okanu

okanu

Wauja

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɨˈka.nu/

Preposition

okanu

1. near (someone or something)

   Punupa, opawa inyaun wi, aitsa iya okanu wi.

   You see, the others did not go near [her]. [They didn't get close enough to uncover her disguise].

Adverb

okanu

1. near, nearby (at or to a short distance away relative to someone or something)

   Aitsa kawakapai. Okanupai.

   It's not far away. It's nearby.

Antonyms

• kawaka (“far”)

Derived terms

• okanupai (“is/are far away”)

References

• "Punupa, opawa" uttered by Itsautaku, storyteller and elder, recounting the traditional Wauja tale of the "Man Who Drowned in Honey," in the presence of his adolescent son Mayuri, adult daughter Mukura, and others. Recorded in Piyulaga village by E. Ireland, December 1989, transcript p. 3. In this part of the story, a bold young woman, under cover of darkness, disguises herself as a man in order to play the sacred flutes, a sacrilegious act strictly forbidden to women.
• Other examples from E. Ireland field notes. Need to be checked by native speaker.