sacred
aéstomema'hēō'o na. devil, evil spirit, idol (rarer meaning). Lit: false-sacred.power See: heávohe; hávėsévevėhanéhe. Category: sacred.
aéstomevé'ho'e na. 1 • false Cheyenne. Lit: false-whiteman an epithet used of Cheyenne Indians who don't have some of the traditional characteristics of Cheyennes; especially said of Cheyennes who don't talk Cheyenne (this term is used to tease them or put them down).
2 • little devil. Aéstomevé'hó'e ééšėhósemé'atovánȧhneo'o. The little devils are making fire (lit. smoke) again. (This was said when smoke arose out of a reservation coal mine.) Synonym heávȯhéso ‘little devil’. Usage: An elder recently said that Catholics use this term for 'devil'. Preverb aéstome-. Category: sacred.
ȧhtóno'omēē'e p. underworld, hell. Lit: underneath-realm This is a longstanding word in Cheyenne referring to the underworld of Cheyenne cosmology. More recently some speakers have the meaning of 'hell' for it. Some say that Heávohe lives here. naa mȧsáavo'ėstanévėhahtsétanóhétse ééšeéxane tótseha ȧhtóno'omēē'e and if we don't want to be saved it's been prepared long ago, hell (1987:117). See: a'enevonėšenahtȯtse; heávȯhenēno. Category: sacred, church.
e'óoestaáhenótaxe na. Christian. Lit: Christian-warrior(that is, society person) Plural e'óoestaáhenótȧxeo'o; Vocative e'óoestaáhenótȧxesėstse. Category: sacred, church.
-énóéná vai. stop praying. É-énóéna. He stopped praying. fai: -óéná ‘pray’. See: -háóéna ‘pray’. Category: sacred.
háanahe p. heavy, solemn, with responsibility. This word is often used in traditional Cheyenne prayers. Ques: háanae ?? Category: check. Háanae, Ma'hēō'o ... Heavy, God ... See: háanae- ‘heavy’. Category: ceremonial, sacred.
-háóéná vai. pray. É-háóéna. He is praying. Ná-háóéna. I prayed. É-háoenao'o. They are praying. Náohkeméo-háóéna. I pray in the morning. Nétȧ-háoenama! Let's pray! Néx-háóénȧhtse! Pray! Háóéna! Pray! (said to a group). Ééševóonā'o, ohkė-háóéna! It is already morning, pray! (said to a group). Mó'é-háóéna? Is he praying? Néto'sė-háoenahe? Are you going to pray? Nátȧ-háóéna. Let me pray. Compare that with this next word: Nátȧ-hoóna. Let me close it. Preverb háóénáve-. See: -óéná; -háóéné; -hoóná ‘close s.t.’. Category: church, sacred, pray.
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háoenahtȯtse ni. prayer. Oblique háóénȧhtóva. Category: sacred, church.
Háonovahe na. Holy God. an old ceremonial word for God; rarely used; few Cheyennes know this word today; this word is not to be used outside ceremonies; the usual word used today for God, both within ceremonies and elsewhere is Ma'hēō'o. See: Háónóváhe ‘Talkative’; Ma'hēō'o ‘God’; Nóáhe1 ‘God; Providence’. Category: sacred.
hávėsévemȧhta'sóoma na. evil spirit; demon. There does not seem to have been any aboriginal word for an evil spirit, although there were spiritlike entities which were feared such as méhneo'o and méstaeo'o. A number of new words have been suggested for 'evil spirit', such as this entry. Plural hávėsévemȧhta'sóomaho. See: mȧhta'sóoma; heávȯhéso. Category: sacred.
heávohe na. devil. Heávohe nétáxe'ėhá'tova. The devil is hanging over you (=you are in a bad mood). Heávohe hestsévá'xe éohkevé'šetsėhé'hóénóvo. The devil is touching him with his hot tail. Éhone'ovóho heávȯhóho. He is wearing the devil (can be said of a misbehaving child). Usage: Probably a loan translation from Spanish diablo 'devil', as Petter (PD372) suggests; the concept of the devil is not native to traditional Cheyenne belief systems. Plural heávȯheo'o; Obviative heávȯhóho, heávȯhevaho ??; Diminutive heávȯhéso. See: aéstomema'hēō'o. Category: sacred, check.
heávȯhéso na. Gram: dim little devil. Plural heávȯhesono; Obviative heávȯhesono; Synonym aéstomevé'ho'e. See: hávėsévemȧhta'sóoma. Category: sacred.
