Tracks That Speak : The Legacy of Native American Words in North American Culture

by Cutler, Charles L.

• ISBN13: 9780618065103
• ISBN10: 0618065105
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-03
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

What do the words saguaro, parka, hickory, and muskrat have in common? They all come from Native American languages. Few people consider how deeply American English is indebted to Native Americans and how widely the contributions of Native Americans are used in English today. In Tracks That Speak, Charles L. Cutler offers seventy fascinating studies, each focusing on a particular word borrowed from a Native American language. He tells us about the words themselves and about the things they stood-and stand-for, illuminating not only the roles these things played in traditional Indian societies but also the ones they continue to play in America today. For example, Cutler explains where the word moccasin comes from, how moccasins were made and decorated, what advantages they had for their wearers, how and when they were adopted by European settlers, and what incarnations of them can be found in modern clothing catalogs. Such a wealth of historical, ethnographic, and linguistic material on Native American loanwords in English has never before been gathered and presented so clearly, making Tracks That Speak as engaging as it is informative.

Author Biography

The editor and historian CHARLES L. CUTLER (1930-1999) was a lifelong student of American history and Native American contributions to the English language. During his distinguished career he wrote several other books on American language and history, including Connecticut’s Revolutionary Press and O Brave New Words! Native American Loanwords in Current English.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	ix
Acknowledgments	xv
Shelter	1	(12)
Tepee	1	(4)
Igloo	5	(2)
Wigwam	7	(3)
Quonset Hut	10	(3)
Clothing	13	(14)
Moccasin	14	(3)
Mukluk	17	(2)
Shoepac, Pac Boot	19	(2)
Parka, Anorak	21	(2)
Mackinaw	23	(4)
Food From Plants	27	(14)
Hominy	28	(3)
Corn Pone	31	(2)
Succotash	33	(2)
Squash	35	(3)
Saguaro	38	(3)
Additional Plants	41	(7)
Pokeweed, Puccoon	41	(3)
Pipsissewa	44	(2)
Tuckahoe	46	(2)
Food From Trees	48	(11)
Hickory	49	(2)
Pecan	51	(3)
Chinquapin	54	(2)
Persimmon	56	(3)
Other Trees	59	(11)
Sequoia	60	(4)
Catalpa	64	(2)
Tupelo	66	(2)
Tamarack, Hackmatack	68	(2)
Fish and Seafood	70	(10)
Abalone	71	(3)
Quahog	74	(2)
Geoduck, Yaquina, Umpqua	76	(2)
Chinook Salmon	78	(2)
Sockeye	80	(3)
Muskellunge, Muskie, Maskinoge	83	(1)
Terrapin	84
Game Animals	80	(23)
Moose	90	(3)
Caribou	93	(3)
Wapiti	96	(3)
Pemmican	99	(4)
Furbearers	103	(22)
Muskrat	104	(2)
Raccoon	106	(5)
Opossum	111	(3)
Skunk	114	(3)
Carcajou, Quickhatch	117	(3)
Woodchuck	120	(2)
Chipmunk	122	(3)
Domesticated Animals	125	(13)
Eskimo	126	(1)
Husky	127	(2)
Malamute	129	(2)
Appaloosa	131	(2)
Cayuse	133	(5)
Artifacts	138	(13)
Tomahawk	139	(2)
Wampum	141	(4)
Kayak	145	(3)
Toboggan	148	(3)
Northwest Coast	151	(14)
Chinook	151	(3)
Chinook Wind	154	(2)
Potlatch	156	(4)
High-Muck-a-Muck, Muck-a-Muck	160	(1)
Hooch	161	(4)
Miscellaneous	165	(24)
Sachem, Sagamore	166	(2)
Squaw	168	(3)
Papoose	171	(2)
Kinnikinnick	173	(3)
Tammany	176	(4)
Mugwump	180	(3)
Bayou	183	(3)
Muskeg	186	(3)
Spirit	189	(17)
Sasquatch	190	(4)
Totem	194	(2)
Kachina	196	(2)
Inukshuk	198	(3)
Powwow	201	(3)
Manitou	204	(2)
Conclusion	206	(5)
Notes	211	(16)
Bibliography	227	(20)
Index	247