Lion Gardiner (pictured right) was a commander in the Pequot War. One of his descendants, Lion Miles, has been researching the history, culture, and language of Mohican Indians for at least the last seventeen years.In response to recent contributions of Shawn Stevens and Jeremy Mohawk, Lion Miles of Stockbridge, Massachusetts contributed an article to the current (November 15, 2009) issue of Mohican News. Most importantly, Miles announced that his Mohican dictionary is "nearly finished and I have sent a draft to the Arvid Miller Library, hoping that it will be examined by the Language and Culture board." He reported using written material from the following Indians: Hendrick Aupaumut, John Metoxen, John Konkapot, Jr., and the Moravian convert known as Tschoop, or Johannes. Miles also used material from the following whites: John Sergeant (which one he does not say), and Jonathan Edwards, representing the Stockbridges as well as the following whites who represent other Mohicans, perhaps all but the last one are Moravians: John Ettwein, John Jacob Schmick, Benjamin Smith Barton, John Heckewelder, and Thomas Jefferson.
Miles made it clear that in his opinion reviving the Mohican language would be a good thing, or at least "a worthy goal." Miles points out that the Munsees and the Mohicans really didn't live together until 1835 so common ancestors don't go back far enough for those who consider themselves Mohicans to be satisfied to call Munsee their own language.
Miles made it clear that in his opinion reviving the Mohican language would be a good thing, or at least "a worthy goal." Miles points out that the Munsees and the Mohicans really didn't live together until 1835 so common ancestors don't go back far enough for those who consider themselves Mohicans to be satisfied to call Munsee their own language.
Munsee words found themselves into Mohican later and many of them were quite different. For example, the word "anushiik" is Munsee for "thank you," but the Mohican word was "onewe." "Eagle" was "migisso" in Mohican but "wapalonna" in Munsee.In Lion Miles' opinion, there is not enough evidence out there to re-create the Mohican language exactly but "there is material to come reasonably close."
This article caused a stir in the community. We are working together to learn Munsee with Mohican words a future goal. We don't need deviseness from outside.
ReplyDeleteOK, why don't you explain to peole what you mean. That is, explain how Lion Miles is being divisive.
ReplyDeleteBased on my experience, it isn't very often that all members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians agrees on anything. So I suppose that is your point (?) members of the tribe only get along by avoiding controversial topics like how to say particular words in Mohican or Munsee language.
Lion,I myself am a Mohican and I thank you for your comments.A certain faction of our united tribes, are trying to assert a Munsee only community in our traditional endeavors.I don't know why, but hey, hooray for our differences.
ReplyDeleteBruce J. Miller
ReplyDeleteI'm Rainer Posselt, a Stockbridge-Munsee member, and there is alot of stirring in the community over this issue, I myself dont like it that the language and culture committee is teaching the Lenape language but then they hypenate it with Mohican, its like just tell us its Lenape you dont have to lie. I myself would like to learn Mohican, and i would like to meet with Lion Miles, and if he teaches me how to speak I will surely speak it. But i believe that learning Munsee is not a bad thing because we are Stockbridge-Munsee not just Stockbridge(Mohican).
ReplyDeleteI'm Rainer Posselt, a Stockbridge-Munsee member, and there is alot of stirring in the community over this issue, I myself dont like it that the language and culture committee is teaching the Lenape language but then they hypenate it with Mohican, its like just tell us its Lenape you dont have to lie. I myself would like to learn Mohican, and i would like to meet with Lion Miles, and if he teaches me how to speak I will surely speak it. But i believe that learning Munsee is not a bad thing because we are Stockbridge-Munsee not just Stockbridge(Mohican).
ReplyDeleteMunsee (lunaape, Huluniixsuwaakan) is the oldest continually spoken East Algonquian language. It's oral continuity can only be a benefit to those of the community who are trying to revive Mahican from writings. Long ago, before Europeans came, tribes would let there children live with neighboring tribes for a time to become bilingual. Being algonquian-bilingual would be a great strength. The community now could instead work on keeping the Euro-American influences out of native communication and embrace Munsee and Mahican as sister languages.
ReplyDeleteonewe / anushiik
~S