tə́bu

Taos

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɤ̄bu/

Particle

tə́bu

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

Usage notes

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).

Related terms

-bu- ~ -bo-

• tə́yboʼoyą
• tə́ybobo
• túybuʼoyą

tə́-

• tə́’utho
• tə́kwitho
• tə́nąwą