Wandat: Volume One & Two are translated by Dr. Bruce L. Pearson, linguist & anthropologist, directly from our Traditional Narratives. The pronunciation of each word is not presented as a literal and definitive interpretation, but only as a guideline. As we begin to learn our language there will be variations, always remember that no one is wrong, and no one is right with their interpretation and pronunciation as long as there is similarity. It is important not to be intimidated by the unusual characters in Wandat, as Dr. Pearson has said, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Children make mistakes all the time, but they are still understood. And eventually they correct themselves when it becomes important enough to them. A living language is always undergoing change. New words are added and old words fall into disuse. People find new ways of saying things because a living language needs to grow, and it belongs to the people who use it. Jump in and have fun!”
one – skat
two – tedih
three – sehk
four – dahk
five – wis
six – waza’
seven – tsutare’
eight – a’ tere’
nine – e’ troh
ten – ahseh
eleven – skat-eskare’
twelve – tedi-teskare’
thirteen – sehk-eskare’
fourteen – dahk-eskare’
fifteen – wis-eskare’
sixteen – waza’-eskare’
seventeen – tsutare-teskare’
eighteen – a’tere-teskare’
nineteen – etro-teskare’
twenty – tedih-ewahse’
bear – a nyo nye’
beaver – tsu’tahi’
bird – yo sa hah
buffalo – tsa’tariza’i
cat – ta kus
cattle (ox, steer) – kyutohskweroh
chipmunk – u zu’ yeh
deer – u hskenoto’
dog – ya nye noh
duck – yo gye’
eagle – tsamehuhi’
fox – tsi ne’toto’
hawk – hatidehsoh
horse – yuhsateh
otter – tawideh
owl – yu’ku’
porcupine – tsi neka’
quail – sasuhkwut
rabbit – tanyonyeha’
raccoon – tukwezakweh
skunk – i’tatsi’ah
snake – kyu’gyetseh
turkey – udehtota’
turtle – gya’ wis
wolf – a’narishkwa’
ear – uhohta’
eye – yah kwe’
face – a koh sah
finger – u’gya’
foot – uhsita’
hair – ane ‘a’
hand (paw) – ya ko rehsa’
head – u nohtsi’
mouth – ya ska reh
nose – u yogya’
axe – a tu’ye’
blanket – e dikwa’
blood – u gwe’ sa’
bread – u da’tara’
door – teyada’
drum – ya’ dah kwa’
egg – utohsa’
fire – u teka’
gun – ya hara’
house – ya nohsa’
kettle – ya da ‘tsa h
pumpkin – unyohsa’
snow – dinyehta’
a great deal (a lot) – to ro to’
all right – hao’
give (power) – a’ u no t
hello (hi) – kweh
I think or want – yehe’
it’s good – ya wahsti h
much – tro di’
no (not) – a’a
now, then (still, when) – neh
say (ask) – a’ yehao
thank you – tizameh
to think (to want) – w ehe’
well! (well now!) – hoo’
yes – heh
brothers, sisters – hoteye’ aha’
chief (great one) – hekwayuwaneh
boy child – home’ tse’ ti’ ah
children – de ke’ a’
devil – dehsuruno’
father – hu’ iste’
God (almighty) – hamedisu’
little girl – yawi’ tsinoha’
old man – ha’ to’
young man – homenyehti’
man – romeh
mother – u du’ meh
small child – za’ ahah
uncle – hutenoro’
old woman – ya a’ ta yehtsih
young woman – ya winoh
woman – nomeh
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Wandat: Volume One contains 99 Wandat words. A printed guide is included, showing nasalized vowels and verbal pronunciation.
