Basic Pronunciation for Tribes in the United States and Canada

Many tribes have Americanized names, and this means it is important to investigate tribal webpages. In many cases, Native tribes have more than one branch and each is labeled in the traditional language.

These pronunciations use some symbols from the international phonetic alphabet, and were done by a graduate student. If these tribal names are incorrect, mispelled, mispronounced, or misrepresented in any way, please contact emuseum@mnsu.edu so we can correct our information.



Back to New World Cultures


New World Tribes in the United States
Anishinabe

Apsaalooke

Arapaho

Arikara

Assiniboine

Cayuse

Cherokee

Cheyenne

Chickasaw

Chinook

Chiricahua

Choctaw

Chumash

Comanche

Coos

Cree

Dakota

Dine(Apache)

Eyak

Gros Ventre

Havasupai

Hidatsa

Ho-Chunk(Winnebago)

Hopi

Illinois

Innu

Inupiat

Iroquois

Kansa

Kiowa

Klamath

Kutenai

Ktunaxa

Lakota(Sioux)

Lenape(Delaware)

Miami

Mandan

Massachuset

Micmad

Modoc

Muscogee(Creek)

Nakota

Narragansett

Natchez

Navajo

Nez Perce

Nootka

Nuxalk(Bella Coola)

Omaha

Oneida

Oneota

Osage

Ottawa

Paiute

Pawnee

Pequot

Pomo

Potawatomi

Puebloi

Seminole

Shoshone

Sauk and Fox
(Asakiwaki and Meshwahkihaki)

Secwepemc

Skidi Pawnee

Tohono O’odham(Papago)

Twana

Unangan(Aleut)

Utes

Wampanoag

Wichita

Yokuts

Yoruk

Yuma

Zuni

[ah-nee-shi-nah-bay]

[ep-sah-lo-kay]

[a-ræ-pah-ho (æ as in 'cat' or 'ash')]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[chair-oh-key]

[shy-anne]

[chick-a-saw]

[chI-nʊk (I='i' from 'it' and ʊ= 'oo' from 'book']

[n/a]

[chaulk-ta]

[n/a]

[ko-man-chi]

[n/a]

[kree]

[da-ko-ta]

[n/a (ah-patch-ee]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[ha-va-soo-pie ('oo' as in pool)]

[hi-dat-sah]

[hoe-chunk (win-na-bay-go)]

[ho-pee]

[il-la-noy]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[ir-uh-coy]

[n/a]

[ki-o-wa (ki--as in kite)]

[kla-mæth (æ as in 'cat' or 'ash')]

[kʊt-ən-ai (ʊ as in 'oo' from book and ə as in 'a' cat]

[n/a]

[la-ko-ta (soo*--'oo' as in rooster)]

[ləh-nah-pay (del-ah-wear)]

[My-am-ee]

[n/a]

[mæs-ah-chew-set (æ as in 'cat' or 'ash']

[n/a]

[n/a]

[mus-ko-gee]

[nah-ko-ta]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[na-va-hoe]

[nayz piers]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[oh-ma-ha]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[o-sa-ga]

[ah-to-wah]

[n/a]

[paw-nee]

[pəh-quote (ə as in 'a' hat]

[po-mo]

[pət-oh-wah-ta-mee (ə as in 'a' hat]

[pweb-loy]

[sem-in-ol]

[sho-sho-nay]

[n/a]
[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[wahm-pah-no-ahg]

[wI-chI-tah (I as in 'it')]

[yo-kʊts (ʊ as in 'oo' from book)]

[n/a]

[you-ma]

[zu-knee]



New World Tribes in Canada
Chipewyan (Dene)

Haida

Ingalik

Innu

Inuit

Kaska

Ktunaxa

Kutenai

Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl)

Micmac

Montagnais

Ottawa

Saulteaux

Secwepemc

Slavey

Wyandot (Huron)

[chi-pah-way-en (den-ay)]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[kʊt-ən-ai (ʊ as in 'oo' from book and ə as in 'a' cat]

[kwa-kwa-ka-wak]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]

[n/a]