill, dlg-wa-reh. I smell, (emit an odor,) sun- 
 
 I feel, de-tchih-seh. web; (sunwerch, it smells). 
 
 I want, na-mu-re-reh. I take, tchoo-ruh-hoo-deh. 
 
 I bring', do-hoh-neh. I go, coch-ruh-e-reh, do-tcheh, or 
 
 I break, cat-se-reh. co-der-he-ray. 
 
 I marry, ne-hu-ne-e-reh. I catch, wheep-se-reh. 
 
 PREPOSITIONS. 
 In, da-took-coh, or da-took. Under, or below, a-ko-per, huk 
 
 Through, mo-se-reh-ter. (also adv.) 
 
 Above, nihn-daak, (also adv.) By, a-keh, aak-pe-sah, (meaning 
 On, taak-sah. "by the side of,") (also 
 
 Over, hi-aak, ha-put. adv.) 
 
 As already remarked, it is very difficult to discover the rules 
 for conjugating the verbs, although with the assistance of the 
 irregularly used auxiliary, a regular conjugation may be made 
 which is intelligible to the Catawbas themselves. To discover 
 any hidden rules in the correct conjugation, where such a mere 
 handful of words is known, is almost impossible. Without there- 
 fore premising any further remarks, I shall give the conjugations 
 of several verbs, some of them with substantives, as I heard 
 them from my Indian instructor. 
 
 VERB: I LOVE, ne-mo-sah, (wife, yaa-ke-tckeh.) 
 
 PRESENT. 
 
 I love my wife, yaaketcheh dedeh nemosah, or yaa-de-ke-tcheh 
 
 nemos ah. 
 Thou lovest thy wife, yaaketcheh yehyeh yemosah, or yaa-ye-ke- 
 
 tcheh yemosah. 
 He loves his wife, awer yaaketcheh mosah. 
 We love our wives, dowote yaaheketcheh hamesahreh. 
 You love your wives, wewer yaaweketcheh womosahreh. 
 They love their wives, ageraap yaaketcheh mosahrch. 
 
 PAST. 
 
 I loved my wife, yaaketcheh (dedeh *may be omitted here,) na- 
 mosah tareh. 
 
12 THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 Thou lovedst thy wife, yaaketcheh (yehyeh) yamosah tareh. 
 He loved bis wife, awer yaaketcheh mosah tareh. 
 We loved our wives, dowote yaaheketcheh hamosah tareh. 
 You. loved your wives, wewer yaaweketcheh womosah tareh. 
 They loved their wives, ageraap yaaketcheh mosah tareh. 
 
 FUTURE. 
 
 I shall love my wife, yaaneketcheh namosah horeh. 
 
 Tbou wilt love thy wife, yehteh or yehyeh yaaheketcheh yajmosah 
 
 horeh. 
 He will love his wife, awer yaaheketcheh mosah horeh. 
 We shall love our wives, dowote yaaheketcheh hamosah horeh. 
 You will love your wife, wewer yaaweketcheh womosah horeh. 
 They will love their wives, ageraap yaaketcheh mosafi horeh. 
 
 IMPERATIVE.. 
 
 Love your (or thy) wife, mosadeh yaaheketcheh ! 
 
 PARTICIPLES. 
 
 Loving, mosahreh. 
 Beloved, nemosahyeehereh. 
 
 Here therefore we have a very simple conjugation in which 
 the auxiliary " tareh" is regularly used. Whether its use is only 
 of later origin and similar to that of the Latin auxiliary, with 
 the lower classes of Romans at later periods, as Niebuhr has 
 shown, it is impossible to say. With the two following verbs, 
 the auxiliary is partially employed in the past and not at all in 
 the future. 
 
 VERB: Digua, I KILL. 
 
 present. He has killed, cawan tareh. 
 
 I kill, digua. We have killed, dowoke higuan 
 
 Thou killest, igua. tareh. 
 
 He kills, a-u-a*-cow-a-reh. You have killed, heakaneher 
 
 We kill, dowoke higuareh. higuareh. 
 
