Karoron ne Owennahshonha: A Mohawk Thematic Dictionary

Alternate Language Names

Kanien’kéha, Kanyen’kéha.

Region

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

Who

David Kanatawakhon-Maracle (Author and Speaker).

Others Involved

Tehahenteh (Frank Miller) of Grand River Territory (Dialect Consultant); Adam J. Richards (Editor).

Publishing Information

This resource was published by Kenyen’keha Books in 2001 and printed by the University of Western Ontario.

How People are Cited

People are cited in the Acknowledgements section.

How Information is Cited

Information sources are mentioned in the Introduction.

Where is Information Coming from

The information in the dictionary seems to come from multiple sources. Firstly, the author compiled vocabulary from all the Mohawk territories he could. He then “looked to the creation of new vocabulary” to refer to things for which there were no Mohawk words. Some language information also appears to come from consultants.

Tools and Framework used

This dictionary is a physical book.

Access

This dictionary can be accessed through select libraries.

Included Languages and Directionality

Mohawk to English and English to Mohawk.

Dialects Included

The dictionary was originally written in the Mohawk dialect from the Bay of Quinte Territory (Tyendinaga) and Six Nations dialects, but much of the dictionary has now been rewritten in the Kahnawake dialect.

Type of Dictionary

This resource is a bilingual, bidirectional, thematic wordlist.

How are Entries Organised

This dictionary begins with a short guide to pronunciation. The guide is followed by the thematic dictionary.

The thematic dictionary is organised by theme, such as Yontsthahsonha Tsi Yekhonnyàtha Things Found in the Kitchen or Ohyariha Little Ripeness. Within some categories, such as Things Found in the Bedroom or Things Found in the Sewing Room, entries are organized alphabetically by English word. In these entries, the English word comes first, followed by the Mohawk word in bold and a breakdown of the Mohawk word in brackets. If more than one Mohawk translation exists for the word, those are listed as well. In other categories, such as During the Day or Describing the House, entries give the Mohawk term first in bold, and appear to be organised based on their relevance to the category, with the most relevant coming first. For example, in the Describing the House category, the first entry is kanonhsa which translates to “a house”. These entries begin with the Mohawk word, which is followed by a breakdown of the word in brackets and the English translation in italics.

At the back of the dictionary is an alphabetical list of all the English words contained in the dictionary in alphabetical order. Each English word in this section is followed by its location in the thematic dictionary.

Other Features

Other Notes

This book provides vocabulary revolving around one hundred (100) distinct theme areas. Themes dealing with flora and fauna, foods and food preparations, locations, possessions in and around the home, people and occupations, kinship, times and locations, special occasions and holidays, weather, clothing, colours, health and welfare with extensive vocabulary associated with each theme. For example, in the section on Foods you will find the names of fruits, vegetables, meats, various dishes, and preparation references and techniques. The Mohawk presented in this dictionary is written using the “y”, characteristic of the Six Nations and Tyendinaga writing style, however the vocabulary within represents a variety of dialects.