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That's a tough one! I searched all the places I could think of (as you no doubt also did). Came up with nada. Are you positive about the spelling?
I tried Google, which returned mostly formal names (proper nouns) as well as some pages in Latin, French, and Spanish. Then tried Google translate with Latin, French, and Spanish. Then tried N-grams, online dictionaries, encyclopedias, etymology. Still no joy.
My best guess is it just might be a Wiyot Indian word. Unfortunately, Google Translate does not include Wiyot. Nor does Babel Fish. I did find an online source for the Wiyot language:
http://www.native-languages.org/wiyot_words.htm
but my search there also came up zilch. Short of talking to an actual Wiyot, I can't think of anything else to try. I'm stumped. Anyone else have any ideas?
Sadly, Wiyot no longer has any native speakers. Happily, the language has been well documented. There is hope. In the past, I have gone to the library of the National Museum of the American Indian to do some language research. Next week I may be able to drop by to see if there is a Wiyot dictionary that helps. There is a chance it is so culture specific that the definition is "polalte (noun): a polalte".
mbaretich said:
In a history of Humboldt county in California there is a reference to an event in the mid-19th century regarding Wiyot Indians: When on the bluff, about 400 Indians came running along the beach flashing their polaltes. Does anyone know what "polaltes" might be? Thanks!
Could you give us a better reference (specific book etc.) to the event?
Emmett
I suspect the "question" might arise, at least for My Young Padawan, about what is being "flashed." Given that it was a historical source being cited, my assumption was that "polaltes" would turn out to be a type of weapon, shield, banner, or religious symbol. Can't really imagine, given the context, what else it might be. But then, I don't speak Wiyot.
I'm hoping Glenn can find something at the National Museum of the American Indian, and eagerly await his solution to this puzzle. If it's in a book, unless it's some archaic jargon or slang, there's gotta be a definition out there somewhere.
I have no actual support for this hypothesis, but bear with me. For much of the west coast and the inland-southwestern states, the land there was "discovered" by Spanish-speakers -- for the west coast, for example, it was Juan Cabrillo. Sometimes, I believe, indigenous peoples were invaded not only by plague and overt violence, but also by language. In Spanish, polo might mean pole, and alto means high or tall. Thus, tall spears or staves might be regarded by the landing conquistadors as polos altos, which might actually be adopted by the native population and converted to something they could more readily pronounce, like polaltes. Cabrillo was not quite as genocidal as were some of his conquistador brethren, so his people lived among the natives at occasional places along the coast of California. Hence, a Spanish-influenced word may have remained among a native population that otherwise retained its own language.
That's my conjecture, anyway.
By the way, the National Museum of the American Indian was incredibly dispiriting. It's a beautiful building, with a spectacular layout, sure. But I felt the exhibits were just above high-school-level dioramas. Don't get me wrong, the curators seem to have tried to earnestly tell the myriad stories of our continent's indigenous peoples, and there are some wonderful artifacts throughout. But every level of the museum had a gift store selling crap -- and I'm not calling what the remaining indigenous tribes make "crap" per se, but just that weaving a dreamcatcher is not so much about spirituality anymore as it is about wringing profits from a devastated way of life in one of the few ways that population can escape what that devastation has wrought. Seriously, gift shops seem to take up about a third of the space in the museum (basement cafeteria excluded), and that just seems to reinforce what Native Americans have become for most Americans: "trading posts" along I-40, a perfunctory nod at Thanksgiving, and stories about Pocahontas. Since the museum is ours (Smithsonian) -- good job, us.
Many thanks to all who offered suggestions. Here's a bit more information. I found the quotation in The Sea Captain's Odyssey by Marvin Shepherd (friend of mine). It is a biography of H.H. Buhne, a pioneer in Humboldt County, California.
Marv was unsuccessful in finding the meaning of "polaltes." The full quotation in his book is: "When on the bluff about 400 Indians came running along the beach flashing their polaltes. One of the company called out to Mr. B [Buhne} to hurry down as that was a sure war sign, but upon his getting down the Indians had them surrounded; they were very friendly." The quotation did refer to Wiyot Indians. It is from History of Humboldt County by Elliot (p. 175).
Your guesses are as good as mine, probably better. Were polaltes weapons? Flags of some sort? A misspelling? Were the Wiyots mooning the seamen? Alas ...
I did a little research at the National Museum of the American Indian. Unfortunately, they did not have a Wiyot dictionary. It seems a lot of the language research material is in California. However, there was a lot of history and cultural information. There was frequent reference to obsidian knives. That is the only thing I read about that might "flash". But the books I read only discussed them with English words.
I did try to contact a Wiyot organization via email, buy no response yet.
Thanks for your help. My sense is that the Wiyots were at some distance so I'm imagining something large enough to send a clear message. However, the person who wrote this account may not have been very knowledgeable about Wiyot customs since he thought it was a "sure war sign" when it apparently was not. Well, it's a curiosity!
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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