Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Language of the Month: Whittlesey/Iroquois Languages

If you are a frequent reader of the blog, particularly Language of the Month, it is probably apparent that I am a frequent traveler, especially to the National Parks or other NPS units. Even during COVID, they provide a great opportunity to still leave the house, but in a safe, socially distant way that also gives me a great chance to explore our great American tapestry.

Earlier this month, I went just outside of Cleveland, Ohio to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Although probably most notorious for a river that literally caught fire, leading to our modern EPA, the park rangers have lately also been highlighting the Indigenous people of the area. 

Although we do not have much information about the specific languages spoken in the valley before the arrival of the Europeans, we do have some information about their culture, which can lead to educated hypotheses about the language. 

The tribe that lived in the Cuyahoga Valley was part of the Whittlesey culture. This tribe most likely did not have any contact with the Europeans, as they were a scattered, loose network of tribes who mostly lived off the land, and did not engage in much complex trade. 

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Photo by Erik Drost

However, we can reasonably assume they spoke a variation of an Iroquoian language, based on their neighbors such as the Wenro of Erie, PA. Iroquoian does not refer to one specific language, but  to a language family, of which 11 currently exist and are used today. Many languages, both endangered and extinct, utilize the standard 5 vowels, and a varying but small amount of consonants. Iroquois languages are also tonal, meaning the inflection of a word, also called pitch accent, can alter the meaning of a word, similar to Mandarin. 

One unique feature of Iroquois languages is with the addition of affixes, single words can function as full sentences. Verbs always contain the subject attached as a prefix, meaning that grammatically they can function independently, and nouns utilize prefixes to indicate number or animate/inanimate. Another distinct feature is a set of pronouns that refer to possessions that can be given away, like food, as opposed to those that cannot, such as body parts. Although this can result in some complex, even daunting, sentences and phrases, it gives the Iroquois languages a unique richness and depth that expresses quite a bit of information using only a few words.

All written forms of Iroquois languages derive from the romanized Cherokee language. Although Cherokee developed its own syllabary in the 1800s, missionaries romanized this syllabary, which was then used as a sample to help scribe other scripts for what were once only spoken languages. Being that many of these languages are extremely endangered, the worst situation being Tuscarosa, only having a dozen living speakers, a syllabary can go a long way towards preservation efforts.

Although the information at Cuyahoga did not feature any specific linguistic information, the efforts of the park rangers and anthropologists can provide us motivation that allows us to think about what the language may have been like. Even a small amount of information can help us piece together more about the Whittlesey people, and may provide insights that others can use in the future to have a better understanding of the people who inhabited one of the most gorgeous parts of our country.

Further Reading

https://www.nps.gov/cuva/learn/kidsyouth/american-indians.htm

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Fanni is RadnĂłti's wife
Located near the Tang capital city of Chang’an, site of the modern city of Xi’an in Shaanxi province, in central China.
Soldiers of that time commonly wore a white head cloth, similar to what is still worn by some peasants in China today.  The implication is that the conscripts were so young that they didn’t know how to wrap their head cloths, and needed help from elders.
Before China’s unification under the Qin dynasty in 221 B.C. there were several competing smaller kingdoms.  Han and Qin were two of these kingdoms. Han was located east of famous mountain passes that separated that area from the power base of the Qin dynasty, with its capital in Chang’an. The Qin dynasty itself only lasted about 15 years after unification due to its draconian rule, but soldiers under Qin rule retained a reputation as strong fighters.
The area of Guanxi, meaning “west of the passes”, refers to the area around the capital city of Chang’an.
This is an alternative name for a province in western China, now known as Qinghai, which literally means “blue sea”.  Kokonor Lake, located in Qinghai, is the largest saline lake in China.  
Before China’s unification under the Qin dynasty in 221 B.C. there were several competing smaller kingdoms.  Han and Qin were two of these kingdoms. Han was located east of famous mountain passes that separated that area from the power base of the Qin dynasty, with its capital in Chang’an. The Qin dynasty itself only lasted about 15 years after unification due to its draconian rule, but soldiers under Qin rule retained a reputation as strong fighters.
Oulart Hollow was the site of a famous victory of the Irish rebels over British troops, which took place on May 27, 1798. The rebels killed nearly all the British attackers in this battle. (Source: Maxwell, W. H. History of the Irish Rebellion in 1798. H. H. Bohn, London 1854, pp 92-93, at archive.org)
The phrase "United Men" is elaborated upon in the Notes section below.

Ghetto


An Italian word meaning “foundry.” It originally referred to a part of the city of Venice where the Jews of that city were forced to live; the area was called “the ghetto” because there was a foundry nearby. The term eventually came to refer to any part of a city in which a minority group is forced to live as a result of social, legal, or economic pressure. Because of the restrictions placed upon them, ghetto residents are often impoverished.

"You’re five nine, I am do-uble two"


A reference to the year 1959 and the year 2020.

"The Currency"


Meaning US dollars - this is drawing attention to the fact that Cuba is effectively dollarized.

"Sixty years with the dom-ino stuck"


This sentence is a reference to the Cold War notion that countries would turn Communist one after the other - like dominos. Cuba was the first domino, but it got stuck - no one else followed through into communism.

رحلنا


رحلنا, or "rahalna," means "we have left."

Habibi


Habibi means "my love."

Ra7eel


Ra7eel, or "raheel," means "departure."

3awda


3awda, or "awda," means "returning."

أهلاً


أهلاً, or "ahalan," means "welcome."

a5 ya baba


a5 ya baba, pronounced "akh ya baba," means "Oh my father."

golpe


Treece translates "golpe" as "beating", which is correct, however misses the secondary meaning of the word: "coup".

Carlos


The “Carlos” referred to in the poem is most likely Carlos Bolsonaro, a politician from Rio de Janeiro and the second son of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s current president. His and his father’s involvement in Marielle’s murder has been questioned and investigated.