The Miami are sometimes known as the "Crane People" |
The Miami language is part of a larger language family known as
Algonquin. Several languages such as the Kickapoo, Mesquakie, Ojibway, Potawatomi, and Shawnee
are similar to Miami and also part of the Algonquin family. Many words belonging to the Algonquin
family are made of several parts or morphemes, each meaning something different. For example,
three long Miami words can mean "I am tired, I am going to bed."
But there is more to language than how it is constructed. The Miami language is an important
part of the Miami culture; it is part of the Miami's
origin
, name
, family
, and even interaction with French and English
traders
beginning in 1654. |