The Algonkian Language: A Window into Indigenous Culture

by Michael Forbes Wilcox

The language we use reveals our values, and the words we hear help to shape our beliefs. The Algonkian language provides a window into the mindset of the people indigenous to the Berkshires.

You might be surprised at how many Algonkian words you already know.

• ôhô (uh-huh) = yes
• moz = moose
• makezen = moccasin
• Masajosek = Massachusetts (the place of the big hill)
• Kwenitekok = Connecticut (the place of the long river)
• skôkw or segôgw = skunk (sometimes pronounced seekonk) and many, many more, such as racoon and tomahawk

The Algonkian language belongs to the Algic language group. The languages in this group can be mutually unintelligible because their vocabularies have evolved separately over thousands of years, but they all share the same structural elements, and account for 70% to 80% of all the languages in North America.

• Rich vocabularies reveal the traditional importance of such things as kinship ties, beavers, and snowshoes.
• We encounter values of cooperation and responsibility, in contrast with Colonial values of competition and ownership.
• This Native American language reveals a dynamic view of the world not found in Indo-European languages.
• Examples: The word for "chair" literally means "a stiff thing you sit on"; One word for "beaver" means "the cutter"; English nouns are simply labels; in Algonkian, such words reflect dynamism and purpose.

Editor's Note: Wilcox teaches a course through Olli. The purpose of the course is to use the language to delve into other aspects of the culture. For a full description, click here: www.berkshireolli.org.

Photo: Lionel Delevingne