Many Cypher graph-specific queries operate over data within the metamodel of the property graph schema in the database. Cypher is a query language specifically designed for querying graph databases, and it allows you to express graph-oriented queries such as finding shortest paths, traversing relationships, and performing graph pattern matching.

When you have a property graph schema mapping to a relational schema in a relational database and access to the metamodel data of the relational schema, you can indeed perform traditionally graph-specific queries over a relational database. By leveraging the metamodel data, which describes the structure and relationships of the tables in the relational schema, you can formulate graph-oriented queries using SQL or other relational query languages.

For example, to find the shortest path between two nodes in a graph represented in a relational database, you can use SQL constructs like recursive common table expressions (CTEs) or recursive queries to traverse the relationships and calculate the shortest path. By utilizing the relationships defined in the metamodel, you can mimic the graph traversal behavior and achieve similar results as you would with a native graph database.