Aacimohtaatiiyankwi

Written by: Kristina Fox and Hunter Thompson Lockwood 

With the new school year starting back up, we want to welcome the Myaamia students back to Miami University! 

And in addition to those students returning for the start of a new semester, we’re proud to see many new faces just beginning their journey here with us. As you might have seen from posts in previous years, or as you may know from your own experience as a student here, new students go through a pre-semester orientation program which includes a short lesson that teaches students how to introduce themselves and say where they’re from in Myaamiaataweenki ‘the Miami language’.

Here’s a sneak preview of that language lesson, which includes a few crucial words that you can use whether you’re getting ready to come to campus for the first time, or if you just want to learn more Myaamiaataweenki!

Introduction Script

Here are the key words and phrases you will use in this lesson:

1. aya ‘Hello! Hi!’
2. weenswiaani ‘I am named…’
3. tipeewe neeyolaani ‘It is good to see you’
4. eeminootiaani ‘I am from the town of…’
5. niila myaamia ‘I am a Myaamia person’
6. niila myaamiihkwia ‘I am a Myaamia woman’
7. teepahki ‘It is enough, sufficient, good’

This mini-lesson requires two participants. We’ll use Adeline and William as example names and Oxford and Fort Wayne as example places in the script below. When you give it a try, make sure you replace the bold pieces of information to fit you and your partner! We encourage everyone to use both your Myaamia name (if you have one) and your English name in this exercise.

• Person 1: aya, Adeline weenswiaani
• Person 2: aya Adeline tipeewe neeyolaani. William weenswiaani
• Person 1: tipeewe neeyolaani William. eeminootiaani Fort Wayne. niila myaamiihkwia
• Person 2: teepahki. eeminootiaani Oxford. niila myaamia
• Person 1: teepahki

And that’s it! Now you know how to introduce yourself in the Myaamia language.

More Resources

We hope to hear you using these words whenever you need to introduce yourself to another Myaamia person on OR off-campus!

If you want to know more about what each word means and how to pronounce it, make sure to check out the dictionary on the web, or install it as an app on your phone or mobile device! And if you want even more ways to greet your friends and introduce yourself, check out the Myaamiaataweenki 101 collection on šaapohkaayoni!