--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Sjodahl, J. M. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 28 number: 6 published: 1925-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "J. M. Sjodahl, “Language of White Indians,” *Improvement Era 28, no. 6 (April 1925)*: 568–571." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2806unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2806unse start_page: 568 end_page: 571 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1925-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2806unse publication_year: 1925 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1925, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Language of White Indians LANGUAGE OF WHITE INDIANS By J. M. Sjodahl Some time ago it was reported that an American explorer, Prof. R. O. Marsh, had discovered "white Indians" in the mountain fast- nesses of Darien, in Panama. He even brought some children with him to Washington to prove his discovery. Some thought they were albinos, but Prof. Marsh himself did not accept that view. He is said to be in the country of the white Indians now, to pursue his studies and observations. A linguist of the Smithsonian institution, Dr. John T. Harring- ton, and the chief translator of the post office department in Washing- ton, R. P. Vogenitz, are studying the Tule language, spoken in the San Bias region, where the white Indians came from. Bancroft gives a meagre list of words in this language, but he remarks that Tule and some other names are new, "not found in the works of any of the older writers." The gentlemen mentioned have, therefore, a new, almost unexplored field before them. The results so far obtained indicate the possibility of some new development in the study of the American prehistoric age; for it ap- pears that a great many words in this Indian vernacular show a striking similarity to the languages of northern Europe. In an article in a recent number of The Literary Digest, an interesting list of such words and their counterparts in the Norse tongue is printed. They are taken from the Science Service's Daily Science News Bulletin, Washington. Here are some of them, with the addition of a few German equivalents: Indian : Norse: German: English arbaide arbeide arbeit work kale kalde call parte platte platte plate parbatti farvet farbe color saijc sage sagen say ultie hyle huelen howl witsi vide wissen wir ekise eiska ask sine svin schwein swine tige dige ditch There are other words that remind one of French, Spanish and also Hebrew. Their word for "American" is "Meriki," which may, or may not, have been borrowed from the Spanish. It is more probable that it is a native word adopted by the Spaniards, as are many other names, such as "Panama," "Darien" and others. Its form seems to be Indian analogous to "Chiriqui," also a geographical name, and it cer- tainly occurs in Indian languages, in one form or another, all the way from the "Amerique" m Nicaragua to "Maracaibo" in Venezuela and LANGUAGE OF WHITE INDIANS 569 the "marca" which recurs frequently in geographic names in Peru. Another Tule Indian word "mani," for "money" may, of course, have come through English channels, but it may also be pure Hebrew, from "manah," to "count," to "number," and may have been known among the Indians as a term for such equivalents for money as they had, long before the arrival of the Europeans. To some the supposed resemblance of words in the Tula language to words in European languages may appear improbable and unworthy of consideration, perhaps even as nothing but fake. But anyone who has given the subject serious attention will recognize the importance of every discovery that connects the American native races with the Old World, and that such connecting links are to be looked for in the languages, if anywhere. As is well known, the Norse is one of the vast stock of languages, known as the Indo-European, and sometimes the Aryan, which com- prises the Hindoo, Persian, Greek, Latin, Celtic, Teutonic, Slavonic and some other. Now the great question is, Do the Indians, or any of them, belong to this group of races, or do they form a division of mankind distinct and different from the rest? Some scientists of high standing maintain that this is the case. They tell us that the American natives grew upon this continent, just as Topsy "growed," without both father and mother. And when the similarity of languages is pointed out they dismiss the agreement on the ground that the resemblance is only accidental; or, if they are conscious of the weakness of this proposition, they argue that such resemblance only proves that the human mind in videly separated parts of the world runs in similar channels and arrives at similar results, under similar condi- tions. That is to say, if we find, for instance, that a certain combina- tion of sounds in Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Spanish, etc., means "land" or "earth," then that proves affinity bewteen those languages and the people that spoke or speak them; and if we find many words common to the languages mentioned, that establishes such affinity beyond a doubt. But if we find the same word in the Aztec tongue meaning "land," that does not prove that the Aztec belongs to the same stock as the others; and if we find a hundred words unmistakably connecting some Indian languages with the Aryan or Indo-European, that proves no connection between them, only that the human mind operates along similar