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Wyoming Native Animal Words

Here are the American Indian names of six native animals of Wyoming. We have given their names in three different Indian languages: Cheyenne, Shoshone, and Ute.

Two of these Native Wyoming languages are related to the Uto-Aztecan language family, and the other two are not. Can you guess which languages are relatives by looking at the animal names on this page? (Hint: Not every word will sound similar even in closely related languages, so you will need to look at several different animals to figure it out!) You can find the answer on this page: The Uto-Aztecan languages.

Wyoming Native Animal Names


Cheyenne: váótséva (pronounced vow-tseh-vah)
Shoshone: deheya' (pronounced duh-huh-yah)
Ute: tüiyü (pronounced tuh-ee-yuh)

Cheyenne: vóhkoohe (pronounced voh-koh-heh)
Shoshone: daa'bu (pronounced dah-boo)
Ute: tavu (pronounced tah-voo)

Cheyenne: hotóva'a (pronounced hoh-toh-vah-ah)
Shoshone: quchu (pronounced koo-choo)
Ute: kuchü (pronounced koo-chuh)

Cheyenne: ó'kôhóme (pronounced oh-koh-meh)
Shoshone: izhape' (pronounced ee-zhah-puh)
Ute: yog'ovü (pronounced yoh-goh-vuh)

Cheyenne: voaxáa'e (pronounced voh-ah-khah-eh)
Shoshone: kwinaa (pronounced kwee-nah)
Ute: kwana (pronounced kwah-nah)

Cheyenne: méstahke (pronounced meh-stah-keh)
Shoshone: mumbichi (pronounced moom-bee-chee)
Ute: muupüchi (pronounced moo-puh-chee)

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