NOTICES OF THE HEVE;

THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY THE EUDEVE, A PEOPLE OF THE DÓHME. [1]

BY BUCKINGHAM SMITH.

HISTORICAL.

This tongue was spoken in the middle of the last century over a region of country principally within Sonora, the northernmost of the seven Provinces then comprising the kingdom of New Galicia under the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The limit of Sonora on the east was continuous along the chain of mountains that divides it from Taraumara,—from Sateche, the farthest of the Indian settlements in that district, southwardly eighty leagues to Bacoa Sati the first of its towns. On the west the Province was washed by the sea of Cortez from the mouth of the Hiaqui to the Tomosatzi, or Colorado, the waters of the Hiaqui forming its limit to the south; and on the north by a course from the Mission of Baseraca westwardly through the Presidio de Fronteras to that of Pitic (Terrenate), a distance of seventy leagues. According to the opinion of a Jesuit Father, the author of an anonymous work in manuscript on that country, written in the year 1762 at Alamo, it was thought also to be the most important among the many Provinces of Mexico, whether

for fertility of soil, gold washings, or silver mines; and not less distinguishable for the docility and loyalty of those aboriginal inhabitants who had early given their adhesion to the government to secure religious instruction.

The Missions of Sonora included moreover a section to the south bounded by the River Chico within the Province of Ostimuri. To the north, within the religious precinct, was the Pimeria Alta through the Sobahipuris up to the junction of the river of that name, (otherwise the San Pedro,) with the Gila; thence for a distance of more than one hundred and thirty leagues, after passing [pg 6] among rancherias of Pima, Opa, and Cocomaricopa, and having received in its course the Asumpcion, or Compuesto—from its being formed by the united waters of two streams, the Salado and Verde—it enters the Tomosatzi, closing that Pimeria of innumerable tribes described by the missionaries as sealed in productive places, and in a genial climate. Other Indians of the same names, the Yuma also and Papapootam (Papago) lived beyond, as appears from the accounts given by the spiritual invaders of those remote regions, chiefly the Fathers Kino, Keller, and Sedelmayer.

The two principal nations of Sonora are spoken of as the Opata and Pima, since the Eudeve should be reckoned with the Opata, for the reason that its language differs as little from that of the other as the Portuguese from the Castilian, or the Provençal from the French; and likewise should also be added the Jove, who, having mingled with the Opata, no longer use their own tongue, except in some instances of the aged. It is one difficult to acquire, and different from any other in the Province.

The Opata are the best of the native Christians, having never turned upon their teachers, nor once risen against the royal authorities; nor do they, like other Indians, make the women bear the heavier share of the labor in the fields. They are industrious husbandmen; but they are not any the less wanting in valor on that account, having oftentimes shown their good conduct when bearing arms with the king’s forces at the expense of the Missions. Individuals there were, and perhaps still are, who did the work of blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, stone cutters, masons, learning any craft readily, and practicing it with skill. They and some of the Endeve, although in a less degree, are to the other Indians what the people who live in towns are to those in the country, still for all it was remarked, they were none the less Indians. Such was the general character of the Opata, which is the same that is given of them in our time by that curious and instructive observer, John R. Bartlett, in his narrative of an expedition into that country.

The Jove were a rural people, quite the greater number of them, unwilling to be brought together in communities, lived in chasms among the ridges where they were born, proof to the solicitations of kindness and conveniences of civilized life. The other portion of them dwelt in Ponida, Teopari and Mochoba. The good missionary at Bacadeque endeavored to bring into towns those who inhabited the rancheria of Sathechi and the margins of the Mulatos and Arcos, rivers to the south, without avail. They live among briars, owning a few animals, subsisting on wild fruits and vegetables, gathering an occasional stalk of maize or a pumpkin that nature suffers to grow in some crevice here and there made by torrents bursting from the mountains.

These nations, the Pima and the Opata, Eudeve, Jove, forming two people, occupy the greater portion of Sonora, seated far inward to the west from the Cordillera. The limit on the south is where stood the deserted town of Ivatora thence to Arivetze, Bacanora, Tonitzi, Soyopa, Nacori; on the west from Alamos, through parts of Ures and Nacomeri to Opedepe, and Cucurpe; on the north from Arispe, Chinapa, Bacoquetzi, Cuquiaratzi to Babispe, and from that Mission of Babispe on the east by mountains of low elevation returning to Natora.

