What languages were spoken by Iroquois Indians?

Answer 1

The people we know today as "The Iroquois" are really six different tribes speaking different languages. Five of these are closely related to each other but certainly not the same: Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, Seneca and Cayuga. The sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, are also classed as "Iroquoian" but they originated much further south in North Carolina - they joined the other five tribes in 1722.

So there are really 6 Iroquois languages and also many others classed as Iroquoian.

These are the first five number words to illustrate the point:

English.......................Onondaga........................Seneca.......................Mohawk

one.............................sajadat............................skat............................enska

two.............................tekeni...............................tekni...........................tekeni

three...........................achso................................se-h...........................ahsen

four.............................gajeri................................kei..............................kaie:ri

five..............................wisk..................................wis..............................wisk

Answer

Every nation has its own language. (Don't confuse a nation - an ethnic group - with a state, a governmental territory.) "Iroquois" is a European attempt to represent an Indian word. It refers to both "Iroquoian languages" and a political unit, which its members called the Hodenosaunee, the "League of the Iroquois." This consisted of the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Odonaga, the Cayuga and the Seneca - and later, the Tuscarora. There were Iroquoian groups not in the League, such as the Huron.

Answer 2

The Oneida tribe speak the Oneida language, one of the family of languages known as Iroquoian; it is closely related to, but definitely not the same as, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga and Mohawk. There is no such language as "Iroquois".

For example the Oneida word for fire is o·tsísteˀ. In Cayuga it is ode:kaˀ.

The Oneida word for bear is ohkwa·lí; in Cayuga it is hnyagwai'.

The Oneida word for water is ohne·kán or ohne·kánus; in Cayuga it is ohneganohs.

Only the last of these three words clearly shows the connection between the two languages.

Oneida people today speak mainly English: a very few people still speak the native language but it is classed as endangered and may disappear soon if not preserved and protected.

Answer 3

The Huron (or Wyandot or Wendat) language is classified as "Iroquoian", meaning that it is distantly related to Erie, Petun, Susquehanna and the languages spoken by the Iroquois tribes. This does not mean that a Huron could have a conversation with a Seneca or Cayuga, for example - all three languages were entirely different.

A few examples of words in Huron and Cayuga will demonstrate this point:

English..............................Huron...............................Cayuga

sun...................................yaandeshra......................gagwagyes

fox....................................thnaintonto......................heshai

goose...............................yahhounk.........................hǫgak

man..................................airgahon...........................hǫgweh

woman..............................utchke..............................agǫgweh

moccasin...........................arghshee..........................ahdahgwaǫweh

one....................................scat..................................sgat

five....................................weeish..............................hwihs

bad....................................waughshe........................wahetgęh

otter...................................tawendeh........................jodedrǫ

Answer 4

an algonquian language
Today all wampanoags speak English however in the past there native language was Wampanoag
They spoke their native language, Wampanoag language (Massachusett). Today, they speak english.

Answer 5

Today most speak English. Historically, they spoke Massachusett language, also called Wôpanâak.

The Massachusett language is an Algonquian language of the Algic language family, formerly spoken by several peoples of eastern coastal and south-eastern Massachusetts and currently, in its revived form, in four communities of Wampanoag people.

Answer 6

Kanien'kehá:ka people, also called Mohawk people, once spoke Iroquioan languages.

Today they speak:

1. English
   
2. French
3. Kanien’kéha language (also called Mohawk, endangered with only about 3000 native speakers)

Formerly they spoke:

1. Kanien’kéha
2. Dutch
   
3. Mohawk Dutch (a dutch-based Creole from the 17th Century)
   

Answer 7

Kanien'kehá:ka people, also called Mohawk people, once spoke Iroquioan languages.

Today they speak:

1. English
   
2. Kanien’kéha language (also called Mohawk)
   
3. French
   

Formerly they spoke:

1. Kanien’kéha
2. Dutch
   
3. Mohawk Dutch (a dutch-based Creole from the 17th Century)
   

Answer 8

The Huron people, also called the Wyandot or Wendat people, speak English and French.

Historically, they spoke Wyandot. Wyandot (sometimes spelled Waⁿdat) was an Iroquoian language descended from the Wendat (Huron). It has been extinct since 1972.

Answer 9

Today most speak English. Historically, they spoke Massachusett language, also called Wôpanâak.

The Massachusett language is an Algonquian language of the Algic language family, formerly spoken by several peoples of eastern coastal and south-eastern Massachusetts and currently, in its revived form, in four communities of Wampanoag people.

Due to revitalization begun in 1993, there are now 5 native speakers, and more than 500 second-language learners.

Answer 10

The Iroquois is not one tribe but several. And there are eight to ten languages depending on how one classifies them. Cayuga, Cherokee, Huron, Mingo, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Tuscarora, and Wyandot.

from
http://mingolanguage.org/iroquoianlanguages.html