The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-10-24


regarding the word idaho its orr
gin, meaning and the manner IN
which ii came to be applied. Other
writer's have expressed opinions and
published their knowledge concern
ing this word or name, creating rather
an extensive Literature on the subject;
while both the wise and the otherwise
have guessed at its meaning. My OBJ
iect in this article is to endeaVor TO
assemble this information and offer
an explanation of the word from the
light of other facts perhaps not yet
known and at any rate not yet pup
lished. These, it seems to me, VIII
give fairly good Interpretation OF
the word
Idaho" has been so nicely explain
ed and elaborated so profusely by the
poetical and idealist, that ldahoans
feel proud of a name which slgnlhes
such a noble and expressive thought
as the Gem of the Mountains ana
whatever the word may have origin
ally meant, this is its meaning to us
now, and one not to be now molested.
1t is not my wish or purpose in this
article to disturb this meaning nor to
detract one iota from its inspiring
sentiment, but simply to offer a YER
sion of the matter, for historys sake,
from my knowledge of the Shoshonl
Indian language, gained by forty
years residence near the Lemhis, one
division of the Shoshon tribe and
among whom | was Indian trader for
fifteen years.
idaho is a Shoshoni Indian excla-
nation. The expression from which
the word is derived is heard repeated
as often perhaps, in a Shoshoni In
dian camp, in the early part of the
morning, as Is heard the English eX-
preston, ITS sun up" repeated in
the home following the early dawn.
The word is contracted from a mean
ing which requires much writing to
correctly express in English. Those
who are used to translatlng IAN
guages readily understand the diff
culties of this labor, which at times
becomes almost an impossible task.
The word Idaho" consists of three
component parts, each of which must
be analysed to correctly understand
it's derivation and the idea thereby
conveyed The first is ZEE" which in
English conveys the idea of coming
down" This syllable is the basis of
such Shoshoni words as mean rain
ing" showing etc, which words
when properly translated would be,
water coming down." ''snow coming
down." etc. The second syllable is
"Dah," which is the Shoshoni stem or
root for both "sun" and mountain,
the one being as eternal and eVerlast
ing to the Indian mind as is the 9TH
err. The third syllable, How" de-
notes the exclamation and stands for
Just the same thing in Indian as the
exclamation mark @ does in the
English language. The Shoshoni word
is De dab how" and the Indian
thought thus conveyed when literally
translated into English means, Be
Eold the sun coming down the noun
tain"
The mere word does not indicate
much, for it is composed of simple
sylables, the significance of which
requires pages of written English to
correctly convey the idea which this
exclamation suggests to the aborigin-
al mind. Everyone who has lived In
mountainous country has observed
at sunrise the rim of sunlight coming
down the mountainside, as the sun
was rising in the opposite direction,
This is the Shoshonl ZEE dab how
1t can only occur in and among the
mountains which is represented by
the English thought. "the lofty
mountains upon which the morning
breaks" Also it can occur only at
those times when the atmosphere is
still, clear and bright, elements pro-
ducing that invigorating and exhilar-
ating feeling which only high noun
famous countries possess.
In the Imagination this sunlight on
the mountainside can be interpreted
to mean Sunshine Mountain" or
Shining Mountain" and the rim of
sunlight can also represent the "Dia-
dem of the Mountain" while pc
Culiar sunlit peak could be imagined
Sun Crowned Peak" or a brilliant
display of sunlight upon a snow-cap-
ped mountain where the rays of sun
shine are refracted into their natural
colors may convey to us the thought
or image of the Gem of the Noun"
tains''; but when the word is uttered
in Shoshoni Indian camp, at early
dawn, the nearer knows that rim
of sunlight is coming down the noun
tainside as the sun is rising in the
opposite direction, and that it is time
for him to be up and at the labors of
the day just as much so as person
hearing the English expression, ITS
sun up" knows that the sun has risen
in the sky and he should be up and at
work.
The idea conveyed by ZEE dahl
how" may be a kind of sun worship
as contended by some, but it appears
al,