lines. Such is the "scientific" reasoning, which refutes itself. Now, the fact is, that in Indian languages a great number of words are found that both in form and meaning indicate Old-world kinship. Elu, the Lenape for the Deity is evidently the same as the "El," "II," "Eloha," "Elohim" and "Allah" of the Semitic languages. It is found in many Indian dialects all over North and South America. Jin-wis (Lenape) is the Hebrew ish, or "man," the "w" being an article, indicating either "he" or "she" or "they." 5 70 IMPROVEMENT ERA Ini (Lenape; Hebr., ana) means "me," "I," or "my." Lapan (Lenape) means "white," as does the Semitic laban, lebanon, libna, etc. Aki (Lenape) means "land" and is akin to "acre," "aker," "ager," "acker," etc., in European languages, all meaning "field," "soil." In one of the Lenape accounts, the following occurs: "Thus the White Country [Lumon-aki], north of the Turtle Country, be- came the hunting country of the turtling true men" (Rafinesque.) Angelatawixvak (Lenape) means "angels," and is identic with the Greek "angelos" plus the Lenape plural ending. Turei (Haytian) for "heaven" is "T" "thou," "ur" (Heb. "or") "light," and "ei," "be." "Be thou light." The Hebrew, jehi or, "let there be light." Di (Haytian) for "day" is evidently cognate to "dies" (Latin) and "day," 'dag" "tag" etc. of modern European languages. In Haytian we have, further, "bi" for "life." Compare "bios" (Greek) in "biology," "biography," etc. "Ba," for habitation (Heb. "beth"); baba, "father," mama, "mother," and so on. Palla (Peruvian or Quichua) for, a "lady of royal blood," considered of divine origin. Compare the Greek "pallas Athene," the title of that goddess. Malqui (Quichua) , a king, whether living or dead, but partic- ularly a royal mummy; evidently akin to melech (Heb.) and mol-ik (Aryan), from which we have such words as "mola" (Latin) "myle" (Greek), "moella," "myhle," "mill," etc., and the "ik" or "inkh," to "move back and forth" so that a melech, a king, is, according to the meaning of the word, "one who makes the mill go;" that is, a provider, or a director of productive labor. The world is found in the Aztec molictli, the "elbow," which also is a "mill mover." Cuna (Quichua) in "mama-cuna" for "matron," is one who performs the duties of a mother. Compare "gyne" (Greek) for woman, and "kone" (Danish) and "kona" (Swedish). Mr. H. H. Bancroft, who favors the autochthonic theory of the origin of the Indians, gives a number of native words, which seem to resemble words from Old-world languages, but he maintains that this is merely accidental. But Mr. T. S. Denison, who has studied the subject more thoroughly, has shown, in a scholarly little work on "The Primitive Aryans of America," the real connection or relationship between the Nahuatl or Mexican and the Aryan group of languages. In concluding that work, he says: "For a time I hoped that I had discovered a very ancient language that might throw more light on the original speech of mankind, but finally it came to this, that I had simply added another tongue to the Aryan group." Mr. Denison also says, "Nahuatl is an Aryan language. Furthermore, it is closely related to Zend and Sanskrit, but nearer phonetically to the former. It is, in fact, older than either, and is, I think, closely akin to LANGUAGE OF WHITE INDIANS 571 the archaic Aryan dialects of Kafirisan." (The Primitive Aryans of America, p. 134.) The full force of this comment, as regards the American race, can be understood, when we remember that scientists now are disposed to regard all the Indian languages and dialects, notwithstanding their diversities, as one family. What Mr. Denison observes regarding the Aztec, we must apply to the entire family group, of which this Mexican language is but one member. If, then, the Indian languages are the relatives of all other Indo- European tongues, including those of northern Europe, it is to be ex- pected, that in some words, they should have a family resemblance to those relatives. Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg found in Centra! American languages traces of not only Norse words, but of Latin, Greek, English, French, etc., tongues, and this is but natural. The Norse and other similar words in the speech of the Panama Indians is, then, only a confirmation of the observations of early students. They do not necessarily prove that the vikings who followed Leif Ericson to the American shores extended their explorations and settlements as far as Darien, but they do prove that the Indians there, and the Norse, the Latin, and other races derived their languages originally from the same source. Start Smiling What's the use of always pining For the things you cannot get? What's the use of sitting whining, Till your eyes with tears are wet? Dry your eyes and cease your weeping. Through dim eyes the world looks blue, And your tears may just be keeping The bright sunlight from your view. I don't doubt you've had your trouble. Everyone must have his share: Grieving only makes it double, Never helps one's woes to bear. Better far to just start smiling. Smiles will chase the clouds away, And our sorrows all beguiling Change the skies to blue from gray. So. when you are filled with sadness, And you're cross and feeling blue, And there seems to be no gladness Left in all the world for you— Just you try the charm of singing. And I'm sure you'll find e'er long All the joy bells will be ringing With the gladness of your song. Phoenix. Arizona. ROBERTA FLAKE CLAYTON.