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North American Native Languages Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
North American Native Languages Quizzes, Trivia

North American Native Languages Trivia

North American Native Languages Trivia Quizzes

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Did you know that there are over 150 indigenous languages spoken across North America today? Our fun and fascinating quizzes will take you on a journey through diverse dialects, unique expressions, and cultural insights.
5 quizzes and 50 trivia questions.
1.
  Code-talking in Diné (Navajo) editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
During WWII, Navajo Native Americans made up a code based on words in their language that resembled the military terms they were describing, such as "iron fish" for "submarine". Here we'll match the code word back to its original term.
Average, 10 Qns, PDAZ, Feb 20 12
Average
PDAZ gold member
4570 plays
2.
  A Sample of Native American Animal Words    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Can you match the Native American animal word with its English name?
Average, 10 Qns, November4, Nov 14 16
Average
November4
180 plays
3.
  Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
If you love western movies and novels you should be familiar with these Native American language names, all extinct or with just a handful of active speakers.
Difficult, 10 Qns, zordy, Dec 14 06
Difficult
zordy gold member
519 plays
4.
  Speak Cree    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here is a basic language lesson in Cree language. It should be noted that there is no capitalization in Cree and therefore all answers (including interesting info) will be in lower case.
Tough, 10 Qns, apathy100, Mar 17 06
Tough
apathy100 gold member
370 plays
5.
  Lakhota For Beginners, Part 1    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Anpetu Waste! Here is a simple quiz of some common Lakhota words and phrases. Hope you enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, amargi, Mar 24 09
Average
amargi
267 plays
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North American Native Languages Trivia Questions
1. Not surprisingly, the Navajo Code Talkers used their native words for birds to describe planes. The word "gini" was used to describe dive bombers that would attack by diving at their targets. What type of bird is a "gini"?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Hawk

The term "gini" indicates a hawk, with "ginitsoh" meaning sparrow hawk and "ginilbahi" meaning goshawk. The official Navajo Code Talkers website lists "gini" as meaning "chicken hawk". Note: Navajo uses extensive diacritical marks that do not show up correctly on this website, so they aren't included in this quiz.

2. This could have been the language of Magua in "The Last of the Mohicans".

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Wyandot or Huron

The Hurons, unfortunate tribe swept away by European diseases and Iroquois warfare, were the evil ones in James Fenimore Cooper novel, since they fought for the French side in the French and Indian War. The languages with its two dialects disappeared in the XX century, according to Ethnologue.com.

3. To describe agile fighter planes, the Navajo Code Talkers used the term "dah yiitihi". What type of swift bird is a "dah yiitihi"?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Hummingbird

To the Code Talkers' eyes, the movements of the fighter planes probably resembled those of a hummingbird that could zip this way and that. Hummingbirds are also known for being ferocious defenders of their territories, so the use of "hummingbird" as a code for a fighter plane was a good fit.

4. Buildings: If a Cree person was telling you that they were being brought to the "ahkosiwikamik", where would they be going?

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: hospital

If a Cree person were to tell you that they were to go to the other choices, they would be heading to the following: -School (kiskinwahamatowikamik) -Jail (kipahotowikamik) -Store (atawewikamik)

5. Sent by President Jefferson to explore the West in 1805, Lewis and Clark were guests of this tribe for the winter, and the Fort they built bore the same name. The language is nearly extinct.

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Mandan

A Siouan language, it had 6 elderly speakers in 1992.

6. Days of the week: ayamihewikisikaw, peyakokisikaw, nisokisikaw, nistokisikaw, _________. How would you finish off the days of the week?

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: newokisikaw, niyananokisikaw, matinawikisikaw

ayamihewikisikaw (Sunday), peyakokisikaw (Monday), nisokisikaw (Tuesday), nistokisikaw (Wednesday), newokisikaw (Thursday), niyananokisikaw (Friday), matinawikisikaw (Saturday).

7. To come up with the code for "fortification", Navajo Code Talkers used a term to describe a type of fortification they had seen on their own lands, "ah na sozi". What does "ah na sozi" mean?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Cliff dwelling

This term comes from "anaasazi" meaning "cliff dwellers/ancient people/enemy ancestors". The Anasazi people built cliff dwellings in the area of the current Navajo Nation in the years before the Navajo moved to the area.

8. It is an "Osni" night, and there are many "Wichapi" in the sky. What is "Osni" and "Wichapi"?

From Quiz Lakhota For Beginners, Part 1

Answer: Cold and Stars

Osni(ohsh-nee) means cold weather, Wichapi (wee-cha-pee) is Lakhota for stars.

9. Pocahontas spoke this language.

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Powhatan

Also called Virginia Algonquian, it's an extinct language.

10. Greetings and Politeness: If I was to say "ta'nisi", and you were to respond to me by saying "m'on ana'ntaw", what would we be saying to each other?

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: "How are you?", " Hi, Fine"

ta'nisi in english literally means "how?" If we were to say "kinana'skomitin", we would be saying "thank you" to someone. To be polite when talking about seeing someone again, you would say "ki'htwa'm ka-wa'pamitin". e'kosi is the proper way to say "that's how" in Cree.

11. Navajo Code Talkers used aquatic creatures to describe ships. Aircraft carriers were called bird carriers because they carried planes ("birds"). Battleships were called "loo'tsoh" because of their size. What type of creature is a "loo'tsoh"?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Whale

Loo'tsoh also describes a large fish. Other ship names in Navajo code were "ca lo" meaning shark for a destroyer and "chaa" meaning beaver for a mine sweeper.

12. The Lakhota people belong to a larger group whose name means, 'The seven places of fire'. How do you say this ?

From Quiz Lakhota For Beginners, Part 1

Answer: Oceti Sakowin

Zaptan is 5, Sagloga is 8, and Nepcunka is 9.

