Seneca language

Seneca (/ˈsɛnəkə/; in Seneca, Onöndowaʼga꞉ʼ Gawë꞉noʼ, or Onötowáʼka꞉) is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Hodinöhsö꞉niʼ (Iroquois League); it is an Iroquoian language, spoken at the time of contact in the western part of New York. While the name Seneca, attested as early as the seventeenth century, is of obscure origins, the endonym Onödowáʼga꞉ translates to "those of the big hill." About 10,000 Seneca live in the United States and Canada, primarily on reservations in western New York, with others living in Oklahoma and near Brantford, Ontario. As of 2022, an active language revitalization program is underway.

Seneca
Onöndowaʼga꞉ʼ Gawë꞉noʼ
Native toUnited States, Canada
RegionWestern New York and the Six Nations Reserve, Ontario
EthnicitySeneca
Native speakers
100 (2007)
Iroquoian
  • Northern
    • Lake Iroquoian
      • Five Nations
        • Seneca
Language codes
ISO 639-3see
Glottologsene1264
ELPSeneca
Map of the New York tribes before European arrival, showing the pre-contact distribution of Seneca in western New York
  Iroquoian tribes
  Algonquian tribes
Seneca is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
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