The Pima occupy a still wider territory, extending on the south into Cinaloa, on the east in to the Province of Taraumara. The Upper Pima are found far to the north [pg 7] living by the Sobahipuris to its outlet, and on both banks of the Gila to the Tomosatzi, in vales of luxuriant beauty, and in wastes of sand and sterility between those rivers and the sea,—having still other tribes beyond them using the same language in different dialects. The Lower Pima are in the west of the Province, having many towns extending to the frontier of the indomitable Seri, who live some thirty leagues to the north of the mouth of the Hiaqui and have their farthest limit inland, some dozen leagues from the sea, finding shelter among the ridges, and in the neighboring island of Tiburon.[2] Those of the Pima who reside on the south, in the Province of Cinaloa, the history of their migration thither is of the earliest, and belongs to that which should relate the closing scene in the journey of Cabeza de Vaca, with the strange success that eventually, at the close of a century,

attended his Christian purpose.

All these nations, save the last, and all others who inhabit the country excepting the Apaches—including a numerous people on the Gila and on the farther bank of the Colorado—speak the same language, with so slight differences, say the missionaries, that they who shall have attained the one of the Opata and Eudeve with little difficulty will master the rest. And for this we have that early authority referred to, of three centuries since: “They made known to us what they would say by means of a language they have among them through which we and they understood each other. Those to whom it properly belongs we call Primahaitu, which is equivalent to when we say Biscayans. We found it in use over more than four hundred leagues (miles?) of our travel, without another in the whole extent.” The name thus given by the narrator of the Naufragios seemingly exists in these words, their definitions taken from a dictionary in MS. of the Pima language written by a missionary. No, pima: Nothing, pim’ haitu. Ques. What, Ai? Ans. Pimahaitu (nihil).

PART I: ORTHOGRAPHY.

It has been thought proper to use nineteen characters in the language, among which are not included f, j, k, w, x, y, nor l, although the sound of l is somewhat heard in the soft enunciation given by the Indian to the letter r.

The k is sufficiently supplied in the syllabic sounds que and qui, where the u is silent, although gue and gui are each of two syllables. There has been a disposition to omit the g also, the sound of which, as in go, if the natives had not originally, they certainly possess at present, got from the Spaniards. This should excuse its appearance here. The sound of z is strong as heard in fits.

The vowels are sounded as in tar, bear, silk, doe, rue.

PART II: ETYMOLOGY.

SUBSTANTIVE.

Substantives in this language are declined without the use of articles.

2. Those which may be called verbal, from their origin in verbs, are much used: hiósguadauh, painting, or writing, is the passive (is painted) of the present active hiósguan, I paint. They have their times: hiósguadauh is in the present, expressing [pg 10] the picture I form now of the passive preterite hiósguacauh, the work I have executed, of which hiósguatzidaugh, the picture I will make, is the future passive: and when to these verbal substantives is added the particle gua, it denotes place, as, No hiósguadauhgua, the place where I paint, etc.

GUA.

3. But words signifying kindred, have their termination usually in gua also, for which see section 16.

SIVEN, RINA.

4, 5. Other verbal substantives, signifying instruments, are made from the future active: thus, the verb métecan, I chop, having métetze in the future, receives siven in lieu of the final syllable, and makes the substantive, métesiven, axe or tool with which to chop. Many of these words likewise terminate in rina, as bícusirina, flute, from bícudan, I whistle, and bíhirina, shovel, from bihán, I scrape.

RAGUA, SURA.

6, 7. Many abstract nouns are formed by the addition of the particle ragua, as váde, joyously; váderagua, joy; déni, good; déniragua, goodness; dóhme, man, or people; dóhmeragua, humanity; and so diósragua, divinity. Others, substantive nouns, applied to certain places end in súra, as, omásúra, canebrake, from om, cane, and súra, in or among; huérigosúra, reedfield; húparosúra, mesquitscrub: and so a town is called Opósúra, because it is among some trees called opó, elm.

8. The verbs are substantives likewise, and as such are declined as much so as the same words are conjugated when verbs: thus, nemútzan, I bewitch, is also wizard, and hiósguan, I write, is scrivener; but it is to be observed of these substantives, as well as of those which end in daugh, that they too have equally their times, as nemútzan, the wizard—that is now, in the present; nemútzari, the preterite that has; nemútzatze, the future that will, with the difference that these terminations are active, while those in daugh, etc., are passive.

ADJECTIVE NOUNS.

TERI, EI, RAVE, E, I, O, U.

