Koasati

Koasati (Kowassá:ti)

Koasati or Coushatta is a Muskogean language spoken in Allen
Parish, north of Elton in Louisiana, and near Livingston in Texas.
The exact number of speakers is uncertain, but officials of the
Coushatta tribe believe that the majority of tribal members over
20 speak Koasati.

In 2007 a program to revitalize the Koasati language was started
by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana in collaboration with McNeese
State University in Louisiana and the College of William and Mary
in Virginia.

The closest languages to Koasati are Mikasuki and Alabama,
and there is apparently considerable mutually intelligibility
between Koasati and Mikasuki, though not with Alabama.

Koasati alphabet

Latin alphabet for Koasati

Sample text in Koasati

Kowassaati sapha ahitchaachit ittillokkoohilaho.
Abachokkooli atchakkit,
Ittooyat ittillokkoolit,
Ittooyat chayaalit,
Ittooyat schaffahkaasit istilkalaho.
Kowassaati aatiha kosnap.

A recording of this text

We pledge allegiance to our Coushatta flag.
Following God,
We will all stand together,
We will all walk together,
We will all stay together as one.
We are Coushatta.
(The Coushatta Pledge)

Source: http://web.wm.edu/linguistics/coushatta/pledge.php

Link

Information about the Koasati language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koasati_language
http://www.native-languages.org/koasati.htm
http://hello-oklahoma.benjaminbruce.com/koasati.htm

Koasati (Coushatta) Language Project – includes lessons and recordings
http://web.wm.edu/linguistics/coushatta/

The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
http://www.coushattatribela.org

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