Chapter 1 Quiz — Háu / Haŋ: Greetings & Identity¶
Part A — Multiple Choice (10 questions, 2 points each)¶
1. Which greeting does a Dakota woman use?
A) Háu
B) Haŋ
C) Pidámayaye
D) Háŋ
Answer: B — Haŋ (men say Háu)
2. How do you say 'thank you' in Dakota?
A) Háŋ
B) Hiyá
C) Pidámayaye
D) Tokhéya
Answer: C — Pidámayaye
3. What does Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ mean?
A) My name is
B) Seven Council Fires
C) All my relations
D) I am from
Answer: C — All my relations (introduced in Ch. 5 but previewed here)
4. How do you express 'my name is ___' in Dakota?
A) Táku eníčiyapi
B) ___ emáčiyapi
C) Tókheya yaúŋ
D) Mitiyóšpaye
Answer: B — emáčiyapi = "they call me"
5. How many Council Fires make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ?
A) 4
B) 5
C) 7
D) 12
Answer: C — 7
6. The tiyóšpaye is best described as:
A) A religious ceremony
B) A type of traditional dwelling
C) The extended family band — the basic unit of Dakota society
D) The Dakota national council
Answer: C
7. Dakota leadership before European contact was:
A) Hereditary — passed from father to son
B) Earned through demonstrated wisdom, bravery, and generosity
C) Elected by popular vote
D) Held by the eldest woman in each family
Answer: B
8. The Dakota pronoun iye refers to:
A) I / me
B) We (inclusive)
C) He / she / it (no gender distinction)
D) You all
Answer: C
9. Which of the four Dakota council fires means 'Spirit Lake Village'?
A) Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ
B) Waȟpékhute
C) Sisíthuŋwaŋ
D) Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ
Answer: A — Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ (Mdewakanton)
10. Why does Dakota express names passively ('they call me ') rather than actively ('my name is ')?
A) It is a grammatical accident with no cultural meaning
B) Dakota has no active verbs
C) Identity in Dakota is socially conferred by the community, not self-declared
D) The passive form is easier to pronounce
Answer: C
Part B — Fill in the Blank (3 questions, 5 points each)¶
11. To ask someone's name in Dakota: Táku ___ he?
Answer 11
Táku eníčiyapi he? — "What do they call you?"
12. The Dakota word for "no" is _______, and "yes" is _______.
Answer 12
No: Hiyá | Yes: Háŋ
13. The Očhéthi Šakówiŋ is the _______ Council Fires — the alliance of Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota peoples.
Answer 13
Seven (7)
Part C — Short Answer (3 questions, 10 points each)¶
14. Write a 4-line introductory dialogue in Dakota between a male and female speaker meeting for the first time. Include correct gender-appropriate greetings, name exchange, a farewell, and an English translation.
Answer 14
Sample:
| Dakota | English |
|--------|---------|
| A (m): Háu! Táku eníčiyapi he? | Hello! What is your name? |
| B (f): Haŋ! Maria emáčiyapi. Gíčhi? | Hello! My name is Maria. And you? |
| A: James emáčiyapi. Pidámayaye. | My name is James. Thank you. |
| B: Tokhéya! | Goodbye! |
15. Explain the gender speech distinction in Dakota. What forms does it take, and what does this tell us about the role of social categories in the language? (4–6 sentences)
Answer 15
Strong answers: men say Háu, women say Haŋ; extends to sentence-final particles (male -yelo/-lo, female -ye); not a hierarchy but a social distinction encoded in grammar; reflects traditional roles and speech contexts; contemporary speakers may use both forms fluidly; important for learners to recognize both.
16. Describe the pre-contact Dakota political structure. What is the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ? How was leadership organized? Why did U.S. treaty negotiators misunderstand this system? (4–6 sentences)
Answer 16
Strong answers: Očhéthi Šakówiŋ = Seven Council Fires; leadership was earned through wisdom/bravery/generosity, not inherited; no centralized bureaucracy — consensus-based; treaty negotiators expected hierarchical leadership and signed with individuals who lacked authority to speak for everyone; this misunderstanding was sometimes deliberate bad faith; resulted in disputed treaties still contested today.