Native American Language Net: Preserving and promoting First Nations/American Indian languages

Native American Language Net: Preserving and promoting First Nations/American Indian languages
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Native Languages of the Americas:
Preserving and promoting American Indian languages
Welcome to Native Languages of the Americas! We are a small
non-profit organization
dedicated to the survival of Native American languages, particularly through the use of Internet technology.
Our website is not beautiful. Probably, it never will be. But this site has inner beauty, for it is, or will be, a compendium of
online materials about more than 800 indigenous languages of the Western Hemisphere and the people that speak them.
Sponsored Links
Native Languages of the Americas Online Resources
Alphabetical master list of Native American languages
, with links to specific information about each language and its native speakers.
Linguistic
family groupings
showing the relationships between Amerindian languages.
Vocabulary lists
in various American Indian languages.
Native American language learning worksheets
including picture dictionaries, parts of the body, and pronunciation guides.
List of
Native American cultures
featured on our site.
Geographical index of Native American tribes
grouped by
continent, country, and state or province.
Maps of
Native American culture areas
of the
Western Hemisphere.
Kids Menu
of Native American information presented for younger readers.
List of
Native American books
and other resources by and about American Indians.
Online collection of
Native American myths and legends
from several tribes.
Links to
general American Indian language resources
available online.
NOTE
Some of the links we provide are more useful than others. We are not responsible for the
content of any of the external sites we link to. We have tried to provide the most complete directory
of Native American Indian language materials available. If a link is dead, or you have one to add, or if
there is a mistake on our site you would like to correct, information you would like us to
add, or admiration you wish to express, here is our
contact page
, also
with answers to frequently asked questions. If you are looking for
Orrin's homepage
we moved it from here to give more prominence to the Native American language pages.
Why aren't there any links about how American Indian languages
are descended from Ancient Egyptian?
See our new page explaining the truth behind some of
the incorrect "theories" floating around the web about Native American languages, cultures, and history.
Feel free to link to this site or to any of the pages in it. Also, you have our permission to cite this information or pass it on
to others in any way that would be useful. Our goal is to make it easier to learn about, preserve, and
revive Native American languages by using the Internet. This is a public service on our part. All the information about American Indians
and American Indian languages was written by Orrin Lewis, Laura Redish, or our friend Nancy Sherman, who has kindly agreed to let us use
them. We make every possible effort to honor any request from Indian tribes and nations regarding the information we have provided about
them, and we will listen carefully to requests from other people as well.
Thank you for your interest in Native American languages.
Laura Redish, Director
Orrin Lewis, Tribal Coordinator
Native American
Language Families
Act
ually, Native American languages do not belong to a single Amerindian family, but 25-30 small ones; they are usually discussed together
because of the small numbers of natives speaking most of these languages and how little is known about many of them. There are around 25
million native speakers of the more than 800 surviving Amerind languages. The vast majority of these speakers live in Central and South
America, where language use is vigorous. In Canada and the United States, only about half a million native speakers of an Amerind tongue
remain.
