Also Known As: Oneida
Description:
Oneida is an Iroquoian language spoken primarily by the Oneida people in the U.S. states of New York and Wisconsin, and the Canadian province of Ontario. There are only an estimated 160 native speakers left, despite attempts to reinvigorate the language. The number of speakers in the Green Bay area who learned the language as infants may be as low as six
As of 1994 the majority of Oneida speakers lived in Canada.
Historically, the Oneida tribe was located in upstate New York in what is now the Utica area. During the early to mid-19th century, significant groups of Oneida migrated to Wisconsin and Ontario as a result of displacement driven by New York State (Michelson 4). While the population in New York today includes about 1100 members enrolled in the tribe (Wonderley xiii), as well as upwards of 1500 in the Wisconsin tribe (businesscommittee.oneidanation.org), the majority of these individuals speak English, and use Oneida as a second language if at all. According to the National Virtual Translation Center, there are 250 speakers of Oneida, located between the Wisconsin and Ontario nations (www.nvtc.gov/lotw/months/october/Iroquoian.html). Another source specifies that, as of a..... full article at Wikipedia |