He'amavé'ho'e na. Creator, Jesus. Lit: up-ve'ho'e used by Cheyennes in Petter's time; P. tried to stop its use in favor of the term Vo'ėstanévėstómanéhe 'Savior'. Usage: not used today; although one elder said that Catholics use it may have been an old name for the benevolent creator. The Above Ve'ho'e (Creator; this word shows a remnant of the benevolent qualities of the legendary Algonquian culture hero; within extant folktales and recorded history the Cheyenne figure, ve'ho'e, lacks benevolent qualities and is only a trickster, greedy, etc.; the modern usage of the term ve'ho'e is for 'whiteman' who is viewed as having these just-mentioned qualities of the traditional Cheyenne culture figure, ve'ho'e; ca.1900 use of this term to refer to God or Jesus was objected to by missionary Petter because by that time a literal translation was usually given as something like 'the Whiteman above' or, perhaps, 'the Whiteman In the Sky'; see discussion in Petter's dictionary, p. 516, under entry 'God', and Grinnell, Vol. i·, p. 88). Category: sacred.
he'amo'omēē'e ni. heaven, outer space, universe. Lit: up-region Oblique he'amo'omééno; fni: -o'omēē'e. Category: sacred, celestial.
He'emo n. Goddess, Female Sacred Being, female god, god - female. This word is not known to many Cheyennes. It probably should not be discussed or publicized widely. Perhaps it should not be said by women. It is said in some ceremonies. It is difficult to translate to English. It may be close in meaning to the ceremonial word ésevone. This is said to be the Suhtai word for God, equivalent to Ma'hēō'o in the Cheyenne dialect. See: hē'e ‘woman’; He'émomé'ėhné'e ‘Goddess Appears Woman’. Category: ceremonial, sacred.
-he'étovahe vai. female nature - have a. For example, this could be said of He'emo, the female sacred being. É-he'étovahe. She has a female nature. Category: sacred.
-he-ma'heáhame inc.n. Gram: ai+o have s.t. as power, have s.t. as medicine. Usage: considered an "old word" quite possibly related to the etymologically mysterious Cheyenne word ma'hēō'o 'mystery, sacred power, medicine, god, God'. Náhe-ma'heáhame. It is my power/medicine. Móhe-ma'heáhamėhéhe hevóhtšėha'e. His cap must have been his power. [The Journey.284] See: Ma'hēō'o; -ma'heóname; -ma'heóneve. Category: sacred.
-he-ma'heóname vai. have a god. É-he-ma'heóname. He has a god / he has it as his god. tsé-he-ma'heónamése your (plural) god.
vti. Gram: ai+o vta: -he-ma'heónamé'tov. Néto'sėsáa-he-ma'heónėhaméhenone vá'nėhová'éhe tsésáahová'ėhevėhāne. We are not going to have just anything for our god, something worthless. [1987:230] Category: sacred.
-he-ma'heónamé'tov vta. Gram: ai+o have s.o. as god. Ná-he-ma'heónamenȯtse. He is my god. É-he-ma'heónaménoto. He has them (animate) as his gods. Variant: -he-ma'heónėhamé'tov; IndepNoun Ma'hēō'o. Category: sacred.
-he-ma'heónėhamé'tov vta. have s.o. as god. Ná-he-ma'heónėhamenȯtse. He is my god. Variant: -he-ma'heónamé'tov. Category: sacred.
hematséósóno na. ceremonial advisor. Category: sacred, jobs.
-he-nésemóoname vai. have a spirit helper, seer, sorcerer. É-he-nésemóoname. He has a spirit helper. [pd957] tsé-he-nésemóonamėstse the one who has a familiar spirit. tséohkeée-he-nésemóonamese those who have familiar spirits. [1987:40] vai: -nésemá; vta: -nésemóonamé't. See: -nésemóoname. Category: sacred, ceremonial.
-he-nésemóonamé'tov Gram: ai+o vta. have s.o. as a familiar spirit. Náhe-nésemóonamenȯtse He is my familiar spirit. vai: -nésemóoname. Category: sacred.
Hesénénóváhe na. East Spirit. This is a ceremonial word. It refers to the sacred power of the east. See: heséne; Nóváhe. Category: sacred.
Hesénȯhtȧhé'héhe na. East. This is a ceremonial word. It refers to the sacred power of the east. See: heséne ‘east’; éše'he tsénėxhése-mé'éhnėstse ‘east (where the sun appears)’. Category: sacred.
-hetaa'ėseone vii. limits of the area, acreage, allotment. héne tséssó'eá'ene tsé-hetaa'ėseone that (tepee) still has all the sacred things. [1987:99] Category: sacred.
