Patwin Tʼewe at the Nest: Directions

Points of the compass

Hill Patwin
  • East — puyel — /puye·l/

  • South — worrel — /wore·l/

  • West — nomel — /nome·l/

  • North — wayel — /waye·l/

River Patwin
  • East — puye:l — /puye·l/

  • South — worre:l — /wore·l/

  • West — nome:l — /nome·l/

  • North — waye:l — /waye·l/

South Patwin
  • East — purri — /pu·ri/

  • South — worri — /wori/

  • West — nowi — /no·wi/

  • North — warri — /wa·ri/

Learn more

There are many words for the cardinal directions, depending on the exact meaning. For example, there are different words for “north”, “towards the north”, and “from the north”. There are also different words depending on how far the distance is. The words shown here for Hill Patwin and River Patwin refer to a far distance, as opposed to nearby or very far. They sound the same in Hill Patwin and River Patwin, but are spelled slightly differently. The South Patwin words shown here are the most widely attested forms for South Patwin.

The word worrtla, meaning “in the south” appears in the place name of a park in Fairfield, which was named in 2024: Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi, “Southern Rock Home of the Patwin People”.

These words are widely attested, meaning that they are found many times in the Patwin language archives: from Hill Patwin speakers Daisy Lorenzo, Harry Lorenzo, Anderson Lowell, Nora Lowell, Oscar McDaniel, Amelia Nunes, Antōn Taylor; from River Patwin speakers Sarah Gonzales and Ida Mitchum; and the South Patwin evidence comes from Platon and Napoleon Vallejo and from South Patwin speakers Jim O’Brian and Philip.

Listen

 

Oscar McDaniel says puy “east,” recorded by Donald Ultan in 1961.

 

Ida Mitchum says nome:l beh “west,” recorded by Swadesh and Melton in 1953.

See

The South Patwin words for the four directions, as they appear in Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta’s 1821 word list with speaker Samuel Capita: Puri = Oriente, Nohui = Poniente, Huori = Sur, Huari = Norte.

Sources

Capita, Samuel and Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta. “Terminos, y expressiones al Suisun de N.P. que me explico Samuel Capita =Page en 17 Enero de 1821.” In “Lecciones de Yndios.” University of California: Bancroft Library. BANC MSS C-C 63a, pp.23–24.  http://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/bancbooks/ucb/text/bancms_63a_v1.pdf

McDaniel, Oscar and Donald Ultan. The Donald Ultan Collection of Hill Patwin Sound Recordings, LA 106, California Language Archive, Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, University of California, Berkeley, http://cla.berkeley.edu/collection/10023.

Mitchum, Ida Benjamin, Morris Swadesh and Robert Melton. “California, Colusa Katsildihi Ranch, Patwin.” 1-hour audio recording of a River Patwin elicitation session with speaker Ida Benjamin Mitchum. 1953. Archived at Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music: 85-555-F, OT 7423.