Mohawk language

Mohawk (/ˈmoʊhɔːk/; Kanienʼkéha, "[language] of the Flint Place") is an Iroquoian language currently spoken by around 3,500 people of the Mohawk nation, located primarily in current or former Haudenosaunee territories, predominately Canada (southern Ontario and Quebec), and to a lesser extent in the United States (western and northern New York). The word "Mohawk" is an exonym. In the Mohawk language, the people say that they are from Kanien:ke ('Mohawk Country' or "Flint Stone Place") and that they are Kanienʼkehá꞉ka "People of the Flint Stone Place" or "People of the Flint Nation".

This article is about the language spoken by the Mohawk people. For other uses, see Mohawk.
Mohawk
Kanienʼkéha
Kanyenʼkéha
Pronunciation[ɡa.njʌ̃ʔ.ˈɡe.ha]
Native toUnited States, Canada
RegionOntario, Quebec and northern New York
EthnicityMohawk people
Native speakers
3,875 (2011–2016)
Iroquoian
  • Northern
    • Lake Iroquoian
      • Five Nations
Language codes
ISO 639-2moh
ISO 639-3moh
Glottologmoha1258
ELPMohawk
Current distribution of Mohawk speakers in the United States.
Mohawk is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

The Mohawks were extremely wealthy traders, as other nations in their confederacy needed their flint for tool-making. Their Algonquian-speaking neighbors (and competitors), the People of Muh-heck Heek Ing ("food-area place"), a people called by the Dutch "Mohicans" or "Mahicans", called the People of Ka-nee-en Ka "Maw Unk Lin" or Bear People. The Dutch heard and wrote that as "Mohawks" and so the People of Kan-ee-en Ka are often referred to as Mohawks. The Dutch also referred to the Mohawk as Egils or Maquas. The French adapted those terms as Aigniers or Maquis, or called them by the generic Iroquois.

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