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Home › Baby Names Directory › Sawatis

Sawatis

♂ Boy

Pronounced sah-WAH-tis

Meaning: Mohawk given name (adaptation of a saint's name used as a distinct community name)

In 30 seconds: Sawatis is a Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) personal name used in the communities of Akwesasne, Kahnawake, and Kanehsatake — a community-adapted name with roots in early Catholic contact.
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Origin Iroquois, Native American
MeaningMohawk given name (adaptation of a saint's name used as a distinct community name)

History & Origin

Sawatis is a Kanien'keha (Mohawk) personal name attested across the three historic Mohawk communities of Akwesasne, Kahnawake, and Kanehsatake. It appears in Kahnawake census records from the 19th century and in National Archives records of Mohawk students at the Carlisle Indian School. Like several names in these communities, it developed as a Mohawk phonological adaptation of a European personal name during the period of Catholic missionary contact, becoming a fully naturalized community name. A documented 19th-century bearer was a Kahnawake man who played lacrosse before Queen Victoria in 1876 and piloted the Nile Expedition's boats through Egyptian rapids in 1884.

Did you know? A Kahnawake Mohawk man named Sawatis was part of the Iroquois lacrosse team that played before Queen Victoria in 1876 and piloted boats through the Nile rapids for the British army in 1884.
U.S. National Archives — Carlisle Indian School Records — Sawatis listed as Mohawk, NY student name in Carlisle school records.Kahnawake census records (Academia.edu) — Sawatis listed as a male Mohawk name, age 44, in Kahnawake/Akwesasne census enumerations 1825–1871.

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

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If you like Sawatis…

Kahente— Mohawk (Kanien'keha) name from the same community naming tradition
Ohserase— Mohawk name also from the Kanien'keha tradition of renewal and community identity
Kahionhes— Mohawk name evoking the river landscapes of the same Kanien'kehá:ka homeland
Aionwatha— Haudenosaunee name from the broader confederacy tradition, same northeastern context

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Frequently Asked

What does Sawatis mean?

Sawatis is a Mohawk (Kanien'kehá:ka) personal name that developed as a community adaptation, likely of a European given name, during the period of Catholic missionary presence in Mohawk communities. It became a distinct Mohawk community name.

How do you pronounce Sawatis?

sah-WAH-tis. Three syllables with stress on the second.

Where is Sawatis used as a name?

Sawatis appears in the Mohawk communities of Akwesasne (St. Regis), Kahnawake (Caughnawaga), and Kanehsatake — the three major Kanien'kehá:ka communities in Quebec and New York.

Is there a historical bearer of the name Sawatis?

Yes. A Kahnawake man named Sawatis is documented as a member of the Iroquois lacrosse team that played before Queen Victoria in 1876, and as a voyageur who piloted boats through Nile rapids for the British army in 1884.

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