tə́bu

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Taos

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Etymology

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From tə́- (?) + -bu (“east”?). Cognate with Picuris tə́pu-pa.

Pronunciation

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Particle

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tə́bu

  1. direction of the mountain Taos Peak (which is in the northeast)
  2. east (true east)

Usage notes

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This word is said in response to the question hípiw yę́hųpiw “Which way is it?”. tə́bu has two meanings: in ceremonial speech, the first utterance of tə́bu means in the direction of Taos Peak (a.k.a. Wheeler Peak) but in the last utterance, when one comes back to the east, tə́bu means “true east” (i.e. where the sun rises).

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-bu- ~ -bo-

tə́-