Native Languages of the Americas

Q: Ok I have another Arawak question. There is a breed of dog called the Arubian Cunucu. Apparently this kind of dog was bred by Arawak people in the Caribbean Islands and the name Cunucu is supp...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-arawakan-meaning-of-cunucu.html

We are currently developing a new worksheet series, Members of the Family. For this project, we will need pictures of faces for a family tree-- so we are putting a call out for Native artists int...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2021/10/interested-in-using-your-artistic.html

Q: Thank you for your page about the Blackfoot alphabet . But I only see letters on the chart, not numbers. How do you write numbers in Blackfoot? A:Using Arabic numerals, the same way English d...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2021/10/blackfoot-numerals.html

 Q: On Wikipedia, it says that the Cuban word "guajiro" (which means a campesino or farmer and is the name of a certain style of Latin music) comes from an Arawak word meaning "lord" or "powerfu...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-arawakan-meaning-of-guajiro.html

Q: My mother comes from the Cahuilla tribe and I am expecting my first child, I would like to know the word for "grandmother" for my son or daughter to call her. A: Congratulations! The answer ...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2021/08/cahuilla-for-grandmother.html

Q: Do you recognize the (Penobscot?) word Kiwa’kwe, documented by Frank G. Speck? It was the name of a game children played about a man-eating ogre, and, I understand, the ogre's name. A: Yes...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2021/07/q-do-you-recognize-penobscot-word.html

Q: On your website you give the Mohawk word for "bear" as Ohkwa:ri. On another website it says the word is spelled Ohkwá:ri with an accent mark. Which is the right way for me to spell it and why...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2020/09/mohawk-diacritical-marks.html

Q:  I was looking up an article about an indigenous activist who was killed last year, Paulo Guajajara. On the website I saw two other people, a politician (Sonia Guajajara) and an artist (Jahy ...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2020/05/guajajara-last-names.html

  Q: I was told that the word "terrapin" means "good to eat" in Native American, but I can't find it again. Do you know what language this comes from? A: "Terrapin" was borrowed into English ...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2019/04/terrapins.html

Q: I am looking for information about the Lakashi tribe and it isn't on your page of Brazil Indians. A: That's because there is no Lakashi tribe in Brazil. It was made up by a white author who h...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2019/04/lakashi-tribe-of-brazil.html

Q: Does the name "Gullah" come from the Guale tribe, do they have Native American blood? Is the Geeche Gullah language mixed with Native American? A: No, the Gullah are African-American people, ...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-gullah-geechee-and-guale.html

Q: How do you pronounce "Acaxee?" A: GOOD QUESTION. UNFORTUNATELY, THE ANSWER IS NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE. THE ACAXEE LANGUAGE HAS NOT BEEN SPOKEN SINCE THE 1600'S, AND THE ONE JESUIT GRAMMAR OF TH...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2018/04/pronunciation-of-acaxee.html

Q: In the section:  How is the Abenaki tribe organized? in the final sentence, it reads "The leader or chief of each Abenaki band is called sagama or sag8mo in their language." I’m...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-letter-8.html

Q: I was on the museum website and I saw striped sticks of the Amahuaca tribe which were called "wife-beating sticks." What is that about? Why are they beating their wives? A: I had to ask a fri...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2016/03/amahuaca-wife-beating-sticks.html

Q: What is the meaning and language of the word gvlieliga? A:  It's Cherokee. It's a polite comment similar to the English phrase "you're welcome"-- something you say in response to "thank you....

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2016/02/gvlieliga.html

Q: Hello. Not sure if I have the right person. But I was wondering how you say grandmother,  Nana in Pennacook. Thank you A:  Unfortunately the Pennacook language was never recorded. They m...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2016/01/pennacook-language.html

Q: Hello I'm learning to speak Muskogee. I'm trying to get back with my culture. I was wondering how you say "I love you" in Muskogee? Mvto! A:  Hesci! "I love you" is "Ecenokecvyēt os" (prono...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/12/muskogee-words.html

Q: I read that according to Inuit legends, the first people of Nunavut, who lived there before the Inuit, were giants. Do you know whether there is any truth to this legend-- could prehistoric pe...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/11/inuit-giants.html

Q: I would like to know whether Gitche Gumee is a true Ojibwa name and if the popularly accepted translation is accurate. A:  Thank you for writing. Yes, that is the Ojibwe name for Lake Super...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/11/q-i-would-like-to-know-whether-gitche.html

Q: Hi, on your Blackfoot vocabulary page you said the Blackfoot word for "wolf" is Omahkapi'si. But on another site I saw it is Makoyi. Which is correct? A:  They both are correct. Omahkapi'si...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/10/blackfoot-word-for-wolf.html

Q: I found the Apache word "Ts'iłsǫǫsé" which I would like to know how to pronounce. Using your online guide, I can figure out the "ts" and the "ł" but I still am a little confused by the "�...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/09/os-with-nasal-hooks.html

Q: An old Sauk woman told us that Black Hawk's name was mistranslated into English and should really be  He-Who-Walks-In-The-Shadow-Of-The-Hawk or Shadow Hawk. My  question is: how do I properl...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/09/black-hawk.html

Q: Can you please tell me how to say "Congratulations!" in the Hopi tongue? A:  Interestingly, our Hopi speakers agree that there is no real translation for "congratulations" in Hopi. It just ...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/09/hopi-congratulations.html

Q: Hello. I hate to bother you, but before reading your website, I never realized that some Native American names could be offensive, so I was wondering if you could clarify what sort of names o...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/08/names-that-could-be-offensive.html

Q: Hello! I found your website. My fiance is in love with the word Nihzoni.  Is this a name suitable for a baby boy? A:  Thanks for writing. Yes-- you have the spelling slightly off, it is r...

http://native-languages.blogspot.com/2015/06/nihzoni.html