Q: Upon reading an entry on the internet concerning American General George Crook, I saw his Native American scouts who were of the Apache nation, nicknamed him Natan lupan which was translated as Grey Wolf. You will be aware the Latin for wolf is lupus, I find it strange that two races, 1,000 years and 5,000 miles apart should use the same name for the wolf without apparent contact.
I would be grateful for your opinion!
A: Thanks for writing. No, the Apache word for "wolf" is not "lupan," it is ba'cho. George Crook's nickname usually seems to be spelled "Nantan Lupan," at least online. Nantan means "chief" or
"leader" in Apache; if "Lupan" meant "wolf" then that part of his name must have come from
Spanish, which was widely used in the Southwest in the 1800's (many
famous Apache people also have nicknames with Spanish origins, including
Geronimo and Mangas Coloradas.) The usual Spanish word for "wolf" is
"lobo," but more Latinate forms like Lupe and Lupán are still used in
proper names.
Hope that helps, have a good day!
Native Languages of the Americas
Further reading:
Apache language
Apache pronunciation
Apache Indians
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about this for years, after seeing that Geronimo film, in which Gene Hackman plays Crook, the "Nantan Lupan". In my native Romanian the word for wolf is "lup" so it immediately struck me as odd. Your explanation makes perfect sense.
-Adrian Turcu
I think it's more problably the word lupan comes from the french language as the name of any tribes like Apache, Comanche and Sioux. In french the word for Wolf is Loup.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it could also be French-- but Spanish was much more widely spoken in Arizona and is the likelier source. I don't think many Apache people in the 1800's spoke French, but some did speak Spanish.
DeleteThanks for this! The movie Geronimo led me here as well. Watched it yesterday and had the same question. The internet is a double-edged sword but you can’t beat it for finding answers to obscure questions.
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