 You kill, wewoke weguadeh. They have killed, iakaneher 
 
 They kill, aguarauph (ageraap) iguareh. 
 
 iguadeh. future. 
 
 past. I shall kill, digua wahsau- 
 
 I have killed, diguan tareh. wareh. 
 
 Thou hast killed, dehrehmeh Thou wilt kill, yegua-ereh. ' 
 
 diguareh. 
 
 * Perhaps this a-ua means awer. 
 
THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 13 
 
 Ho will kill, ca-wadeh. 
 We shall kill, diguaredeh. 
 You will kill, weguadeh. 
 They will kill, iakaneher igita- 
 nareh. 
 
 IMPERATIVE. 
 
 Kill ! dakoadeh. 
 
 PARTICIPLE. 
 
 Killed, igua heuncooreh. 
 
 VERB : ih-sb-wih, I PLAY. 
 
 PRESENT. 
 
 I play, ihsowoh. 
 Thou playest, awoka hisuideh. 
 He plays, hisuideh. 
 We play, hasuireh. 
 You play, wasowichnuh. 
 They play, wasowichnuh or 
 iakaneher suichnuh. 
 
 PAST. 
 
 I have played, dasuin tareh. 
 Thou hast played, dapaing sui- 
 
 deh. 
 He has played, yasuin tadoh. 
 We have played, dowoka ha- 
 
 suich hereh. 
 You have played, heakaneher 
 
 siiieh hereh. 
 
 They have played, iakaneher 
 suich hereh. 
 
 FUTURE. 
 
 I shall play, dasui rechdeh. 
 Thou wilt play, wassui" rechneh. 
 He will play, awoka suich 
 
 hereh. 
 We shall play, hiacaneasuich 
 
 hereh. 
 You will play, wiakanehcr was- 
 
 suich rechndoh. 
 They will play, wewer wassui 
 
 rechn-doh. 
 
 IMPERATIVE. 
 
 Play, wassui ! 
 
 In the following verb the auxiliary is not used in the past, but 
 we find it in the first person singular of the future. 
 
 VERB : Dl-tchan-dlh, I EAT. 
 
 PRESENT. 
 
 I eat, detchandeh. 
 Thou eatest, yeyey detchandeh. 
 He eats, awer dorandoh. 
 We eat, dowoke dochahn he- 
 reh. 
 You eat, wewer ye-doyandoh. 
 They eat, awoka noyanchereh. 
 
 PAST. 
 
 I have eaten, doo tchanchereh. 
 Thou hast eaten, yedopendoh 
 rahn-deh. 
 43 
 
 He has eaten, odoran tadeh. 
 We have eaten, dowote handeh. 
 You have eaten, wewer dohwo- 
 
 yango-wichnuh.. 
 They have eaten, dowe yahn- 
 
 doh. 
 
 FUTURE. 
 
 I shall eat, dochan horeh. 
 Thou wilt eat, dorandeh. 
 He will eat, doyanredoh. 
 We shall eat, dowoke dochahn 
 hereh. 
 
14 THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE, 
 
 You will eat, wiakaneher do- imperative* 
 
 yan wichdoh. Eat, dorandeh. 
 
 They will eat, awoka noyan participles, 
 
 rech-neh. Eating, noyang. 
 
 Eaten, yanecheh. 
 
 Many of the apparent irregularities are probably ascribable to 
 the separation of words and the transposition of the syllables. 
 Another cause may be the ease with which they replace one con- 
 sonant by another, a fact which the reader cannot have failed to 
 observe upon various occasions. That vowels alone should ac- 
 quire any importance in the language, which is spoken without 
 moving the lips perceptibly on any occasion, is very natural. All 
 the labial sounds are lost or at least subdtied, and gutterals or 
 nasal sounds alone remain. 
 
 The suppression of syllables, to which I have already once 
 had occasion to allude, is also a potent cause for apparent irre- 
 gularity in the conjugation of verbs. The terminations reh i deh, 
 neh, seh, perhaps might more properly be termed appendages of 
 words, added for the purpose only of giving that peculiar Indian 
 aspirative ending. These are therefore very generally dropped 
 when another word follows. We have an instance in the follow* 
 ing regular verb wheepseh, I catch in the first person singular of 
 the future, the imperative and the participle. 
 