Hoestséheome ni. Sacred Hat Tepee. Lit: hanging-lodge where the Sacred Hat hangs. Usage: hóhkȧha'éome is more commonly used than this term See: hóhkėha'éome. Category: ceremonial, sacred.
ho'hamé'etane na. spring god. the living spirit of the spring; offering cloths are put around a certain spring for this sacred power. Category: sacred.
ho'óesto'óono na. prayer cloths ?? See: vonȧhé'xá'e; hóhkėha'e; Maahótse; oestóono. Category: sacred, ceremonial, check.
hotse'ono tséhestseméenese na. angels. Lit: workers that have wings Category: sacred.
hóxe'emȧhta'sóoma na. Holy Spirit. Category: sacred. Usage: loan translation from English used in the missionary period; much less commonly used in churches today than ma'heóne-mȧhta'sóoma for 'Holy Spirit' Lit: clean-shadow/spirit
Kȧhamȧhta'sóoma na. Short Shadow. name of an important nésemoo'o 'familiar spirit'. Category: sacred.
-ka'a'né'e'tov vai. step over s.o. Éohkėsáa-ka'a'né'e'tȯheheo'o. They (especially medicine men) are not stepped over. Category: sacred.
maahévo'ėstane na. arrow person. Plural maahévo'ėstaneo'o. Ques: extant?? Category: sacred.
Maahōtse tsévovóhnėhešésėstse vai. Gram: cjt Arrow keeper. Ques: check spelling?? Lit: the one who takes care of the arrows See: -vovóhnėhešéstsé ‘take care of s.t..’. Category: sacred, ceremonial, check.
mȧhta'sóoma na. 1 • shadow. May be inanimate for some people. This word is sometimes used for the unseen spirit of a living person. It contrasts with seo'ȯtse which is the spirit of a deceased person. It also contrasts with voxȯtse which is 'body'. Cheyenne, like many languages, does not have a trichotomous body/soul/spirit distinction; instead, the distinction for the immaterial part of a person is upon whether it is of a living or deceased person. Plural mȧhta'sóomaho. na-mȧhta'sóoma my shadow. he-mȧhta'sóomaho his shadow/soul. Obviative mȧhta'sóomaho; Oblique mȧhta'sóomȧhēva.
2 • soul, spirit. Ma'heóne-mȧhta'sóoma Holy Spirit (post-missionary term). Névéé'ėše éévoésenaho he-mȧhta'sóomaho. His spirit is hanging around for four days. (the amount of time that the spirit of a deceased hangs around after a Cheyenne death). Nėhéóhe névo'ėstanéheve "mȧhe-mȧhta'sóoma," tséhetaneto. There you are living, "All Spirit", as you are called. (1987:103). Etym: cf. *meteʔcya·kwa ‘soul, shadow’. The PA seems to be more closely cognate with Ch. mȧhtā'so. See: mȧhtā'so; séo'ȯtse; hovéo'ȯheo'o; hávėsévemȧhta'sóoma; voxȯtse ‘body’. Category: sacred.
3 • Spirit. Mȧhta'sóoma is a Cheyenne name. Category: names.
Ma'háhko'e Ȯhtanevóósánėstse vai. Gram: ppl Badger Sees All. This is the badger spirit with whom food and smokes should be shared. For instance, a hunter who killed a deer would share part of the fresh liver with this badger spirit in hopes that the badger would be gracious to him in the future and allow him to kill another deer. He'póotsėstse! Nȧhtsėhóseamahe. Smoke! (So that) I'll get more (in return). (This is traditionally said as someone offers a smoke to this badger spirit, hoping that the badger would be gracious in return.) Variant: Ma'háhko'e Ȯhtanovóósénėstse. Category: sacred.