thirty – ah sehk-ewahse’
fourty – dahk-ewahse’
fifty – wis-ewahse’
sixty – wasa’-ewahse’
seventy – tsutare’-ewahse’
eighty – a’ tere’-ewahse’
ninety – etroh-ewahse’
one hundred – skat-eme’ gyaweh
one thousand – skat-sagwat
bee – tsi’ ysu’ yata’
crow – yahka’
dove – eyu’
fish – u ditsu’
frog – tside’ skya’
grouse – uhkwe’ dise’ ah
lion – yeris
mosquito – tehse’
prairie chicken – uhkwesehuzah
worm – tsi’ noma’
Cherokee – watayurunoh
Delaware – dasayane’
Potawatomi – hatoma’ tedi’
Seneca – nohseyodi
Wyandotte – wandat
black – tsehehsta’
white – dinyeh
right here – tu’ kah
when – hahsa’
much – trodi’
many – tiwa’
leader (big man) – homayuwaneh
leader (big woman) – yomayuwane
that’s all – tuha’ ra
good luck (fortune) – atra’ skwizu’ di
next day (tomorrow) – urheha’
night – yu’ rah
day – metayeh
day’s dawn (morning) – iher’ de’ ihakye’
afternoon – de wedi’ de kyehk
good – wahsti’
bad – ya wahsti’
farewell – eskoyeh
stop – tehuwa’
go away – heta’ awa’
sorry – hume’ dat
mercy – tamete’
kill – herizu’
he dances – a’ hadrawa’
she dances – a’ yadrawa’
he’s eating – ha gyaha’
she’s eating – ya gyaha’
he hunts – huneroti’
she cooks (corn) – wa’ tenyo’
he is able – a’ hada’ uraha’
she is able – a’ yada’ uraha’
he put in water – taruh
she put in water – ta yuh
he resided – de rodao’
she resides – kyo dao’
he runaway – hate’ wa’
she runaway – a’ wate’ wa’
he runs – ha take’
she runs – ya take’
he traded – a’ hatedino’
she traded – a’ watedino’
he went out – a’ hayeha’
she went out – a’ ya’ ayeha’
they danced – a’ hati drawa’
we live in – awa dare’
Mary McKee
Allen Johnson
John Kayrahoo
Catherine Johnson
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Wandat: Volume One contains 69 Wandat words, and samples of the original wax recordings made by Charles Marius Barbeau in 1911-12. A printed guide is included, showing nasalized vowels and verbal pronunciation.
Charles Marius Barbeau (1883-1969) studied originally for the priesthood at the College de Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere but eventually took a law degree at the Universite de Laval in Quebec City and then received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where he completed a degree in anthropology in 1910. In 1911 he became an assistant ethnologist, joining the noted linguist Edward Sapir in the newly established anthropological division of the Geological Survey of Canada. The fledgling anthropological division has since evolved into the Canadian Museum of Civilization, located in Hull, Quebec, across the Ottawa River from the capital, Ottawa.
Barbeau’s first assignment as an ethnologist was to collect Huron songs from an old friend of his, the Abbe Prosper Vincent this he did in April and May of 1911. In June and July of that year he collected additional ethnographic material from Mary McKee, a Wyandotte living in southern Ontario. From September 14 through November 18 he undertook field work in Northeast Oklahoma. The following year, 1912, from April 20 though August 3, he continued his field work and story collection in Oklahoma. Thus the material making up his collection is the result of slightly less than six months of linguistic work. Below, are a few samples of native Wyandotte speakers as recorded wax cylinders, as collected by Mr. Barbeau while he was in Oklahoma. Click each to listen.
Barbeau never returned to Oklahoma. His later career centered on the Northwest Coastal Indians of Canada and on French-Canadian folklore. Nonetheless, he brought his Wyandotte material together for publication in English as Huron and Wyandotte Mythology, in 1915 and probably began work on the bilingual edition of the forty stories at about the same time. However, the bilingual edition, eventually published as Huron-Wyandotte Traditional Narratives, did not appear until 1960, eleven years after his formal retirement and only nine years before his death. A French translation Mythologie huronne et wyandotte appeared in 1994, a quarter century after Barbeau’s death.
A CD containing all of the recordings are available for purchase, with the songs provided in mp3 format. The CD contains almost six hours of recordings, as recorded on the original wax cylinders. Obviously there are some areas of the recordings that are difficult to understand, but this is an essential item for any collection.
Contact Sheri Clemons at 918-678-2297 Ext. 224 for information.