Reptiles
Snakes
Rattlesnake ustamęhšrǫt It has rattles attached, rattlesnake.
[oo-stah-menh-shront]
u- feminine-zoic singular patient – it
-stamęh- verb root – be a rattle
-hšr- nominalizer
-ǫt- verb root – attach, be attached + stative aspect
Snake kyuˀgyętse
[kyoo-oo-gyen-tseh]
Spotted Snake kyuyaręyǫ
[kyoo-yah-ren-yoh]
Snake clan hatingǫtrǫnǫh people of the snake charm
[hah-teen-gon-tron-nonh]
hati- masculine plural agent – they (m)
-ngǫt- noun root – snake charm
-rǫnǫ popularizer root suffix
-h stative aspect
Turtles
yangyaˀwiš It is a turtle
[yan-gyah-ah-weesh]
ya[1]– feminine-zoic singular agent – it
-ngyaˀwiš[2] verb root – be a turtle + stative aspect
Kinds of Turtles
Mossback, large turtle amęrureˀ yangyaˀwiš It is a mossback, large turtle
amęrureˀ It is covered with moss
am- feminine-zoic – it
-ęr-[3] noun root – moss
-ure- verb root – cover
-ˀ stative aspect
Striped Turtle atežatǫˀ yangyaˀwiš It is a marked turtle.
[ah-teh-zhah-ton-on]
ate- feminine-zoic agent – it + semi-reflexive
-žatǫ-[4] verb root – mark
-ˀ stative aspect
Snapping Turtle yangyaˀwiš hayuwanęh It is a big turtle.
[hah-yoo-wan-nenh]
ha- masculine singular agent – he
-yuwanę verb root – be big
-h stative aspect
Prairie Turtle clan yehtižurunǫ People of a large field.
[yeh-teeh-zhoo-roo-non]
yeht- feminine-zoic singular agent – it + noun root – field
-ižu- verb root – be large
-runǫ populative root suffix + stative aspect
Soft Shell Turtle tehanyǫht[5]
[te-han-yonht]
Te- negative (?)
-ha- masculine singular agent – he
-ny- noun root – finger (?)
-ǫht- verb root – be attached (?) + stative aspect
Large Turtle Clan yangyaˀwiš yanęstehrǫnǫh
yanęstehrǫnǫh People of the….
[yan-en-steh-ron-onh]
ya- feminine-zoic singular agent – it
-nęsteh- verb root – ? ?
-rǫnǫ populative suffix
-h stative aspect
Small Turtle yangyaˀwiš huskeˀnyaˀ
[hoo-skeh-eh-nyah-ah]
huskeˀnyaˀ he is small
hu- masculine singular patient – he
-skeˀnya verb – be small
-ˀ stative aspect
The Shell –ˀnduhšr-
yaˀnduhšraˀ turtle shell, turtle shell rattle
[yah-an-dooh-shrah-ah]
ya- feminine-zoic agent – it
-ˀnduhšr- noun root – turtle shell
-aˀ noun suffix
hatiˀnduhšraˀžaˀ They (m) have little shells (the Small Turtle clan)
hati- masculine plural agent – they (m)
-ˀnduhšr– noun root – turtle shell
-a- verb root -be a size
-ˀ stative aspect
ža diminutive aspect suffix
yaˀndušruwanęh It is a large turtle shell.
ya- feminine-zoic singular agent – it
-ˀnduhšr- noun root – turtle shell
-uwanę- verb root – be large
-h stative aspect
Legs = Wings
Sometimes the legs of the turtle are referred to as its wings:
yažaˀ wing, wings
[yah-zhah-ah]
ya- feminine-zoic singular agent – it
-ž- noun root – wing, wings
-aˀ noun suffix
[1] Often when this word was written in the Narratives, this pronominal prefix was missing.
[2] Possibly this word is built on the noun root -ngy- finger + verb root -aˀwi- -sail, float + the habitual aspect suffix.
[3] The Wenro, of the so-called Neutral Iroquoian tribes, whose refugees joined the Wendat and then the Wyandot have their name built on this noun root plus the Wendat verb root – be in water.,
[4] An alternative as utežatǫˀ following.
[5] Soft-shell turtles have three toes.