Oneida (Onʌyotaʼa:ka)
Oneida is a Northern Iroquoian language with about 200 speakers in
southern Ontario in Canada, and in New York state and part of Wisconsin
in the USA. The native name for the language, Onʌyotaʼa:ka,
means ‘people of the standing stone’.
The Oneida tribe was one of the original members of the Iroquois Confederacy,
or Kanonsionni (league of clans). The other member of the Confederacy
were the Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, and Onondaga. A sixth tribe, the Tuscarora,
joined the confederacy at a later date. These allies now refer to themselves
as the Haudenosaunee (people of the longhouse) or Six Nations.
Oneida alphabet and pronunciation
Notes
- Stress is marked with an acute accent (á)
- Underlined letters are pronounced voiceless (whispered)
Sample text in Oneida
Tahonatutáhkwʌʼ katiʼ wí:kaʼikʌ́
ohkwalí khaleʼ skʌhnáksʌʼ
tahyatawʌlyéhsaʌ. Nok tsiʼ elakwi né:
naʼkawhyúhatiʼ nukwá: lotukohtuhátiʼ
skʌhnáksʌ́. Tehotawʌlyehátiʼ
kaʼikʌ́ tehotkahtunyútih. Kawhyuhaktútiʼ
kwí: kaʼikʌ́ tehonatawʌlyehátih.
Source: http://www.languagegeek.com/rotinonhsonni/one_example.html
Links
Information about the Oneida people and language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneida_language
http://www.languagegeek.com/rotinonhsonni/oneida.html
Oneida animal words (illustrated)
http://www.native-languages.org/oneida_animals.htm
Official Website of the Oneida Indian Nation
http://www.oneida-nation.net
Oneida Language Revitalization Program (includes Oneida lessons)
http://language.oneidanation.org