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Halito!

This address is on Chahta (Choctaw) land near Bulbancha (‘Place of Many Tongues,’ New Orleans, Louisiana, United States). This language is called Chahta Anumpa (Choctaw) and is spoken across several Chahta groups. You may speak it without knowing when you say Atchafalaya, derived from hachcha falaya (long river) or, possibly, OK/O.K./okay (which may debatably be derived from Chahta Anumpa’s okeh). Nan ish ikhʋna ha̱? (Did you learn anything?)

Yakoke for participating!

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Sources:

History of Louisiana - Native Groups at Time of European Settlement on Wikipedia

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

Jena Band of Choctaw Indians

Choctaw Dictionary - Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Choctaw Phrases - Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Choctaw on Wikipedia

And since you're reading this on tumblr, check out @chahtawordoftheday while you're at it!

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¡Hola!

This address is on Charrúa land (Montevideo, Uruguay) and close to Chaná, Minuano, and Guaraní land. The language once used here, also called Charrúa, has mostly been erased save for some diligently kept nouns and phrases. I want to share some of them with you now to keep them alive. Hué is agua/water. It is fuego/fire. Samioc is perro/dog. Chibí is gato/cat. Guidaí is luna/moon. Andó diabun is buenas noches/goodnight.

Gracias for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

Indigenous Peoples in Uruguay on Wikipedia

Presedencia Uruguay Institución de Derechos Humanos

Hoy es el Día de la Nación Charruá y de la Identidad Indigena - La Red21

Idioma charrúa on Wikipedia

«Transcripción tipográfica y Exégesis filológica provisional del CÓDICE: "VILARDEBÓ" versando sobre Lengua y Costumbres de los Charrúas» by S. Perea y Alonso (1938)

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Miyiiha!

This address is on Gabrielino (Tongva, Kizh, Gabrieleño) land called Yaanga (Los Angeles, California, United States). This language is called Gabrielino/Tongva and is with us today due to the care of many people over many decades. It makes me hopeful to know that, because people care, I can still look to the sky and know the name for roomey (the north star) or taraaxeshom (the pleiades) as many people have for generations and as many people will for generations more.

Tehoovko’po xaa for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

List of Indigenous Peoples in California on Wikipedia

San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians/Gabrielino-Tongva Nation

Yaara’ Shiraaw’ax ‘Eyooshiraaw’a Now You’re Speaking Our Language by the Gabrielino/Tongva Language Committee

Gabrielino on the California Language Archive

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Now’!

This address is on Lhaq’temish (‘People of the Sea,’ Lummi, Xwlemi) land called Cháu-uks (an area on Lummi Island, Washington, United States). This language is called Xwlemi Chosen, the contemporary Lhaq’temish language based on reservation talk more than historic records. It is also the language taught at local high schools! Bonus: the ferry to this island is named the Whatcom Chief which comes from what-com, a word describing the sound of water at the outlet of a nearby lake. Bonus 2: itl’a’als’si’kwel means backwards walking.

Hy’shqe for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

Lummi Nation

Lummi Nation Returns to English Camp - San Juan Island National Park Service

Smakiya1 (Smak i’ya) on Quizlet

Native American Education at Ferndale School District

Alphabetical Vocabularies of the Clallum and Lummi by George Gibbs

Language and Dialect Variation in Straits Salishan by Timothy Montler of University of North Texas

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hatˠu!

This address is on yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini (Northern Chumash, Obispeño) land called tiłhini (‘place of the full moon,’ San Luis Obispo). This language is called tʔɨnɨsmuʔ tiłhinkʔtitʸu and is one of many varied Chumash dialects found along the central coast and valley of what is now called California. Bonus: yat spanisi means ocean!

auʔauʔ for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

List of Indigenous Peoples in California on Wikipedia

Chumash Indian Languages on native-languages.org

YTT Northern Chumash Tribe Language Development

yakʔitʸutʸu resources with California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

mitsqanaqan̓ Dictionary with California State University Channel Islands

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Hawé!

This address is on historic Okáxpa (Quapaw, Ogapah) land, as is roughly the entire east half of what is today Arkansas. In fact, Arkansas is named after the Okáxpa filtered through their likely Algonquian exonym and filtered again through French, then English. In fact, the Okáxpa are so often recorded historically that the Quapaw Nation and U.S. National Archives both offer long lists of names they might have been referred to as depending on the time of writing and language of the authors. Like the people, the language is called Okáxpa or Quapaw. Bonus: mǫ´ška means crawfish.

Haú/kaniké/ganįgé for participating!

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Sources:

Arkansas on Wikipedia

Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism

The Historic Arkansas Museum

Native American Tribes of Arkansas on native-languages.org

National Archives Native Communities Research Guides

The Quapaw Nation

The Quapaw Nation Language Department

The Quapaw Nation’s English to Quapaw Dictionary

A Quapaw Vocabulary by Robert L. Rankin of University of Kansas (1974)

Quapaw-English Vocabulary by James Owen Dorsey (1890)

Quapaw on Wikipedia

The Hello Oklahoma! Project

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𐒹𐒰𐓏𐒷!

This address is likely on historic 𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷 (Wažaže, Osage) land near 𐓁𐒻 𐓓𐓎𐓊𐒷 (the Arkansas River). While the 𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷 (or 𐓏𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟 𐓀𐓘͘𐓻𐓘͘, Osage Nation) is now officially located in Oklahoma, they are recorded in what is now northeast to central Arkansas prior to colonization efforts forcing them out. This language is called 𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷𐒻𐒷 (Wažažeie, Osage) and may be written in Osage script, developed by the nation themselves, or in Latin script as many historic resources are. In this region, having one’s own script is rare and having freely available fonts and keyboard for digital use is even rarer! Bonus: 𐓈𐓂𐓒𐒷 means catfish.

