Home / O'Callaghan, E.B., ed. The Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. IV. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1851. / Passage

Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. IV

O'Callaghan, E.B., ed. The Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. IV. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1851. 266 words

The words Goronta and Golota which you mention aré not of the Six nations, but of a Southern language. It is curious to observe, that they have various modes of speech and phrazes peculiar to each age and sex, which they strictly observe. For instance, aman says, when he is hungry, Cadagcariax, which is expressive both of his want and of the animal food he requires to supply it ; whilst a child says, in the same circumstances, Cautsore, that is, I require spoon meat. }

- There is so remarkable a difference in the Language of the Five nations, from all the rest as affords some grounds for

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enquiring into their distinct Origin, for the Indians north of the St Lawrence those West of the Great Lakes with the few who inhabit the Sea Coasts of New England, & those again who live about the Ohio notwithstanding the respective distances between them Speak a language Radically the same & can In gen! communicate their Wants to each other; Whilst the Nations. who live in the midst of them, are Incapable of Conveyé a Single Idea to their neighbours, neither can they pronounce a Word of their langge with correctness. There is indeed some difference of Dialect amongst the 5 nations themselves, but this is little more than may be found in the Provinces of large States in Europe.

In particular the letters M and P which Occurs so frequently in the Languages of the rest, cannot be pronounced by the 5 nations without the utmost difficulty, & are notin their language.