[Aztlan] Southeastern US/Mesoamerican language contacts

[Robert Hall]

     The difficulty in assessing Southeastern-Mesoamerican contacts is that they are distributed over several thousand years. I see no reason to believe that Muskogean languages and their carriers originated outside of the eastern United States, despite traditions that may be interpreted to the contrary. 
     Selu and Tawiskala present different problems. Selu has an occurrence limited to Cherokee, i.e. Southern Iroquioian. Tawiskala has cognates in northern Iroquoian --- Five Nations Iroquois --- as well (Mooney 1982:453). Furthermore, Tawiskala 'Flint, Ice' is featured in myths where he is in constant conflict with Rabbit. This brings to mind the opposition of Flint and Rabbit in the Mesoamerican sacred 260-day year. These days are 10 days apart in the list of 20 day names and thus opposed in the manner of (sky associated) Rain and (earth associated) Water, or Death and Vulture (a carrion eater seeming immune to death). or Eagle and Snake, as in the Mexica origin story. Half-way through a 52 haab cycle any winal day associated with Rabbit, for instance, becomes associated with Flint instead. Half-way through a 1508 haab solar drift cycle any winal day associated with Rabbit becomes associated with Flint instead. Half-way through a 3276
 haab Tuxtla cycle any winal day associated with Rabbit becomes associated with Flint instead. 
      Bob Hall.