 VERS: wheep-seh, I catch, (paak-saing, rabbit). 
 
 Present. 
 I catch a rabbit, paaksaing (dedeh) wheepseh or wheepsereh. 
 Thou catchest a rabbit, paaksaing yehyeh wheepseh. 
 He catches a rabbit, paaksaing awer wheepseh, 
 
 &c. &c &c. 
 
 Past. 
 I caught a rabbit, paaksaing wheepseh tanreh (or tareh) . 
 
 Future. 
 I shall catch a rabbit, paaksaing whoops' horeh. 
 
 Imperative. 
 Catch a rabbit, paaksaing wheep-handeh, 
 
 Participle. 
 Caught, whcep-ihrch. 
 
THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 15 
 
 The " ihreli " of the participle wheep-ihreh is evidently the 
 same as "yeehereh" in the past participle of the verb nemosah, 
 nemosahyeehereh. Indeed, but little distinction can be drawn 
 between the two when pronounced by an Indian mouth. That 
 the two verbs, although both regular, do not agree in the impera- 
 tive is not surprising. 
 
 Of an approach to a declension I have not been able to per- 
 ceive any thing in the Catawba language. The yaaheketcheh and 
 yaaweketcheh used for yaaketcheh in the first and second persons 
 plural of the sentence yaaketcheh dedeh nemosah has nothing to 
 do with declining, for we find it omitted in the third person plu- 
 ral. Besides it is different in the two persons, and corresponds 
 with the yaadeketcheh and yaayeketcheh sometimes used in the 
 first and second persons singular of the present tense. The in- 
 sertion of the syllables de, ye, he, and we, have no connection with 
 any thing but the persons of the verb, in other words only with 
 dedeh, yeyey, do-mote and wewer. 
 
 The comparisons are very regular, and are always made by 
 the addition of the adverbs more, me-raaedeh and most, meraaher. 
 The only irregular adjective that I am acquainted with is cone- 
 horeh, already mentioned. The following are examples: 
 
 Good, Better, 
 
 Conehoreh, himbaar meraaedeh, 
 
 Bad, Worse, 
 
 Imbarrah, imbarrah meraaedeh, 
 
 Large, Larger, 
 
 Taro, taro meraaedeh, 
 
 Small, Smaller, 
 
 Tunher or, tunher meraaedeh, 
 
 Taroha, taroha meraaedeh, 
 
 Sour, Sourer, 
 
 Hittah, hittah meraaedeh, 
 
 A few sentences may suitably close these brief observations 
 on the Catawba language; but it will be proper first to point out 
 the ordinary form of the interrogative, although this is by no 
 means regular. The most regular form appears to be in chang- 
 ing the ending into neh. Thus, " he has eaten bread n is " gustah 
 nachereh," while " has he eaten bread ?" is " gustah nacheneh ?" 
 " I am making pipes," is " wamesuh taasaaereh," and " am I 
 making pipes ?" is " wamesuh taasaaeneh ?" " You have killed 
 
 Best, 
 himbaar meraaher. 
 
 Worst, 
 imbarrah meraaher. 
 Largest, 
 taro meraaher. 
 Smallest, 
 tunher meraaher. 
 taroha meraaher. 
 
 Sourest, 
 hittah meraaher. 
 
16 
 
 THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 a frog"," is " arraraing diguadeh 
 is " arraraing diguaneh ?" 
 How do you do this morning ? 
 How do you do this evening ? 
 Pretty well, 
 Come here ! 
 What do you say ? 
 Whose knife (is this ?) 
 I take (it.) 
 
 Go, saddle the horse ! 
 Make homini ! 
 Cook homini ! 
 Make (me) a pipe ! 
 Go away ! 
 Go out ! 
 I dont know. 
 This dog 1 is 
 other, 
 
 as large as the 
 
 This woman is as good as that, 
 
 This knife is almost as long as 
 my arm, 
 
 I was near going back, 
 most went back, 
 
 Ial- 
 
 The little horse is fat, but the 
 large horse is not. 
 
 If the little horse is fat, 
 
 " but " have you killed a frog?" 
 