13. Another language that was heard by Lewis and Clark expedition members. Also called Ree. What was it?

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Arikara

It is nearly extinct caddoan language. Just to underline my non-scientific approach, I remember the Arikaras as the evil ones in the movie "Man in the Wilderness" starring Richard Harris.

14. The Weather: If I was to tell you "kimiwan" and you were to reply by saying "mo'n~a mispon", what would we be saying to each other?

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: "It is raining", "No, it is snowing"

"mo'n~a" is the Cree word for "no". "e'he" is Cree for "yes". "wa'se'skwan" is Cree for "it is sunny"

15. To describe a cable, such as those used for towing, Navajo Code Talkers used the term "beesh loh" which described what the men saw when they looked at a cable. What does "beesh loh" mean?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Wire rope

"Beesh" means wire, and "loh" means noose/rope. The word "tlool" more distinctly describes rope; it also means cord, string or twine. The use of "loh" might have been to emphasize the end of the cable.

16. "Paha Sapa" has always been sacred to the Lakhota people. What is "Paha Sapa" ?

From Quiz Lakhota For Beginners, Part 1

Answer: The Black Hills

Although all of these places are special, 'He Sapa Wakan' - The Heart of Everything That Is - Paha Sapa, The sacred Black Hills, Is the Holy land of the Lakhota people.

17. This is a nearly extinct Siouan language of Oklahoma. What is it?

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Osage

It had just five living speakers in the Nineties.

18. Opposites: If you were to see the following two terms on a bulletin board in a Cree community, what would they most likely mean? "anohc" and "wa'pahke"

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: "today" and "tomorrow"

"anohc" is Cree for today while "wa'pahke" is Cree for tomorrow. The Cree word for "yesterday" is "ota'hkosi'hk". "e'he" is Cree for "yes", while "mo'n~a" is Cree for "no". "pi'htikwe" is Cree for "Enter!", while "wan'awi" is Cree for "go out".

19. The Navajo Code Talkers' word for bombs, "ayeezhii", was based on the delivery of the bombs as they were dropped from planes. Since planes were named for birds, what does "ayeezhii" mean?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Eggs

Since the planes delivered the bombs, and the planes were birds, the bombs that came from the planes were eggs. The word "ayeezhii" also refers to testicle.

20. Who or What: If you were sitting at the table with your younger child and said "masinahikan o'ma", what would you be saying?

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: "This is a book"

The incorrect answers can be said as follows: "awe'na ana" is Cree for "Who is that?" "pi'sim ana" is Cree for "That is the sun or the moon" "atim na'ha" is Cree for "That is a dog in the distance"

21. To describe a grenade, Navajo Code Talkers focused on the shape of the weapon and came up with the vegetable "nimasii". What does the word "nimasii" mean?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Potato

The singular was used; the plural term would be "nimasiitsoh". Other vegetables which found their way into the code were onion "tl'ohchin" used for the letter "O" and squash "naayizi" for squadron.

22. This is the most endangered among Iroquois languages.

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Tuscarora

None of the five tribes of the Iroquois (including Mohawks) can see a bright future for its language, but Tuscarora is very near to extinction. To avoid it, in North Carolina they are teaching Tuscarora to children.

23. Who or What: If you were standing on the sidewalk talking to a friend and you said "nima'ma'ana", what would you be saying to your friend?

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: "This is my mother"

You could use these particular sentences when introducing one to your family members: "nipa'pa'awa" would be the proper way to say "This is my father". "nikosis awa" would be the proper way to say "This is my son". "nita'nis na'ha" would be the proper way to say "That's my daughter in the distance".

24. The Navajo word "ch'eeh dighahii" was used as the code for a tank because of the protective coating shared by both. Given the desert environment where the Navajo lived, what is a "ch'eeh dighahii"?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Tortoise

"Ch'eeh dighahii" also means turtle and the word "tsisteel" is also used for both animals. Other "herps" that made the code list include snake "tl'iish" for the letter "S" and frog "ch'al" for "amphibious".

25. This extinct language of Maine was spoken by a fierce tribe that always fought on the French side against the English.

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Eastern Abnaki

Western Abnaki is nearly extinct in Canada.

26. Illness: If I was to say the following in regards to illness, what would I be saying? "kito'takikomin na"

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: "Do you have a cold?"

"kimin~o-aya'n na" is Cree for "have you recovered?" "ki'skwe'pe'w" means "they are drunk" in Cree. "kita'hkosin na" is asking a person "are you sick?".

27. Pontoons are air-filled structures used to create bridges and piers. The Navajo Code Talkers called pontoons "toshjeeh dah naa'eel" based on a resemblance in appearance to the pontoons. What does "toshjeeh dah naa'eel" mean?

From Quiz Code-talking in Diné (Navajo)

Answer: Floating barrel

"Toshjeeh" means barrel, and "dah naa'eel" means "it floats". The incorrect choices are more amusing, but the Navajo Code Talkers went for the obvious choice and described what they saw: a floating barrel.

28. This language of the Algonquian family was spoken by a tribe sharing a name with a city in Florida.

From Quiz Extinct or nearly extinct Languages of the USA

Answer: Miami

It was not a language of Florida, but it was spoken in Indiana, Oklahoma, Illinois and Iowa.

29. Communities: "opaskiyaw" is the Cree word for which Northern Manitoba community?

From Quiz Speak Cree

Answer: The Pas

Some other Cree communities in Manitoba are: "misi-pawastik" (Grand Rapids) "moso-sakahikan" (Moose Lake) "nisicowasihk" (Nelson House) "panipawi-nipiy" (Oxford House) "tataskwiyaw" (Split Lake)

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