A History of Language and Revival in the Wendat and Wyandot(te) Nations, 1534-2023
Date
2023-09-27
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0009-0002-0651-1330
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
The Wxndat languages (Wendat, Waⁿdat, Wyandot, Huron) are some of the best documented Indigenous languages in North America. Yet despite the volume of documentation, the languages fell asleep (became dormant) in the twentieth century, and still today there are no fluent speakers. Over the course of nearly five hundred years, from 1534-2023, the Wxndat languages have had champions from various communities: other Indigenous peoples, Europeans, American and Canadian settlers, and most importantly, the modern Wxndat nations and Wxndat individuals themselves. Previous scholarship has covered varying aspects of the languages and their history, but usually focusing on certain eras only, or as a section within a larger study. This thesis examines the longue durée history of the Wxndat languages, efforts to preserve them, and their revival movements, to illustrate the caretaking of the languages from one generation to the next. It features hędí:hšahs nęh hatitsihęstatsih (explorers and missionaries), huⁿdatrižuh nęh hatižatǫʔ (fighting and writing) to preserve the languages, and the uⁿditaʔwahstaʔ nęh uⁿdakye:wat (sleeping and waking) of the languages. Unique sources obtained through fieldwork and the collection of oral history interviews with Elders in Oklahoma, Toronto, and Québec in 2019 inform this work. This meticulously chronological approach contributes a reexamination of Wendat (Huron) and Wyandot (Huron) history through the lens of language and community agency.
Description
Keywords
Indigenous History, U.S. History, Canadian History, Language Revitalization, Language Revival, Wendat History, Wyandot History, Borderlands History, Women's History, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century
Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
History
Program
History