Chiwere language
Chiwere (also called Iowa-Otoe-Missouria or Báxoje-Jíwere-Nyútʼachi) is a Siouan language originally spoken by the Missouria, Otoe, and Iowa peoples, who originated in the Great Lakes region but later moved throughout the Midwest and plains. The language is closely related to Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago.
| Chiwere | |
|---|---|
| Báxoje-Jíwere-Nyútʼachi | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas |
| Ethnicity | 1,150 Iowa, Otoe, Missouria (2007) |
| Extinct | 1996 Fewer than 40 semi-fluent speakers |
Siouan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | iow |
| Glottolog | iowa1245 |
| ELP | Chiwere |
| Linguasphere | 64-AAC-c |
| People | Iowa (Báxoje), Otoe (Jiwére), Missouria (Ñiútachi) |
|---|---|
| Language | Ich'é, Hand Talk |
| Country | Báxoje Máyaⁿ, Jíwere Máyaⁿ, Ñút’achi Máyaⁿ |
Non-Native Christian missionaries first documented Chiwere in the 1830s, but since then not much material has been published about the language. Chiwere suffered a steady decline after extended European American contact in the 1850s, and by 1940 the language had almost totally ceased to be spoken.
"Tciwere itce" (in the Otoe dialect) and "Tcekiwere itce" (in the Iowa dialect) translate to "To speak the home dialect." The name "Chiwere" is said to originate from a person meeting a stranger in the dark. If a stranger in the dark challenged a person to identify their self, that person might respond "I am Tci-we-re" (Otoe) or "I am Tce-ki-we-re" (Iowa), which translates to "I am belonging to the people of this land" or "I am belonging to those dwelling here."