Animals
The Owens Valley is full of creatures, and OVP names them richly. Many of these names also carry little stories: a dog is a "coyote-pet," a fox is "coyote's little brother." Animal nouns behave like any other noun in a sentence, taking the same subject and object suffixes.
Four-legged animals
| OVP | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| tühidda | deer | general term |
| pahabichi | bear | |
| ishagwanga' | fox | literally "coyote's little brother" |
| kammü | jackrabbit | black-tailed jackrabbit |
| tabuu'tsi' | cottontail rabbit | literally "our little uncle" |
| ishabugu | dog | literally "coyote-pet" |
| puggu | horse | also "pet animal" |
Birds
| OVP | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| tsiidoopi' | bird | general term |
| kwi'naa' | eagle | golden or bald eagle |
| suugu | robin | |
| hpishiguuddu | hummingbird | |
| azabana | woodpecker | a flicker species |
Fish and water animals
| OVP | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| pagwi | fish | general term |
| siadakanii' | chub fish | |
| mukusuu | Owens sucker fish | native to the Owens Valley |
| tüzibagwa | carp | |
| sigibagwi | flat fish | wide-bodied fish |
Snakes and reptiles
| OVP | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| togowa | rattlesnake | |
| pasugu | water snake | also a general term for snake |
| patogo | black water snake | lives in water |
| togogwaddainubü | king snake | literally "rattlesnake's in-law" |
| wükada | bird snake |
Names that are really kinship
One of the most charming things about OVP animal words is how many of them describe the creature's relationship to people or to other animals. This is a reminder that, in OVP culture, kinship reaches beyond the human family.
ishabugu ("dog") joins isha' (coyote) with -bugu (related to puggu, "pet"). A dog is a domesticated relative of the coyote. (There's also toogü', borrowed from English "dog,".)
ishagwanga' ("fox") uses the kinship term gwanga' (younger brother): the fox is the coyote's smaller sibling.
tabuu'tsi' ("cottontail") literally means "our little uncle" — built from puu' (maternal uncle) with the affectionate -tsi' ("little"). See Family and Relatives for that suffix.
The everyday word for bear is pahabichi, but in traditional stories you'll hear ta-bahwa ("our aunt") reflecting a special, familial regard for bears.
togogwaddainubü ("king snake") means "rattlesnake's in-law."
A few animal words arrived from other languages: kabaayu' (horse) from Spanish caballo, and toogü' (dog) from English "dog." Borrowings like these trace the history of contact in the valley.
mukusuu (Owens sucker fish) can double as an insult. Use with care.
Animal actions
The dictionary also holds a set of verbs for the things animals do:
| OVP | English |
|---|---|
| nuyuha | to slither (like a snake) |
| wazatsagi | to howl (like a dog or coyote) |
| yaga | to make an animal sound |
| kütsadangi | to shake something by biting (as a dog does) |
| kasabayaa | to spread the wings (of a bird) |
| pikuuzaya | to kick up the back legs (of a horse) |
| pagwiga | to fish, to gather fish |
| pabatahabi | to swim |
Animals in sentences
Animal nouns take the same suffixes as any noun (see Nouns). As a subject they need -ii / -uu. As an object they need -neika / -noka plus an object prefix on the verb.
Ishabugu-ii tüka-ti → "The dog (nearby) is eating."
Isha'-ii pagwi-neika a-düka-ti → "The coyote is eating the fish."