Wendake

Translation into Wendat is not available at this time. For more information about Indigenous languages in Canada please visit: Indigenous languages - Canada.ca or International Decade of Indigenous Languages - Canada.ca.

Wendake is an important cultural reference for the Wendat nation. Its literal meaning is "the island" in the Wendat language. They believe that the land on which all humanity lived was an island called Wendake on which a woman named Ataentsic had descended from a celestial world. This island was the back of a giant turtle which, at the request of the animals (all aquatic at that time), had provided a landing place for Ataentsic. The humblest of these animals, the toad, was able to dive deep enough to collect silt, which was then spread on the shell of the great turtle. This island grew to form the world as known to the first inhabitants. The Wendat are currently in the process of revitalizing their language.