ma'hēō'o na. sacred power, god, God, medicine, mystery, Creator. Note: The term seems to be untranslatable, at least in the sense of a literal translation. But one elder recently translated it as 'holy one', which makes sense since all verbal forms based on the noun refer to being 'holy, sacred'. The meaning sense of 'medicine' does not refer to something for treating the body, which is heséeo'ȯtse 'herbal (or chemical) medicine'. Instead, it refers to the Indian idea of something sacred or a sacred mystery, sacred power. A Cheyenne ma'hēō'o is only a benevolent power. Simplified Spelling Maheo, Mahiu. Phon: apocope, vs Plural ma'heono; Obviative ma'heóneva. ma'heónevaho god (obviative; alternate pronunciation). Note: Some people say ma'heono for the obviative; others avoid ma'heono as the obviative. The following vocative is addressed to the sacred powers. It is not used for speaking about the possibility due to homophony with the plural which they want to avoid so as not to invite the inference of polytheism. sacred powers, which would be the plural ma'heono. Vocative Ma'heónasėstse ‘Sacred powers!’. Énéstoohe Ma'hēō'o. God is hollering. (what some people say during thunder). Hayden 1862:309 only has this Cheyenne form under the English entry 'mystery', not under entries for 'god', 'deity', or 'God'; Hayden has the following for this entry: "mysterious, medicine, mystery, spiritual". Anything that the Indians do not understand they consider supernatural, or 'medicine'." Note: The plural has often been used in traditional Cheyenne discourse for various sacred powers. Note: This word has commonly been written maheo. It does not mean "All Father" as claimed by Petter (for example, in his 1915 dictionary, p. 517, under entry 'God') and, following him, Powell (for example, in his book about Sweet Medicine, p. xxi), Ashabranner (Morning Star, Black Sun, p. 10), Moore ("Cheyenne Names and Cosmology", p. 295), and Newcomb (Morning Star, 1983). Apparently Petter's claim originated from lack of phonetic detail in his orthography. The Cheyenne morpheme for 'all' is mȧhe- (mā- in his system); the morpheme for 'father' is /hé-/. If it is even possible to create a word meaning 'All Father' it would not be spelled ma'hēō'o, which, at a minimum lacks the required complex syllable of mȧhe- 'all', contains an important glottal stop before the letter -h, and lacks the high phonemic pitch needed on Cheyenne /hé-/ 'father'. There IS a word which starts with the complex syllable mȧhe, although it does not mean 'all' in this case, and ends identically as ma'hēō'o does; it is mȧhēō'o meaning 'house. There is no relationship to the word ma'hēō'o. So then, the widely publicized meaning of Ma'hēō'o as All-Father, is erroneous. Náho'ėhótáá'e ma'heono taa'eva. Spirits came to me last night (for example, can be said at a peyote meeting). Much less commonly 'God' is called Ma'xema'hēō'o 'the big God' (1987:216). See under ma'heono for names of some of the most important Cheyenne sacred powers. See: ma'heono; nonóma'e; -ma'heóname; he'amavé'ho'e; Nóáhe1; nésemoo'o; Háonováhe. Category: sacred, church.
ma'heón- i. sacred, holy, spiritual, medicine. Preverb ma'heóne-. Category: sacred.
-ma'heóname na. Gram: poss god, sacred power, medicine (sacred). na-ma'heóname my medicine/god. he-ma'heónamo his medicine/his god. he-ma'heónamevóho their medicine/god. IndepNoun ma'hēō'o; Variant: -ma'heónėhame. See: -vonȧhé'xa'ame; -he-ma'heóname. Category: sacred.
ma'heónasėstse voc. sacred powers. Ma'heónasėstse, néohketóxeáestséóémėse, "Tósa'e nȧhtsėhe'póotse,"néohkėhešėtanómėse; nómonėhe'še, venáhe'póotse! Sacred Powers, you (pl) go around listening, "Somewhere I will get a smoke," you (pl) are thinking; come on now, smoke! That was said while presenting a pipe to the Sacred Powers of the four directions. Plural ma'heono; IndepNoun Ma'hēō'o. Category: sacred.
-ma'heónátsestá vti. regard s.t. as sacred. É-ma'heónátsésta. He regards it as sacred. Category: sacred, cognition.
ma'heóne- pv. holy, sacred, spiritual, mysterious. This word seems to refer more to the character of the object rather than of his/its activities. For example, a man might be called a ma'heónė-hetane, 'holy-man', because he is considered to be holy or sacred, like a medicine man. It is secondary that he would do holy activities. (?? Category: sacred.
-ma'heóneaná vai. eat sacred, eat ceremonially. É-ma'heóneāna. He is eating ceremonially. fai: -aná. Category: eat, sacred.
ma'heóneéestséhetane na. preacher, prophet. Lit: holy-speaking-man See: ma'heónevé'ho'e. Category: sacred.
-ma'heóneéxo'eétahe vai. do a miracle, accomplish something spiritual. É-ma'heóneéxo'eétahe. He did a miracle. See: éxo'eétahe. Category: sacred.
ma'heóneéxo'eétȧhestȯtse vai. miracle. Lit: sacred-accomplishment Oblique ma'heóneéxo'eétȧhéstóva. Category: sacred.
-ma'heónėhame na. Gram: poss god, sacred power (poss.) Usage: probably less common than -ma'heóname Variant: -ma'heóname. Category: sacred.
ma'heónėhéstánóva obl. kingdom of God, God's sphere, God's people, holy city. Category: sacred.
ma'heónėhetane na. holy man, shaman, medicine man. for example, the Arrow priest. See: hetane ‘man’. Category: sacred, ceremonial.
