The Struggle to Revive the Lost Native Language of Thanksgiving

Atlas Obscura ^ | November 22, 2017 | Natasha Frost

[righttackle44]

Just a few decades ago, there were no living speakers of Wampanoag, the native tongue of the Cape Cod–based Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. (Their ancestors famously shared a meal with the Pilgrims, 400 years ago.) Then, in 1993, Jessie Little Doe Baird, who was then in her 20s, had a series of dreams about her ancestors, she told Yankee magazine. They were speaking to her, but she couldn’t understand them. A prophecy known to the tribe said that their lost language would come back when they were ready for it, revived by the children of those who had broken the language cycle. Baird saw the dreams as a sign.

Glimmers of Wampanoag are still visible in words that made their way into English. From its pohpokun, there is pumpkin. Moccasin comes from mahkus, skunk from sukok, and Massachusetts from masachoosut (“the place of the foothill”). But the wider language had been lost.

[righttackle44]

Getting tired of listening to Rush's angry Thanksgiving tirade, so here's a different thought on our America Thanksgiving heritage.

[LouieFisk]

“our America Thanksgiving heritage”
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pumpkin - Wiktionary:
From Middle French pompon, from Latin, from Ancient Greek “large melon”), from“ripe”, from“ripen”). Suffixed with the now obsolete -kin.
—

Our “Middle French Thanksgiving heritage”, maybe. Just so much more PC revisionism - pass.

[onedoug]

Thanks, r. Very interesting.

w & s ping....

[yarddog]

I read or saw somewhere that there is only one native speaker of Euchee left in the world. He lives in Oklahoma.

It was once a large tribe.

[ClearCase_guy]

Lost Native Language of Thanksgiving

Latin? Aramaic? Hebrew? Greek?

[Fiji Hill]

The language spoken at the first Thanksgiving was Spanish, with Latin being used for the worship service.

[editor-surveyor]

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Massive BS!
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[editor-surveyor]

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Nonsense!
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[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The last native speaker of Manx died in our lifetimes.

I doubt Massasoit would understand a single word that Ms. Baird speaks, but with effort, they might learn to understand one-another.

[MNDude]

Actually, it was Swedish.

[jmcenanly]

He would probably think that she has a very odd accent.

[righttackle44]

You didn’t read the article, did you?

[righttackle44]

Please point out both the massive and bs portions of the article.

We're waiting.

[antidisestablishment]

Nice to read something positive about Native American culture. From my vantage point, we have no reason to apologize for the wars that won this land; however, the generational depredations of welfare must sicken any honorable culture. Government “benevolence” forges stronger chains than chattel slavery could imagine.

[editor-surveyor]

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This is 100% BS.
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