A Dictionary of Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) with Connections to the Past

Alternate Language Names

Kanien’kéha, Kanyen’kéha.

Region

Ontario, and Quebec, Canada; New York, United States.

Who

Gunther Michelson (Journalist), Karin Michelson (Linguist), Glenda Canadian Deer (Professor and Speaker).

Others Involved

John Beadle (Cover Design); Russel M. Deer (Cover Illustration); Clifford Abbott, Brian Carpenter, Ryan DeCaire, Kenneth Deer, Jean-Pierre Koenig, Megan Lukaniec, Mae Montour and family, Mike Norton, Catherine Norton, Louis T. Curotte, Frank Natawe, Jake Thomas (Contributors); Akwirente Bryan Deer (Language Consultant); Russell Deer, Akwiratékha’ Martin, Percy Abrams, Janice Evans, Brittany Sutherland (Editors).

Publishing Information

Published August 2024 by the University of Toronto Press.

How People are Cited

Those who contributed to the cover are cited on the Copyright page. Other contributors are cited in the Acknowledgements.

How Information is Cited

Information is cited in the Guide to References Cited in Entries and also in the References section.

Where is Information Coming from

The information in this dictionary seems to come from previous sources and from some contributors. Sources are listed in the Guide to References Cited in Entries and References and mostly include dictionaries which translate between English or French and Kanien’kéha (or Mohawk). Some of these sources are historical accounts or documents which include Kanien’kéha (or Mohawk).

Tools and Framework used

This dictionary is available as both a physical and digital book.

Access

This dictionary is available both online and as a physical book. It can be accessed through select libraries or it can be purchased through the University of Toronto Press as either an ebook or physical book for $70 CAD.

Included Languages and Directionality

Mohawk to English and English to Mohawk.

Dialects Included

No dialectical information is included within the entries of this resource.

Type of Dictionary

This dictionary is a bilingual, bidirectional dictionary.

How are Entries Organised

This dictionary acknowledges and explains the differences between the following dialects: Ohswé:ken (Six Nations of the Grand River), Tyendinaga (The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte), Ahkwesáhsne, Kanehsatà:ke, and Wáhta. It also mentions broader differences between Eastern (Kahnawà:ke, Kanehsatà:ke, Wáhta), Central (Ahkwesáhsne), and Western (Tyendinaga, Ohswé:ken) dialects.

Before the dictionary is a section on abbreviations. This is followed by The Preliminaries which includes a guide to pronunciation and a description of the organisation of entries among other things.

The Preliminaries are followed by a Mohawk to English dictionary. The entries within this section are organised alphabetically by Mohawk word.

“The head of most entries is a root, surrounded by dashes” (page 25). The root is then identified in smaller print as a noun root (N), verb root (V), or kinship term (KIN). The part-of-speech label is followed by an English gloss. If the entry is a noun root, the English translation is followed by the Mohawk word which that root is a part of in bold. The basic noun form is followed by more complex forms listed beneath the entry header. Each new form gets its own line, which begins with an abbreviated part-of-speech label for the Mohawk word being added to the root in order to make the new form, and the additional word or word segment. After the label and addition to the root word are listed, the full new form is written in bold in Mohawk, followed by and English translation.

If the entry is a verb root, the root is followed by different verb forms listed one after the other. Each form begins with the Mohawk form in bold, followed by an English translation.

“Kinship stems are followed by a few examples of the kin relation” (page 25). The different forms of kinship term are listed much as the verbs are, with the bolded Kanien’kéha term preceding the English translation. The forms including prefixes, suffixes, and incorporated nouns begin with an abbreviated part-of-speech label for the Kanien’kéha word being added to the kinship term in order to make the new form, and the additional word or word segment. After the label and addition to the root word are listed, the full new form is written in bold in Mohawk, followed by and English translation.

“Some entries include an example sentence, preceded by a bullet (•), and sometimes there is a note that addresses some aspect of the structure or meaning of the entry or one of the subentries. Many entries end with references to earlier works, preceded by Cf. (for the Latin word confer ‘compare’)” (page 25).

The Mohawk to English dictionary is followed by an English to Mohawk a dictionary. This dictionary is a wordlist organised alphabetically by English word or term. Within each entry, the English word is written first, typically followed by the Kanien’kéha translation in bold. If more than one translation exists, they are listed one after the other, with the bolded Mohawk word preceding the English translation. If the entry is a verb, multiple forms of the verb will be given, listed in the same way as multiple translations where the bolded Mohawk word precedes the English translation. For some entries, root words are listed at the end of the entry in brackets. Further information can be found in the Introduction to this section of the resource.

The resource ends with a biographical section on one of the authors: Gunther Michelson.

The information quoted from the Preliminaries in this section was found at the following citation:

Michelson, Gunther, et al. A Dictionary of Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) with Connections to the Past, University of Toronto Press, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ubc/detail.action?docID=30716811.

Created from ubc on 2025-08-15 22:20:52.

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