-ma'heónėhetaneve vai. holy man - be a. É-ma'heónėhetaneve. He is a holy man. Category: sacred.
ma'heóneka'ėškóne na. sacred child. véhoneka'ėškóneho and ma'heóneka'ėškóneho were traditionally treated in a special way. Often they were not expected to do work as other children were. See: véhoneka'ėškóne. Category: sacred.
Ma'heónemahpe ni. Sacred Water, Medicine Water. This is the natural mineral hot springs at Thermopolis, Wyoming. Category: sacred.
Ma'heónemȧhta'sóoma na. Holy Spirit. Usage: post-missionary term Obviative Ma'heónemȧhta'sóomaho; Oblique Ma'heónemȧhta'sóomȧhēva. See: mȧhta'sóoma; Ma'heóneómotome. Category: sacred.
ma'heónemáhtáme ni. spiritual food. new word. See: máhtáme ‘food’. Category: food, sacred.
ma'heónemȧsėhao'o na. ISIS, religious fanatics. Lit: holy-crazies Category: sacred.
ma'heónemehe na. sacred buffalo cow. See: méhe. Category: animals, sacred.
ma'heónenótȧxévestȯtse ni. Christians, church. Lit: holy-society Oblique ma'heónenótȧxévėstóva. See: E'óoestaáhestȯtse. Category: sacred.
Ma'heóneómotome na. Holy Spirit. Lit: lit. holy-breath/air Usage: seems to be a new word created by missionary Petter; probably not extant today See: Ma'heónemȧhta'sóoma. Category: sacred, new.
-ma'heónėstanove vai. live a sacred life. É-ma'heónėstanove. He lives a sacred life. Tsitsistas é-ma'heónėstanoveo'o. Cheyennes live a holy life / they are a spiritual people. John Stands In Timber used to say that. fai: -éstánové. Category: live, sacred.
-ma'heónetanó vai. think in a sacred way, think spiritually, follow traditional Indian religion. É-ma'heónetāno. He is thinking in a sacred way. Mótaohkeée=tā'se = mométsėstóvo'eéhahtsėhéhetséstaéeto'senėheše-ma'heónetanȯse. (A person) goes through much difficulty when he comes to that (traditional Cheyenne) sacred way of thinking. (1987:210). Énėx=héovȧtse=hešema'heónetanoo'o, -ma'heóno'eétȧheo'o They thought in various religious ways, -- did religious ceremonies. (1987:115). See: -ma'heóno'eétahe; -ma'heóneve. Category: sacred.
ma'heóneva na. Gram: obv God, god, sacred spirit. Usage: probably more recent obviative than ma'heono Singular ma'hēō'o. Category: sacred.
-ma'heóneve vii. sacred - be. É-ma'heónévénėstse Maahótse. The Arrows are sacred.
vai. be sacred, have sacred powers. É-ma'heóneve. He/It is sacred. See: -momȧhtahe. Category: sacred.
ma'heónevestȯtse ni. godliness. Oblique ma'heónévėstóva. Category: sacred.
-ma'heóneveto vii. sacred. É-ma'heónévéto. It is magic. Móh-ma'heónevetȯhanetséhe. It was magic. [Bear Tepee:94] See: -ma'heóneve ‘be sacred’. Category: sacred.
-ma'heónevo'ót vta. call s.o. holy. É-ma'heónevo'oto. He is calling him holy. É-ma'heónevo'ótóho. He is calling him holy. (newer pronunciation). Né-ma'heónevo'otȧtse. I'm calling you holy. Category: interpersonal, speak, sacred.
-ma'heónevoo'e vai. sit in a sacred way. É-ma'heónevoo'e. He is sitting sacred.?? fai: -oe. Category: sit, sacred, check.
Ma'heónėxo'éstaenėstse vai. Gram: ppl Christ. Usage: loan translation from Greek via Petter; not used today Lit: holy-anointed.one Variant: Ma'heónȯxo'éstaánaa'ėstse. See: -xo'éstáá'e; Vo'ėstanévėstómanéhe. Category: sacred.
ma'heono na. Gram: pl Gram: obv sacred powers. Ma'heono évéeo'o. The spirits are camped (all around us). It has been claimed by some Cheyennes that this is the older "more Indian" term, compared to ma'hēō'o. Also, in terms of the obviative, this is older than Ma'heóneva which is the preferred obviative by many speakers, especially Christians, today. Vocative ma'heónasėstse; Singular ma'hēō'o. Some of the sacred powers are: nonóma'e 'thunderbird, thunder god'; ho'hamé'etane'spring (of water) god'; háa'hávėháne 'wind spirit'; and hevovetāso 'whirlwind (or tornado) spirit'. The badger, ma'háhko'e, is an important spirit with whom food, drink, and smokes should be shared. If these things are shared with him, the badger will, in turn, be merciful to the sharer, and continue to provide him with necessary sustenance. An important name for the badger spirit is Ma'háhko'e Ȯhtanevóósánėstse 'Badger Who Sees All'. The nésemóono are sacred powers that can assist their "owners". Category: sacred.
