Kwakiutl is a Northern Wakashan language spoken by about 200 people at the north end of Vancouver Island and adjacent areas on the mainland. They call themselves Kwakwaka'wakw, (lit. 'the people who speak the language Kwak'wala'). Most of the Kwakiutl speakers are elderly and the language is used mainly for public speaking and singing at potlatches, funerals and church services.
La̱´maa̱n´s g̱wagwixs´alał lax̱ g̱wix´ida´as´wa̱łsa̱n gukwa̱lutida Da´naxda´x̱w lax̱ Dzawadi, le ḵ̓iḵ̓eḵa̱lasa loła ´yexwa̱x̱sa loł t̓a̱p̓idux̱da hestalisex̱ ´wi´la. We g̱wała̱l´mis ḵ̓otła̱lax̱s hiłila´metł, le gukwilida Dzawadalalistła. Mukwi sasa̱mas. La̱m om dida´la̱msis gukwa̱lut wa´okwa̱x̱s le ´la̱ḵasa t̓łiḵ̓a lax̱is dzuxwa̱msg̱a̱m, ḵu´la t̓a̱p̓idtł. Wa̱yuḵ̓wa̱sida wa´okw he g̱wix´idtłi. La̱m ḵ̓otła̱li Dzawadalalisax̱ ga̱n´s gig̱adex. "Gi´yi", nik x̱an´s gig̱a̱ma´yi. We, la̱m ´yugwa̱x´ida, ol ´yugwa. Ugwaḵ̓a̱la´mida xwak̓wa̱na la yatłudala x̱is dzuxwa̱m lak. Mut̓saḵida xwak̓wa̱na. La̱m ´ma̱nida biba̱gwana̱m x̱a da̱nas kas mugwana̱we´.
Source: http://www.languagegeek.com/wakashan/kwakwalatext.html
Information about the Kwakiutl Language
http://www.languagegeek.com/wakashan/kwakwala.html
Kwakiutl Tales (in English)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/nw/kt/
Reversing Language Shift: Can Kwak'wala Be Revived
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_4.html
The Kwakiutl - information about the Kwakiutl people
http://curtis.library.northwestern.edu/
Ditidaht, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Kwak̓wala, Liqʼwala, Makah, Nuu-Chah-Nulth, Oowekyala
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 23.04.21
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