NBA Basketball in Arapaho

 

 

 

How would you say the names of all the NBA basketball teams in Arapaho?

 

A current project is to get footage of a basketball game, have it announced in Arapaho for a few minutes, and put this on YouTube. Part of doing that is having the team nicknames in Arapaho. So here are some suggestions, from Dr. Andrew Cowell, University of Colorado. Note that these suggestions still need to be checked with fluent speakers, so this is just a "draft" page, to show that the project can be done. The literal meaning of the Arapaho terms is given in parentheses:

 

Niitne'iseet = West


Boh'ooo = Oklahoma City ('thunder')
Boooneee3i' = Portland ('they make the trail')
Hooxeihino' = Minnesota ('wolves')
Be'bei'ci3ei'i = Denver ('gold pieces')
Niibei'ikuu3oot = Utah ('music-playing')
To'se3oono = San Antonio ('spurs')
Niihcih'ohuunou'u = Houston ('they fly upwards')
Nonookunesee3i' = Memphis ('grizzlies')
Hiinonooxebii = Dallas ('wild horses')
Heniiniibsicei3i' New Orleans ('pelicans')
Hecesi3iiwono = Los Angeles ('fast ships')
Notikoniihiiho' Golden State ('warriors')
Hiisiisii Phoenix = ('suns')
Neeceeno' = Sacramento ('kings')
Ni'eciinenno' = Los Angeles ('lake men')

 

Cenohu' = East

 

Heeyeino' = Toronto ('hawks')
Wonohnooceisei'i = Brooklyn ('nets')
Niibexo'ohnee3i' = New York ('they wear wooden shoes') [i.e. Dutch people, Knickerbockers]
Yeneinkooti'i Boston = ('they have four leaves') [reference to four-leaf clover]
Notoonoo3eihiiho' = Philadelphia ('defenders, resisters') [i.e. patriots, 76ers]
Sitee = Miami ('fire')
Hixoyooniiheihiiho' = Washington ('charmers/magicians')
To'uu3eebexookeeno' = Charlotte ('bobcats')
Heeyeino' = Atlanta ('hawks')
Biinonkuu3oot = Orlando ('magic')
Seeseisinohu3i' = Indiana ('they [horses] are trotting, pacing')
Hooxeehino' = Chicago ('bulls')
Heeteibeniiinenno' = Cleveland ('old time soldiers')
Hee3kuu3eihiiho' = Detroit ('pushers of things')
Neeceesebii = Milwaukee ('buck deer')