Click on a language family to see a linguistic tree of that family and links about the group. Click on a language name to see a description and
links about that language, as well as information about the American Indian people who speak
it
Algonquian Languages (Algic, Algonkian)
Abenaki-Penobscot
Algonquin
Arapaho
Atikamekw (Tête-de-Boule)
Blackfoot
Cheyenne
Cree
Etchemin
Gros Ventre-Atsina
Kickapoo
Lenape Delaware
Loup A/B
Lumbee (Croatan, Pamlico)
Mahican (Mohican)
Maliseet-Passamaquoddy
Menomini
Mesquakie-Sauk (Sac and Fox)
Miami-Illinois
Michif (Métis)
Mi'kmaq (Micmac)
Mohegan-Pequot)
Montagnais Innu
Munsee Delaware
Nanticoke
Narragansett
Naskapi Innu
Ojibwe (
Chippewa,
Ottawa)
Potawatomi
Powhatan
Shawnee
Wampanoag
Wiyot
Yurok
possibly
Beothuk (Red Indian)
Arawakan Languages
Arawak
Ashaninka
Garifuna
Taino
Timucua
Athabaskan Languages (Na-Dene)
Ahtna
Apache
Beaver
Carrier
Chilcotin
Chipewyan
Gwichin
Haida
Hupa
Kaska
Navajo
Slavey
Tlingit
Caddoan Languages
Arikara
Caddo
Pawnee
Cariban Languages
Arara
Carib
Macushi
Chibchan Languages
Arhuaco (Ika)
Bribri
Cofan
Chibcha
Cuna (Kuna)
Eskimo-Aleut Languages
Aleut
Alutiiq
Inuktitut
Gulf Languages
Atakapa
Chitimacha
Natchez
Hokan Languages
Chimariko
Chumash
Havasupai
Karuk
Kashaya
Mohave
Pomo
Yuma-Quechan
Iroquoian Languages
Cayuga
Cherokee (Tsalagi)
Huron-Wyandot
Mohawk,
Oneida
Onondaga
Seneca
Susquehannock
Tuscarora
Kiowa-Tanoan Languages
Kiowa
Tewa
Tiwa
Towa
Macro-Ge Languages
Bororo
Xavante
Mayan Languages
Acatec
Achi
Ch'ol
Itza
Yucatec Maya
Muskogean Languages
Alabama
Apalachee
Chickasaw
Choctaw
Coushatta
Miccosukee
Muscogee
Oto-Manguean Languages
Amuzgo
Zapotec
Panoan
Capanahua
Mayoruna
Penutian Languages
Alsea
Cathlamet
Chinook
Chinook Jargon
Coos
Klamath
Maidu
Miwok
Nez Perce
Nisgaa
Ohlone
Tsimshian
Wintu
Yakama
Yokuts
Salishan Languages
Bella Coola
Chehalis
Coeur d'Alene
Cowichan
Cowlitz
Flathead Salish
Lillooet
Quinault
Saanich
Skagit-Snohomish
Squamish
Siouan Languages
Assiniboine
Biloxi
Catawba
Crow
Dakota-Lakota
Hidatsa
Hochunk
Kansa
Mandan
Omaha-Ponca
Osage
Otoe
Quapaw
Tucanoan Languages
Orejon
Tupian Languages
Guarani
Uto-Aztecan Languages
Cahuilla
Chemehuevi
Cocopah
Comanche
Diegueno
Gabrielino-Tongva
Hopi
Huichol
Juaneno
Luiseno
Nahuatl (Aztec)
Paiute
Papago-Pima
Shoshone
Tarahumara
Ute
Yaqui
Wakashan Languages
Bella Bella
Haisla
Kwakiutl
Makah
Nootka
Other North American Indian Languages
Cayuse
Keres
Kootenay
Plains Indian Sign Language
Tonkawa
Yuchi
Zuni
Other Central American Indian Languages
Mixe-Zoque
Misumalpan
Totonacan
Other South American Indian Languages
Alacalufan
Arawan
Arutani-Sape
Aymara
Barbacoan
Cahuapanan
Chapacuran
Chocoan
Chon
Guaicuruan
Guahiboan
Harakmbet
Katukinan
Jivaroan
Lule-Vilelan
Makú
Mascoian
Matacoan
Mura
Nambiquaran
Quechua
Saliban
Uru-Chipayan
Witotoan
Yaguan
Yanomam
Zamucoan
Zaparoan
Sponsored Links
Recommended Books
about Native American Languages
(Affiliate links courtesy of Amazon.com)
The Languages of Native North America
The Amazonian Languages
The Languages of the Andes
The Mesoamerican Indian Languages
Comprehensive Native American linguistic references from the Cambridge Language Surveys.
American Indian Languages: Cultural and Social Contexts
A good introduction to the diversity of indigenous languages of North, Central, and South America.
