[Aztlan] Totonac & Itza Maya language: "chiki"

[Gary Daniels]

The Totonac word for house is "chiki." The Itza Maya word "chiki" means
"woven basket." Are these two words related in any way? For instance, a
Totonac house would use wattle & daub construction which looks like a "woven
basket" before the mud is applied. Thus could the Itza Maya word and Totonac
word be related in this way? Did the Totonac borrow this word from the Itza
or the Itza borrow it from the Totonac?

It's also interesting that in the Hitchiti language (spoken by some of the
mound builders in the Southeastern USA) the word "chiki" also means "house."
Does anyone know of any explanations for why this is? They also used wattle
and daub construction as well as placing woven mats around the inside walls
and partitions and sleeping platforms. Thus their houses could also be
considered a "woven basket."

Does the word "chiki" mean "house" or "woven basket" in any other languages?

Thanks,
Gary C. Daniels
Publisher, LostWorlds.org
http://www.LostWorlds.org