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Tekahionwake

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Tekahionwake Pronunciation

Tekahionwake is pronounced teh-gah-hee-ON-wah-geh

Meaning: double wampum

In 30 seconds: A Mohawk name meaning 'double wampum,' borne by the celebrated poet E. Pauline Johnson, who performed under both her Mohawk and English identities.

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Origin Iroquois, Native American

Meaningdouble wampum

History & Origin

Tekahionwake is a Kanyen'keha name meaning 'double wampum' — a reference to the shell-bead belts used in Haudenosaunee diplomacy, ceremony, and identity. Wampum belts ratified treaties and recorded history with spiritual authority; a name of double wampum suggests a doubled significance or dual recorded identity. It was the ancestral Mohawk name of E. Pauline Johnson (1861–1913), the daughter of a Mohawk clan chief and an English mother, who became the first Indigenous Canadian writer published internationally. Her theatrical act embodied the duality: she performed as Tekahionwake in Indigenous dress, then returned as Pauline Johnson in Victorian attire — two streams, one person.

Did you know? Pauline Johnson staged her performances in two halves: the first in Mohawk dress as Tekahionwake, then after intermission in Victorian evening wear — embodying 'double' in her very name.

Wikipedia — E. Pauline Johnson — Biography of Tekahionwake/Pauline Johnson including etymology, performances, and cultural legacyThe Canadian Encyclopedia — Pauline Johnson — Authoritative Canadian reference on her dual identity, career, and designation as Person of National Historic Significance

If you like Tekahionwake…

Karihwiiosta— Mohawk name meaning 'she tends the wampum,' sharing the same wampum-belt tradition

Kahente— Kanyen'keha name for a woman who leads, resonating with Pauline Johnson's pioneering life

Kaniehtiio— Mohawk name meaning 'she is good,' from the same Kanyen'keha naming tradition

Konwatsi'tsiaiénni— A Mohawk name of poetic beauty from the same Haudenosaunee tradition

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Frequently Asked

How do you pronounce Tekahionwake?

Tekahionwake is pronounced teh-gah-hee-ON-wah-geh. Press play above to hear Tekahionwake said aloud.

How do you say Tekahionwake?

Tekahionwake is said teh-gah-hee-ON-wah-geh. Press play above to hear Tekahionwake said aloud.

What does Tekahionwake mean?

'Double wampum' in Kanyen'keha (Mohawk) — wampum belts were sacred shell-bead records used in Haudenosaunee diplomacy and ceremony.

Who was Tekahionwake?

The ancestral Mohawk name of E. Pauline Johnson (1861–1913), poet and the first Indigenous Canadian writer to be published internationally.

Is Tekahionwake a boy's or girl's name?

It was borne by Pauline Johnson as a feminine identity, though Haudenosaunee ancestral names carry clan lineage rather than strict gender assignment.