O Brave New Words!
Interesting book about English loanwords that come from Native American languages.
Native American Placenames of the United States
Well-researched encyclopedia of American place names and their Indian language etymologies.
Native American Language Ideologies: Beliefs, Practices, and Struggles in Indian Country
Collection of essays on Native American language communities, sociolinguistics, and tribal language preservation today.
Telling Stories in the Face of Danger: Language Renewal in Native American Communities
Book about Native American language revival, storytelling, and cultural tradition.
Syntax and Semantics: Native American Languages
Linguistic text surveying the grammar of Amerindian languages.
Born in the Blood: On Native American Translation
Fascinating book about the complications and perils of Native American language translations.
Flutes of Fire: Essays on California Indian Languages
Excellent collection of materials about Native American language loss, history, and revitalization in California.
Crossing Mountains: Native American Language Education in Public Schools
An in-depth look at Native American language preservation and usage in Montana.
Native Languages of the Southeastern United States
Survey of Southeast Native American linguistics.
Native American Language Dictionaries
A list of dictionary, grammar, and language learning books in individual Native American languages.
Selected Links
about Native American Languages
Our site is designed to present information about American Indian languages contextually--language by language and tribe by tribe.
These are linguistically diverse languages deserving of individual attention, and it is very difficult to make accurate generalizations
about them as a group. However, our site is also unfinished and may be of limited use to people seeking information on a language
we have not yet covered. For this reason, we are providing some links to the main pages of sites with information about many different
Native American languages. Hopefully if you are looking for a language we have not finished work on yet, these sites can provide
a starting point for your search.
Teaching Indigenous Languages
News, papers and columns about Native American language education
Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas
Indian language news, articles, and links
Indigenous Language Institute
Organization working on American Indian language preservation programs
Indigenous Language Institute
Organization working on American Indian language preservation programs
Native American Languages
Article by a Hopi writer on the languages of native North America
Endangered Languages: Revival and Revitalization
Laura's essay on maintaining and reviving Native American languages
Native American Languages
Linguistic overview of the Amerindian language families, with language maps
Ethnologue of Languages
Demographic information on American Indian and other language families
Native American Languages Spoken At Home
US Census information about Native American language use
Native American Languages (USA)
Linguistic maps of American Indian language use in the US
First Nations Languages (Canada)
Linguistic maps of Native Canadian language use
Indigenous Mexican Languages
Information about the Native American languages of Mexico
Languages of Modern Mexico
Information on Central American Indian languages
Aboriginal Languages of Canada
Site for children about indigenous Canadian languages
Numbers in North American Indian Languages
Glossary of numerals in dozens of Native American languages
Cherokee Syllabary Symbols
Blackfoot Script
Cree Syllabics
Charts showing the syllabic writing systems of three Native American languages.
Native American Language Programs
Courses of learning for American Indian languages
Indigenous Native Americans
Indexed resources on American Indian languages and cultures
Native American Language Resources
Links on various American Indian languages
Native American Languages
Links on various American Indian languages
Inwewinan
Native Languages
Links on various American Indian languages
Native Languages Page
Links on various American Indian languages
Native American Language Resources
Links on various American Indian languages
Native American Association of Germany
Links on various American Indian languages
Native American Language Families
Links on various American Indian languages
Cheyenne Language Web Site Links
Links on various American Indian languages
Native American Languages
Links on various American Indian languages
Native American Language Sites
Links on various American Indian languages
Latin American Languages
Links on the Native American languages of Central and South America
Native American Tribes
Links on various Native American languages and cultures
Online Library: Native American Language and Culture
Papers and articles on Native American languages
House of the Small Langauges: North Americans
Demographics and links about Native American languages
Native American Art
Native American Religions
Native American Genealogy
Native American Names
Blog
Orrin Lewis
Laura Redish
Would you like to help
support our organization's work with endangered Indian languages?