𐓏𐒷𐓏𐒻𐓁𐒰͘ for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

Arkansas on Wikipedia

Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism

The Historic Arkansas Museum

Native American Tribes of Arkansas on native-languages.org

National Archives Native Communities Research Guides

The Osage Nation 𐓏𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟

Osage Dictionary on The Osage Nation 𐓏𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟

A Dictionary of the Osage Language by Francis La Flesche (1932)

Osage Language on Wikipedia

The Hello Oklahoma! Project/Charlie Lame Deer

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hatˠu!

This address is on yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini (Northern Chumash, Obispeño) land called tiłhini (‘place of the full moon,’ San Luis Obispo, California, United States). This language is called tʔɨnɨsmuʔ tiłhinkʔtitʸu and is one of many Chumash dialects. As the tribe works to bring the language back into use, I’ve also found a few ways contemporary speakers have changed the spelling from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) characters shown here for ease: hatˠu becoming hatyu, auʔauʔ becoming au’au’, and yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini becoming ytt. What a beautiful thing to see a language live.

auʔauʔ for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

List of Indigenous Peoples in California on Wikipedia

Chumash Indian Languages on native-languages.org

YTT Northern Chumash Tribe Language Development

yakʔitʸutʸu resources with California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

mitsqanaqan̓ Dictionary with California State University Channel Islands

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Tous!

This address is on land shared by many tribes, including but not limited to the Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne people. The 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, not currently honored, refers to it as Arapaho land. This is the basis for Longmont’s sister city relationship with the Northern Arapaho Tribe (Wind River Reservation). In that spirit, I’m offering words in Hinono’eitiit, or the language of Hinono’eiteen (Arapaho Nation). This language surprised me by being in the Algonquian language family, but once you start speaking it’s so clear to hear! Longmont’s namesake is neniisotoyou'u (Longs Peak, Colorado, United States) and the wealth of knowledge in the Arapaho Language Project has place names for a number of your neighboring cities.

Hohóú for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

Dictionary of the Arapaho Language Fourth Edition (2012)

Arapaho Language Project with University of Colorado Boulder

City of Longmont, Colorado

Longmont, Colorado on Wikipedia

Longmont And Northern Arapaho Tribe Form A First-Of-Its-Kind Sister City Union - Colorado Public Radio

Indigenous Tribes of Colorado on American Library Association Offices

Arapaho on Wikipedia

Northern Arapaho Tribe

Home with Arapaho

Bonus: Colorado State University has public links to some famous art about or by Indigenous people in the area as a part of their teaching resources. Howling Wolf's ledger art, for example, is often used as a primary source for Southern Cheyenne culture and historic events.

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Xawka!

This address is on Kumeyaay (Kumiai, ’People of the west,’ Diegueño) land called Nyip 'ewai or Nipaquay (Mission Valley, California, United States). The language is also called Kumeyaay (typically in English) or Kumiai (typically in Spanish). While the pronunciation is the same, I actually found that no two sources spelled their greetings alike. Howka, xawka, haawka, and háawak all were used to mean hello.

ʔu·xayiʔ for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

List of Indigenous Peoples in California on Wikipedia

A Grammar of Diegueño: The Mesa Grande Dialect - Margaret Langdon (1966)

Kumeyaay on Wikipedia

Elders Ed Brown and Sam Brown

Kumeyaay Language (Diegueño, Tipai, Kumiai) on native-languages.org

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Howka!

This address is on Kumeyaay (Kumiai, ’People of the west,’ Diegueño) land called Meti (National City, California, United States). The language is also called Kumeyaay (typically in English) or Kumiai (typically in Spanish). While the pronunciation is the same, I actually found that no two sources spelled their greetings alike. Howka, xawka, haawka, and háawak all were used to mean hello.

ʔu·xayiʔ for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

List of Indigenous Peoples in California on Wikipedia

A Grammar of Diegueño: The Mesa Grande Dialect - Margaret Langdon (1966)

Kumeyaay on Wikipedia

Elders Ed Brown and Sam Brown

Kumeyaay Language (Diegueño, Tipai, Kumiai) on native-languages.org

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Shé:kon!

This address is closest to Kenhtè:ke Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte) land called Kenhtè:ke (Bay of Quinte, Ontario, Canada) near Tyendinaga (meaning ‘two pieces of firewood beside each other’). This language is called Kanyen’kéha and the name “Quinte” is most likely derived from it and its people. Bonus: kahonk is the word for the lesser Canadian Goose.

Nía:wen for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

City of Kingston Indigenous Initiatives

Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte

Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation on Wikipedia

Indigenous Services Canada

Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) on First Voices

Owenna’shón:’a (linked from First Nation's website)

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There is no hello!

While there are questions we might use as a greeting in English, there is no designated greeting in SENĆOŦEN. This address is on W̱SÁNEĆ peoples’ land called ḰEȽSET (meaning ‘to drift’; Sidney, British Columbia, Canada) or SETI¸NES (Sidney, British Columbia, Canada). This language’s digital characters are based on a typewriter with extra marks, so it is known for having some uncommon characters compared to other First Nations languages. You also have local immersion schools and a texting app for SENĆOŦEN!

HÍ SW̱ KE for participating!

Interested in getting your own Just Say Hello postcard? Postcard request instructions here.

Sources:

SENĆOŦEN A Dictionary of the Saanich Language - Timothy Montler (2018)

BC Assembly of First Nations Interactive Map

Sidney Museum

Saanich dialect on Wikipedia

SENĆOŦEN Classified Word List - University of North Texas

SENĆOŦEN on Languagegeek

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