We noticed that an alternative name to Kokopelli is Kokopetiyot, where the word element Koko at All About Kokopelli is thought to be cognate with the Zuni term koko meaning "god". In such a case the word element petiyot then looks like Boötes in terms of word similarity, thus, as the heavenly "god" Petiyot.
Indeed, Boötes was known in the ancient world as the "herdsman", an occupation even today portrayed in sculpture online as the herdsman (viz. shepherd) with his flute (or horn) to call the flock, later portrayed as his staff.
This correspondence of terms appears significant in view of comparable ancient Indo-European terms, e.g. in Latvian, which would seem to point to the origin of the term Boötes as "the blower" of the flute or horn to summon the herd or flock, and thus "the ancient herdsman" in this sense. The Latvian terms are:
- pūtējs "the blower" (pronounced Pootehs, arguably cognate with Boötes)
- pūst "to blow"
- pūte "breath"
- pūta "breath"
as opposed to ancient Indo-European e.g. Latvian
- elpa "(the inward, inhaled) breath", i.e. taking in oxygen
The current etymological analysis of the origin of Boötes in the Greek form Βοώτης is that it meant "herdsman" or "plowman" and originated in his heavenly role as the "ox-driver" of Ursa Major, the oxcart, thus a word conveniently alleged to derive from Greek βοῦς bous meaning “cow”, which is not really an "ox word", and which is also hardly supported in the oldest known Greek source, which is the Odyssey of Homer (we quote from the Wikipedia, omitting the footnotes):
"The name Boötes was first used by Homer in his Odyssey as a celestial reference point for navigation, described as "late-setting" or "slow to set", translated as the "Plowman". Exactly whom Boötes is supposed to represent in Greek mythology is not clear. According to one version, he was a son of Demeter, Philomenus, twin brother of Plutus, a ploughman who drove the oxen in the constellation Ursa Major. This is corroborated by the constellation's name, which itself means "ox-driver" or "herdsman." The [later] Greeks saw the asterism now called the "Big Dipper" or "Plough" as a cart with oxen. This influenced the name's etymology, derived from the Greek for "noisy" or "ox-driver". Another myth associated with Boötes tells that he invented the plow and was memorialized for his ingenuity as a constellation." [emphasis added]What is the possible connection of the ancient New World to the Old World?
Perhaps the tale of Jason and the Argonauts contains the essence of an actual ancient voyage involving land survey by the stars, a voyage made by voyagers who might so have passed their astronomical system on to the indigenous inhabitants of the lands they visited.
THIS POSTING IS Posting Number 112 of
The Great Mound, Petroglyph and Painted Rock Art Journey of Native America
Kokopelli Update as Kokopetiyot (koko-petiyot): Boötes the Herdsman with Flute or Horn as a Name Originating in the Concept of Breath and Blowing an Instrument