2025 O’otham Distances Near and Far

Submitted by

Huhugam Heritage Center

Ever wonder why O’otham point with their heads, and lips?  For that possibility, we will have to take a giant leap backward in time, before modern conveniences.  Imagine mom sitting under the va’tho weaving her basket. She instructed her daughter to bring more cattail for her weaving. “Him ko ‘e bekai heg uḍvak vuḍa, thoakam amai.” (Go bring another bundle of cattail and set it down there.) As she instructed her daughter, she did not want to release tension from her hands in weaving the basket to point, so she had used her head and lips to point.  She most likely, held a splint of devil’s claw in her mouth, in preparation for the next stitch.

If we examine the distance more closely, we see that she said “amai” (there) away from her.  If she wanted the bundle of cattail close to her would have said “i:ya” (close by).  So, now we read that “i:ya” means (close by) and “amai” means (there), away from an O’otham at a distance.  Another form of close is “mia” (near, next to). If mom had wanted the bundle of cattail right next to her, she would have instructed her daughter “Pt ‘o ñmiabithk thaiwañ.” (Set it down next to me.)

These are three examples of (there, close by and next to) and can still be spoken today.  Now, we will come back forward to our present time.  Did you ever have to ‘dispatch’ an intrusive ‘critter’ in your house?  Back in the day, when we lived in our sandwich style home, it was not uncommon to find certain ‘critters’ inside our home.  After we had dispatched a large scorpion, we were instructed by mom, “M gu hu bekai heg nakshel koli thap!” (Take the scorpion over there to the fence!).  We read that “gu hu” means (at a greater distance) away from a place. In that case “gu hu” was the distance from the house to the fence, which was about fifty-yards.

Another time, a ko’i (rattlesnake) had crawled behind our firewood box. Once again, we had dispatched ko’i, before we removed the carcass from the house. Grandma had instructed us, “Gam g hu ‘ia’wua ko’i shai thap!” (Throw away the rattler way over there into the bushes!) In that case, we had left our yard entirely and took the dispatched ko’i into the desert at a great distance from our house. We read that “gam g hu” means far away. In that instance “gam g hu” meant a quarter-mile walk into the desert. 

In this last example of “at a great distance,” one of our cousins had attended boarding school at Sherman near Riverside, California. The grownups often spoke of him and said, “Gaḍ hu mamshchamtham Wesley, Mondelai thap.” (Far away, out of sight, Wesley is attending school in California). We have read about distances that separates an O’otham from objects and persons from near, far, and far away in the distance out of sight.  These are only a few examples of distances.  

Practice saying these phrases in your everyday lives. Speak with an Elder or Speaker and see what other phrases for distances are possible. Phrases may be slightly different between the villages. The word search will challenge your memory of distances in O’otham.

A special Thank You to Community Elders for sharing their knowledge of O’otham Ñeo’ok which made this article possible.