Talk:nidaashchʼąąʼígíí

Root
Why is "painting" the root of the word for this word, meaning "color"? 71.66.97.228 03:52, 30 November 2010 (UTC)


 * Why not? —Stephen (Talk) 04:59, 30 November 2010 (UTC)

Because to me it should logically be the other way around: "painting" should derive from "color." A painting is a complex assemblage of colors and the colors come first, and exist in nature, whereas the painting is created by humans. By the way, does the "painting" referred to here refer to sand painting, or some other kind of painting? In traditional Navajo culture I'm only familiar with sand painting. 71.66.97.228 20:41, 30 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I don’t see the logic. The English word color originally came from a PIE word meaning to cover. I don’t think PIE had a term for paint (paint comes from a PIE word meaning to cut), otherwise our word for color probably would have evolved from that. The Navajo word means painting, whether by drawing with colored sands or with colored inks or dyes. —Stephen (Talk) 21:08, 30 November 2010 (UTC)