Kiwat Hasinay Foundation

"The relationships of language to experience are essential to understanding Hasinai history and society. The added insights provided by the Hasinai words for objects and actions offer a glimpse into the richness that characterizes their world. The traditional essence of the people is passed from generation to generation through language as well as through genetics."

- Vynola Newkumet and Howard Meredith
Hasinai: A Traditional History of the Caddo Confederacy

• Those interested in obtaining a one-page guide to the Caddo alphabet may do so here or by sending a self-addressed stamped
envelope to: Kiwat Hasinay Foundation, PO Box 305, Binger, OK, 73009. The above link is a pdf file that can be opened in Adobe
Reader. If you do not have this program, you may download it for free: here.

Examples of slight dialectal differences are as follows:

Hasinai	Natchitoche	Kadohadacho	English
note'-tsi	na'm-tsi	na'-ot-si	bear
wah'-dooh	ma-do'	wa-do	wildcat
wah-dut	ma'-dat	wa'-dat	dirt

The ? symbolizes glottal stops - for example the pause between the syllables "uh oh" would read "uh?oh."

Greetings and Basic Phrases

Kúha?ahat? : hello	ha?ahat ts'i? ahya?ti?! : Good morning
Nàawih! : Welcome!	Háht'aybáws ah. : It's good to see you.
Sisímbak'ihah? : What is your name?	Kúmbak'ihah ___. : My name is ___.
Díi dikat da?ah? : What is this?	Díi ___ da? ah. : This is a ___.
Náh sídímbak'ihah? : What is that called?	Díi ___ say? ah? : Is this a __?
aháy : yes	hunna? : no
núkkah : I don't know	háwwih : thank you

Numbers

wísts'i? : one	bit : two
dahaw? : three	hiwi? : four
díssik'an : five	dánkih : six
bíssik'ah : seven	dahàwsik'ah : eight
híiwìsik'ah : nine	bináy?ah : ten

Animals

miyu? : cat	dìitsi? : dog
nu? : turkey	da? : deer
táshah : wolf, coyote	ut : raccoon
wihit : skunk	iwi? : eagle

Colors

hakáayuh : white	hadikuh : black
banushah : blue	hatinu? : red
hak'aykuh : yellow	hasik'uh : green
hakuunu? : brown	dakánk'uh : purple

Food

kapíi : coffee	kùukuh : water
tsúutsuh : milk	dáshkatti?ti : cracker, cookie
dáshkat kayust'uh : frybread	kisi? : corn
i? : potato	na?ah : grapes
nidimbin : jerky, poundmeat	widish : salt

Kúsinah : That's enough!