9, 10, 11, 12. The many adjective nouns ending in téri, and ei, signify quality, as, bavitéri, elegant; aresumetéri, different or distinct; tasúquei, narrow; asóquei, thick; sútei, white; and so of the rest signifying color. Some ending in ráve, denote plenitude; for example, sitoráve, full of honey; composed of sitóri, honey, and ráve, full; seborráve, full of flies; ateráve of até, louse, etc.; others, ending in e, i, o, u, signify possession, as, esé, she that has petticoats; cúne, she that has a husband; guásue, he that has land for planting; húvi, the married man, from hub, woman; nóno, he that has a father, from nónogua, father, and sutúu, he that has finger-nails, from sutú: and they, moreover, have their times like verbs, since, from esé is formed esei, preterite, she that had petticoats; cúnetze, future, she that will marry, etc.; and afterwards they are declined as nouns, as, Nom., eséi; Gen. eséigue. (For other form of the possessive, see section 19.)

CA, SARI, SCOR, SGUARI.

13, 14. It is usual for the want of many positive affirmatives in the language to express by the positive of the opposite signification, adding the negation ca, as, nucuatéri, perishable; canucuatéri, everlasting; cúne, married, f.; cacúne, not married; húbi, married, m.; cahúbi, not married, etc. Those ending in sári, and scor, mark a bad, or vicious quality, as, dedensári, tobacco-smoker, from déinan, I suck; and hibesári, gluttonous, from hibáan, I eat; nehrisári, talker, from néhren, I talk; capasári, old rags, from capát; baníscor, weeper, from báanan; cotzíscor, sleeper, from cotzom; dióscor, vagabond, from dion, I walk, or vacosári, which has the same signification, from vácon. The termination, sguari, is used in this sense: dotzi, old man; dotzísguari, very old man; hóit, female of middle age; hoísguari, very old woman.

DECLENSION.

Substantives of the First Declension form their genitive in que, and usually are such as terminate in a vowel.

The plural of substantives (requiring a special notice) will be treated of hereafter. Substantives of the Second Declension form their genitive in te and t.

The verb-noun hiósguadauh, painting, is thus declined.

And so likewise decline the preterite passive hiósguacauh, and the future passive hiósguatzidauh.

But verbs in the present time, when they serve as substantives, are thus declined

Some ending in t while they form the genitive in te, part with a vowel, as follows:

Nónoguat, father, belongs to this declension, and forms the genitive nónauhte; but when preceded by a possessive pronoun, it loses the final guat, as has been stated, and the termination is left in o, to form the genitive in the first declension, as, no, my, no nónoque, of my father, which rule applies equally to other names of kindred.

Sometimes an ablative is formed in u, as teópatu, in the church, from teópa, hecátu, in the shade, from hecát.

Substantives of the Third Declension end in s, r, z, and form the genitive by the addition of e, and the accusative by i.

In this way decline tatas, crabapple,—gen. tatáse, dat. and acc. tatási, &c., also, porótz, wildcat, gen. porótze, dat. and acc. porótzi, &c.

To Adjective Nouns there has been an inclination to assign a separate place, but they terminate in a vowel, and there appears to be no reason why they should not go with substantives of the first declension.

OF THE PLURAL.

15. Substantives, especially those animate of rational beings, usually form the [pg 13] plural by doubling the first syllable, as, dor, man, or male; dódor, men; hoit, woman, pl. hóhoit; déni, good, pl. dedéni.

Some other words form their plural irregularly, as, doritzi, boy, pl. vus, applied to both sexes, though when intended only for males dódorus is used; hoquis, large girls, pl. hórquir; temátzi, big boy, pl. tetemtzi; to which when the particle te is added it marks the absence of any of the other sex, as dodórte, men only; hohóite, women only; hórquirte, girls only. The declension of these plurals is according to the rules before given.

OF KINDRED.

16. The language is remarkable for another peculiarity, which is, that the females in many instances employ different words from the males: the father says to his son, Nognàt, to his daughter, Mórqua; the mother to either says, Nótzgua; the son to the father says, Nonógua,and the daughter says, Mósgua. The elder brother likewise is called Vátzgua, pl. Vapàtz, the younger Vángua, pl. Vopon, the elder sister Cotzgua, pl. Cocátz, the younger Víngua, pl. Vipim, to which adding the possessive pronouns no, amo, and the like, the gua is omitted to such as have that termination. There is much to be learned about the names of the kindred, but the subject is one too wide for present explanation.