-ma'heónó'ané vai. speak sacred language, sacred speak. É-ma'heónó'áne. He is speaking the sacred language. fai: -ó'ané. See: -momȧhtȧhévó'ané. Category: ceremonial, sacred.
-ma'heóno'eétahe vai. do something sacred, sacred - do something, perform a sacred ceremony, perform magic, perform miracles; miracle - do a. can also be said of a magician. É-ma'heóno'eétahe. He did something ceremonial. tsé-ma'heóno'eétȧhese those who performed the ceremony. [1987:95] Má'ome tséxheševéese tsé'ȯhke-ma'heóno'eétaestse. Ice, as he was named, who used to do miracles. [1987:107] fai: -o'eétahe. See: -ovávo'eétahe; -éxo'eétahe. Category: do, sacred, ceremonial.
-ma'heóno'eétȧhé-tšėhešėtanó vai. think to do something sacred. É-ma'heóno'eétȧhétšėhešėtāno. He is thinking to do something sacred. Category: sacred, do.
ma'xema'hēō'o God. Usage: This word may have been in common usage in the past, perhaps in the late 1800's and early 1900's, but today only Ma'hēō'o is used. Lit: big-sacred.power See: Ma'hēō'o. Category: sacred.
Manėstóonéhe na. Maker, Creator. possible alternative name for God. Usage: not extant Category: sacred.
naa'évo'ėstane na. medicine man. Lit: doctoring-person Plural naa'évo'ėstaneo'o; Obviative naa'évo'ėstanóho. See: momȧhtȧhétane. Category: sacred.
naesetsestȯtse ni. purifying motion, blessing motion, blessing. Ques: Can this also mean blessing medicine?? Category: check. Plural naesetséstotȯtse; vai: -naesetse. Category: ceremonial, sacred.
-nȧhestohe vai. forbidden, taboo, avoided, abstained from.
vii. forbidden, taboo, avoided, abstained from. É-nȧhestohe. It is forbidden / it is taboo / He is avoided. vta: -nȧhestov. See: -nȧhestóné ‘menstruate’. Category: sacred, taboo.
-na'nóvahe vai. be three, be the trinity. É-na'nóvahe. He is three in personality. Ma'hēō'o é-na'nóvahe. God is three in personality. Category: sacred, personality, numbers.
Nemevota Rain Being. a sacred being. See: nonóma'e. Category: sacred, names.
-nésemóoname na. spirit helper (poss.) na-nésemóoname my spirit helper. he-nésemóonamo his spirit helper. NonPoss: nésemoo'o. See: -he-nésemóoname. Category: sacred, ceremonial.
névėstanevóo'e na. Gram: pl Four Directions. This is a ceremonial term for the sacred powers at the four points of the compass. The traditional words for the four directions are ceremonial words. Many speakers today do not know them. Here are the four directions as given by an elder in 2021: héséne east. sóvóne south. ónėsóvóne west. notamota north. A good number of speakers know descriptive words for east and west in 2021: éše'he tsénėxhésemé'éhnėse east (literally, where the sun appears). éše'he tsétȧhešeta'ēhnėse west (literally, where the sun sets). See: névavo'ome. Category: sacred, ceremonial, positions.
Nóáhe1 Giver, Providence, God. translation uncertain; Petter (dictionary, p. 714) glosses it as 'Munificence, personified deified Providence'; on p. 870 Petter glosses it as 'the providing deity'. Usage: archaic translation uncertain; Petter (dictionary, p. 714) glosses it as 'Munificence, personified deified Providence'; on p. 870 Petter glosses it as 'the providing deity'. Old term for a deity, recorded by Grinnell and Petter. The spelling is uncertain; it may, instead, be Nóváhe, but current evidence favors Nóáhe. It has been suggested by a Cheyenne speaker that some proper names, such as Nóává'e 'Medicine Woman' and Mo'éhenóave 'Medicine Elk', end with a suffixal form of this name--in such proper names, as with proper names with ma'hēō'o, a typical translation for -nóave is 'Medicine'. See comments under Ma'hēō'o regarding its range of meanings. See: nóa-; ma'heón; Nóává'e; Mo'éhenóave; Nóávóse; Háónóváhe; nóahešévé; ová(v)-; -ová; -votahe. Category: sacred.
nomáhtsé'héó'o na. 1 • thief. Category: people.
