English

coot, mud duck (American coot)

Arapaho

1. hité3ou3éí’eikohéíht ; 2. niibiiséébit

Translation of the Arapaho

1. ‘it is carried on the back of the crane’ (older word) ; 2. ‘he has worms (in his gizzard)’ (newer word)

Location

in larger ponds and lakes with muddy or marshy bottoms and edges.

 

Coots and the Arapaho

The newer name comes from the idea that this bird has worms or bugs in its throat which help it grind up or digest its food. This is the “packed bird” referred to in the Arapaho origin myth and Sun Dance story (Dorsey, p. 195). Kroeber calls the bird associated with the Sun Dance and Rabbit Lodge the “black-bird” (Traditions of the Arapaho, p. 19), and says its stuffed skin was used in these ceremonies. This seems to correspond to Dorsey’s “packed bird.” Kroeber identifies the bird in question as having the first name above, with a slight variation: <hite3ou3eiiwanahuut>= hite3ou3ei'eiwoonouhut.