Havasupai dialect

Havasupai
Upland Yuman
Region	Arizona, USA
Ethnicity	570 Havasupai (2004)
Native speakers	500 (2007)
Language family	Yuman Core Yuman Pai Upland Yuman Havasupai
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	hava1249

Havasupai is a dialect of the Upland Yuman language spoken by fewer than 450 people on the Havasupai Indian Reservation at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It is the only Native American language in the United States of America spoken by 100% of its indigenous population. As of 2005, Havasupai remained the first language of residents of Supai Village, the tribal government seat.

The Havasupai dialect is nearly identical to the dialect of the Hualapai, although the two groups are socially and politically distinct (Kendall 1983:5). It is a little more distantly related to the Yavapai dialects. Grammatical descriptions, vocabularies, and texts documenting Havasupai have been published (Mithun 1999:578).

File:TRAINING CLASS FOR HAVASUPAI TEACHERS IN READING AND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION METHODS - NARA - 544322.jpg

Havasupai language class.

As of 2004, "a Wycliffe Bible Translators project ... under way to translate the Old and the New Testaments into the Havasupai language" was progressing slowly.

See also

• Havasu 'Baaja, the people generally called Havasupai by English-speakers.

References

• Kendall, Martha B. 1983. "Yuman languages". In Southwest, edited by Alfonso Ortiz, pp. 4–12. Handbook of North American Indians, William C. Sturtevant, general editor, Vol. 10. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
• Mithun, Marianne. 1999. The Languages of Native North America. Cambridge University Press.

Further reading

• "A dictionary of the Havasupai language". Hinton, Leanne. Supai, Arizona 1984.
• "Gwe gnaavja". Havasu Baaja / Havasupai Tribe, Bilingual Education Program. Supai, Arizona 1985.
• "Havsuw gwaawj tñudg siitja". Havasupai Bilingual Education Program. Supai, Arizona 1970s(?).
• "Baahj muhm hatm hwag gyu". Hinton, Leanne et al., prepared by the Havasupai Bilingual Education Program. Supai, Arizona 1978.
• "Tim: Tñuda Hobaja". Hinton, Leanne et al., prepared by the Havasupai Bilingual Education Program (authors credited as "Viya Tñudv Leanne Hinton-j, Rena Crook-m, Edith Putesoy-m hmug-g yoovjgwi. Clark Jack-j"). Supai, Arizona 1978-1984.

External links

• Comparison of greetings in Havasupai, Walapai, and Yavapai
• "The Farewell Song of the Havasupai"