-------------------- ts'inteelh -- turtle ----------------------

ts'inteelh -- turtle

Pronunciation:
  Like "TS'UN - taythl" (Listen)

Etymology:
  -Ts'in- means "bone."
  Nteelh means "it is wide."
  Thus, ts'inteelh means "bone that is wide" or "wide bone."
  This compound word for turtle is common to many Athapascan languages.

Meaning:

  Ts'inteelh originally would have referred to the only species of turtle found in Naahneesh country, the Western Pond Turtle (Clemmys marmorata) (pictures and info at California Turtle and Tortoise Club). In recent years introduced species from the eastern U.S. have largely supplanted this native western species, but the name ts'inteelh would probably be applied to any species of turtle as a general name, as it is in other languages.

Culture:

  Ts'inteelh is the main character in at least two Naahneesh stories*:

     Turtle's Exploit
     How Turtle Escaped

  Copper Lake is called Ts'inteelhtoobii', literally "turtle-water-in it." (Listen)

Related Languages:

  Lassik: s'inteelh
  Nongatl, Wailaki: ts'inteelh
  Sinkyone: ts'inteelh, s'inteelh
  Mattole: degalhsoolh
  Hupa: ts'in-tehL

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* If url's for stories don't work for you, try going to the story index page.

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Sally Anderson
sally@turtlenodes.com
Cahto Language Home Page