PRONOUNS.

17. The Personal Pronoun nee, I, followed by another word becomes ne; nap, thou or you, becomes na, tamide becomes ta; emet or emíde becomes em, veride and iride become ver and ir; meride becomes mer.

These are all without inflections save this last, which has its genitive améva, being declined like amet. Nee vasu, likewise means I myself.

Nee senéva is, I alone; the plural, tamide améve, we alone; but neither senéva nor améve are declined, only the pronouns that accompany them.

GUAGUA, VUT.

18, 19. Possessive Pronouns are the genitives of the primitive; thus, no vónama, means, my hat, no being the genitive of nee, and the same with the rest. But in order to say, this is mine, guagua is used applied to inanimate things, as, veride quit no guagua, this is my house; or vut applied to animate, as, veride cavadu no vut, this horse is mine; and with the change of person those genitives of the primitive must be added, as, no guagua, mine; amo guagua, thine, are guagua, his, &c., no vut, mine, &c. (Another manner of expressing the possessive has been given in section 12.)

VERB.

Here opens a very broad field whereon may be observed the excellence of this language that is considered barbarous.

Conjugation of the verb hiósguan, I write, or paint.

INDICATIVE MOOD.—PRESENT TIME.

IMPERFECT

PERFECT.

ANOTHER PERFECT.

PLUPERFECT.

FUTURE.

IMPERATIVE MOOD.

ANOTHER IMPERATIVE.

ANOTHER IMPERATIVE.

OPTATIVE MOOD.

This mood appears to have been anciently used with cáne, would that it might be! but now in general it is not so understood. The phrase may be deemed to be in the Optative, although it does not express that entirely, being formed by the union of the Imperative above with venesma, even though.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.

This mode of speech, If I should write, I should have written, &c., the natives express by adding the particle ru to the future.

INFINITIVE MOOD.

Although this mode does not exist in the language, still the natives have ways to express the thought, some of which are these:

One mode is by the verb erám, I wish or think; so that to say, I wish to write, Nee hiósguavaerám may be used, which is the future hiósguatze, with the final syllable omitted for the particle va, and followed by the erám. In the same manner, other verbs may be proceeded with, they remaining stable through all the mutations that erám undergoes, as in the following:

ACTIVE VOICE.

INDICATIVE MOOD.

In the passive erám is not used, but naquém, which also means, I wish, and with the preterite particle, in the manner that is stated in the fourth form of the imperative, the infinitive mood in this voice is expressed, as, Nee no hiósguarico naquém, I desire to be written.

Another mode that serves for the Infinitive, is that after a verb of motion, the future of the verb is used, as to express, I come to you to say, Nee eme queitudetze güerem: here, Nee is I; eme, to you; güerem, or üerem, I come, and queitudetze the future of the verb queituden, I say, or make known.

GERUNDS.

The gerund in di is found in the expression: Already arrived the time of labor; for which, taking the preterite pánauhri, the verb pánauan signifying labor, add dagua, time, and for arrived use hassíde, the preterite of hássem, followed by the de, particle, signifying already, and the phrase is formed pánauhridagua hasside.

The gerund in do is found in the phrase Vus hóquedo panavame, the boys playing, work, in which vus is boys, hóquedo or hóqueco, the gerund of hoquen, play, and panavame, the plural of pánavan, work. The passive voice has likewise the gerund, as for example: Nap sícriuhdo cotzóm, Whilst thou art shorn, sleepest; here nap cotzóm is, you sleep, sícriuhdo is the gerund in do passive of the verb sicán, and toasquilo, hair.

The gerund in dum, and supine joined to a verb of motion is equivalent to the future as before stated in the second mode of the infinitive; but should there be no verb of movement with the gerund in dum, the particle betzéuai, for, is used, as [pg 18] this suffices for payment, (hoc ad solvendum sufficit,) Veride hasem ovíde betzéguai; veride meaning this, hasem, suffices; ovide betzévai, for payment; ovíden signifying pay.

Thus much it has been found necessary to say of the verb in its active and passive voice, of its modes and times, which will serve as a paradigm for the conjugation of any verb observant of the form of its preterite and future (the roots whence rise the other tenses) to be discovered in the vocabulary.

FREQUENTATIVE VERB.

21. This verb signifies the frequent repetition of the same action, and is formed by adding the adverb tátze, peace-meal, as, I write often, tátze ne hiósgan.

COMPULSIVE VERB.