Re: onomatopoetic animal sounds

Roger Mills wrote:

> Matt Pearson wrote:
> If so, then perhaps the Tokana could
> >have acquired cats (and even pigs or horses) from East Asia.  But somehow I
> >don't think that's really feasible.  I can't think of any economic benefit
> the
> >East Asian traders might have had in bringing cats or pigs or horses on the
> long
> >boat journey along the northern Pacific rim.
>
> Unless I'm mistaken, the Polynesians managed to include pigs on their
> voyages of settlement.
Yes of course, but those were, as you say, voyages of settlement, not trade.
Somehow I can't see the East Asians loading up their ships with pigs or horses
or whatever and sailing over to trade them to the Tokana.  Being a
non-agricultural people who live quite well from fishing, hunting, and gathering
wild plants and animals, I don't imagine the Tokana have much of a demand for
pigs and horses.

Matt.