(Smile) That's a possibility and we can watch for a similar name -- but I have an idea that there was another word probably meaning the "star that does not move" or something like that rather than a compound word. I saw the word for the north star in another Indian language and now don't remember where I saw it. It was a short word. My Aunt Phoebe told me North Star's name in Miwok and it was only two syllables with kind of a lilt in the middle, but I couldn't pronounce it much less spell it. (As Totuya said, "You no can spell what a bird sings.") If there is anyone around who still speaks Miwok, maybe we can find out. Te-le-li ===================================================== In a message dated 10/25/00 11:45:34 AM Pacific Daylight Time, syvonne@earthlink.net writes: > > The Sierra/Mariposa Miwok name for : > > "NORTH" was tamalin > > "STAR" was tealaTu (long U) > > Now we know her handle Joan, we just have to find this tamalin tealaTu :)