2 • Thief, Stealer. name of an important nésemoo'o (familiar spirit); he could help his "owner" retrieve lost horses. Category: sacred.
nonóma'e na. 1 • thunder, thunder god, battery. (another recording) (another recording) In Cheyenne cosmology thunder has been personified and considered a sacred power. It is possible that some people have translated the name of this power as 'thunderbird', as it has been written in some anthropological works on Cheyennes. Nonóma'e éamȧhtóohe. The thunder came through (thundering). Nonóma'e énéstoohe. Thunder is hollering (compare also énéstoohe Ma'hēō'o 'God is hollering' (this is what some people used to say during thunder; there was fear of the thunder). Éhoháahtóohe nonóma'e. The thunder is roaring. Nonóma'e é-pónenēne. Thunder clapped. Éma'xepónenēne nonóma'e. The thunder made a loud cracking sound. Nonóma'e énaeotse. The battery died. Phon: iah Etym: *nenemexkyiwa. See: Nemevota; ma'heono; nomá'he; -ho'ótseotse.
2 • Thunder. Category: sacred, sounds, car, names.
Nóváhe na. Medicine. This is medicine in the sense of 'sacred'. alt: Nóáhe. old term for a deity. spelling uncertain between Nóváhe and Nóáhe. Some proper names which contain the root of this noun: Mo'éhenóvave 'Medicine Elk', Nóvává'e 'Medicine Woman', Nóvávóse 'Bear Butte'. See: nóa-; ma'heón; Mo'éhenóvave; Nóvává'e; Nóvávóse. Category: sacred.
Nóvávóse ni. Bear Butte. Variant: Nóávóse. Spelling is uncertain between Nóvávóse and Nóávóse. The Nóvávóse spelling has the advantage of the first letters being parallel with Nóvává'e Medicine, but Nóávóse has the advantage of being parallel with the spelling of Nóáhe, which is an old word for Ma'hēō'o 'God'.?? See: Nóvává'e; Nóáhe1. Category: places, sacred, check.
-oestomósané vai. offer, sacrifice. as a priest. É-oestomósáne. He is offering (as a priest). Category: sacred, check.
oestónestȯtse na. offering piece, sacrifice piece. for example, cloth or food. Mótȧhésenó'otsėhóhetsenotóhe oestónėstoto É'ėxováhtóva. She went after some more sacrifices (material) in Billings. [1987:110] Plural oestónėstoto; Obviative oestónėstoto. See: oestóono. Category: sacred.
oestóonévėstoo'o ni. altar. Lit: fixed like a prayer cloth Oblique oestóonévėstóonéhéva, perhaps also oestóonévėstóva. Phon: vs Category: sacred.
-ová2 fai. ceremony, mysterious, sacred, spiritual ?? Perhaps this is no more than the abstract -ová intransitive final. tsémȧhtȯh-ovase the instructors (of a Sun Dance pledger). évóhpén-óva He is painting (especially in the Sun Dance). tséhóvaooh-ōvȧtse the one who takes the lead (when they run out of the Sun Dance lodge). cf. the following: Mo'éhenóave ?? Medicine Elk. The hand game terms in this entry refer to guessing with intuition or inner mystical power, rather than with hand game motions, for which terms the final -ohóné is used (it is uncertain whether or not the -oh of the stem of these verbs is identical to the -oh of the stem found in the hand game motion verbs, for example, -amȯhóné). Énȯsȯh-óva. He is guessing, trying to find the bone in the hand game. Éésȯh-óva. He missed in his try to find the hand game bone. Émé'ȯh-óva, He found (the hand game bone). cf. the following forms where the same spelling acts as an initial: É-ovávo'eétahe. He is doing something magical. É-ovahe. He is mysterious, mystical. Etym: cf. M awae·tok; O awesi· (N) 'spirit' (??. fai: -ová; Initial ová(v)-; vai: -ováhe. See: -ováxé ‘dream’; Nóáhe ‘Giver; Providence; God’; -ohová2 ‘play handgame’. Category: sacred, ceremonial, check.
ová-4 pv. magically, through Indian medicine. É-ováno'oesāne He is the hand game medicine man. That is, he has the power to influence the outcome of hand game guessing. fai: -ová; vai: ováhe. Category: sacred.