 Yaope tine-eye-doh ? 
 Weet-tchawahreh tine-eye-doh ? 
 Conehedeh. 
 Codeh ! 
 
 ~Doraing yachneh ? 
 Tainkeh simpah echneh.* 
 Tchooruhoodeh ! 
 Da wheet haak pang hadeh. 
 Gusshuh catchadeh ! 
 Gusshuh hiricheneh ! 
 Wahmesuh catchanehmdeh ! 
 D'ni-tarah ! 
 To7 , ang cootchedeh ! 
 Borry sahrreh. 
 
 Tangseh. hereh taro okeseranher 
 dog this large as much as 
 herchneh. 
 other. 
 N'yah hereh conehoreh cooree 
 woman this good that 
 okeseranher. 
 as much. 
 Simpah hereh haapreh 
 
 knife this long 
 
 ohneredereh okeseranher 
 almost as much as 
 
 eksah dedeh. 
 arm my. 
 Cochruhhereh tareh nowangsuh- 
 I go have back 
 
 ereh ohnerededeh. 
 almost. 
 Wheet itarowah indoh, onekan 
 horse little fat, but 
 wheet taro onehaareh. 
 horse large not. 
 Wheet itarowah indoh-teh, 
 horse little fat if 
 
 This is a fine instance of the severing of words, tainkehechneh meaning whose 
 
THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 17 
 
 why 
 not? 
 
 love 
 than 
 
 is 
 
 the large horse 
 
 my dog more 
 he loves his wife. 
 
 At first I did not love my wife, 
 but afterwards I loved her 
 almost as much as you 
 
 toechneh wheet taro one- 
 why horse large 
 haareh ? 
 not. 
 Tang&ch deh meraaedeh ne- 
 dog my more I 
 
 mosah awer yaaketche 
 
 love he wife 
 
 mosah. 
 loves. 
 Araaskehe 
 first 
 mosah 
 love 
 detah 
 
 yaaketcheh ne- 
 
 wife I 1 
 
 oneliaareh tareh 
 
 not did 
 
 onekan namosah 
 afterwards but I love 
 
 love yours, tareh yeyeh yamosah one- 
 
 did yours you love 
 rededeh okeseranher. 
 almost as much as. 
 This would be correct, but the following would be the same 
 more idiomatically expressed, 
 
 Araskehe yaaneketcheh ne- 
 first wife I 
 
 mosah saatankan hookaat 
 9 love have not (?) now 
 nemos ah teh yehyeh okeseran- 
 I love you as much 
 her. 
 as. 
 
 In closing these remarks, I feel as if erecting somewhat of a 
 posthumous monument to this Indian tongue, for the rapid pro- 
 gress of mortality will soon sweep away the sparse remnant of 
 the tribe — a singular instance of the inability of the red race to 
 continue prosperous in the presence of the whites, even when in 
 a state of amity ; for no instance is on record of the Catawbas, 
 having taken up arms against us. On the contrary, during the re- 
 volution, when they were a powerful tribe and could muster many 
 warriors, they assisted the South-Carolina troops to the best of 
 their ability. And yet, poor fellows, a generation more and they 
 
18 THE CATAWBA LANGUAGE. 
 
 and their language will be among the things that were. It can- 
 not fail to surprise us that, dwindling away as they do so per- 
 ceptibly, their peculiar tongue should still have been preserved. 
 Even now, however, their papooses learn no English until 
 they arrive at the age of ten or twelve, and I found stout boys 
 and girls who did not even understand a word. Nevertheless 
 the present adults are conscious of having lost many words and 
 frequently tell you that : "The old ones, (now dead,) knowed a 
 heap more." 
 
 In conclusion, I would respectfully solicit some indulgence for 
 the hasty manner in which this article was penned. The tent 
 was my study at the time. But possibly the sylvan camp was 
 really the most suitable spot in which to write these brief notes 
 on the language of an Indian tribe, once perhaps the most pow- 
 erful in South-Carolina, now represented only by a few families, 
 and soon to be obliterated entirely. It is not only a dead lan- 
 guage, but a language of the dead. 
 
 xx 
 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
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