English

mouse, vole, etc.

Arapaho

1. hookúú 2. older form hookúúhu’ - Kroeber 1916) 3. nook-ookúú

Translation of the Arapaho

2. ‘little mouse’ ; 3. ‘white mouse’

 

Mice, voles, etc. and the Arapaho

The first word is used with all small, non-descript rodents.

Mice play an important role in a trickster story, involving the trickster Nih’oo3oo. The mice were having a Sun Dance, which Nih’oo3oo was curious to find out more about, thus setting in motion a series of comic events. This story is ultimately connected to the ritual of the Sun Dance itself.