-ovahe3 vii. mysterious, powerful ?? É-ovahe. ?? It (or He) is mysterious. Ésáa'-ováhehane. It is not mysterious.
vai. mysterious. É-ováheo'o. They (animate)) are mysterious. Initial ováv-. See: -óvahe; -ovávo'eétahe; -ma'heóneve; -momȧhtȧhétane; hōva. Category: sacred, check.
-ováhe'étanó vai. have magical power to get a woman. for example, he has magical powers to get any woman he wants; or he gets power, for example, from fasting at Bear Butte; this power is not to be talked about openly; a taboo subject. É-ováhe'étáno. He has magical powers to get a woman. See: -ovahe; -ovávo'eétahe; -he'étanó. Category: sacred, taboo.
ováv- i. magical, wobbly, for example, of a drunk or someone with a disability. Ques: does this same initial mean both magical and wobbly?? Ques: is there both an initial and final for 'magical, mysterious'?? É-ovávo'eétahe. He is doing something magical. É-ovávéhne. He is walking wobbly. É-ovávȯhomo'he. He is staggering around. Initial ová(v)-. See: -ová. Category: sacred.
pa'ósovȯtse na. ghost, spirit, bogeyman. Ques: one elder recently translated this as blunt arrow; arrow with no point ?? Category: check. Cheyennes close window shades at night, so a pa'ósovȯtse (or méstaa'e) can't look inside. Pa'ósovȯtse éne'é'kóó'o. A spook is looking in (the window). Plural pa'ósovoto. Usage: obsolescing See: méstaa'e. Category: sacred.
-táho'ónoo'e vai. perch on, sit on. É-táho'ónoo'e He is sitting on (something). É-táho'ónoo'e méstaa'e. An owl is sitting on (for example, his house). An owl is believed to foretell a death in a house. Phon: vs Variant: -táho'kónoo'e; fai: -ónoo'e, -oe. See: -táhonoo'e. Category: sacred.
tséma'heónevėstse vai. mysterious one, shaman, sacred. Lit: the one who is sacred vai: -ma'heónéve. Category: sacred.
tsémo'ȯhtávóéstȧhtse vai. Gram: ppl Catholic. Lit: the one who is dressed in black This word referred to the priets and nuns. Plural tsémo'ȯhtávoestase; vai: mo'ȯhtávoestá. Category: sacred, check.
-tšėhešėtóné vai. create like this, build like this. É-tšėhešėtóne. This is how he made (it). tséto'sevé'še-tšėhešėtónevosėstse things they are going to used (for example, in the Sun Dance). fai: -óné3. See: -oestóné; -ma'heónėstóné. Category: sacred, ceremonial.
véhoneka'ėškóne na. chief child. This is a child of a chief. Plural véhoneka'ėškóneho. Véhoneka'ėškóneho and ma'heóneka'ėškóneho were traditionally treated in a special way. Often they were not expected to do work as other children were. See: ma'heóneka'ėškóne; ka'ėškóné. Category: sacred.
-vo'ėstanévėstómané vai. 1 • rescue. Lit: life-give É-vo'ėstanévėstómáne. He rescues people.
2 • save. in the post-missionary period used as a theological word for what Christ the Savior does. fai: -ómané. See: Vo'ėstanévėstómanéhe ‘Savior ; Rescuer’. Category: sacred.
-vonȧhé'xa'ame na. Gram: poss charm, amulet, sacred medicine, sacred object, sacred bundle, fetish, talisman. na-vonȧhé'xa'ame my charm/amulet/sacred medicine. he-vonȧhé'xa'amo his charm/amulet(s). IndepNoun vonȧhé'xa'e; Variant: -vonȧhé'xame. See: heséeo'ȯtse; vé'šeeseo'o. Category: sacred, ceremonial.
vonȧhé'xá'e ni. medicine bundle; charm, amulet, sacred medicine, sacred object, sacred bundle, fetish, talisman. The hóhkėha'éome 'Sacred Buffalo Hat (Lodge)' is one of these bundles (1987:98). A vonȧhé'xa'e is typically a sacred bundle. It is not necessarily an object worn on the body, as an amulet would be. Possessive -vonȧhé'xa'ame; Plural vonȧhé'xá'ėstse. See: vonȧhéome; Vonȧhé'e. Category: ceremonial, sacred.
-vonȧhé'xame na. Gram: poss charm, amulet, sacred medicine; sacred object. na-vonȧhé'xame my (sacred) medicine. he-vonȧhé'xamo his (sacred) medicine). Variant: -vonȧhé'a'xame. See: vé'šeesēō'o. Category: sacred, ceremonial.