Lekhikàn · the ninth book
Moabe Aptunakana
the words of Moabe
The Moabe to English Dictionary
Preface
Moabe is the sacred tongue of Mikumwakàn, the church of the Moor Essential Community. It grows from words the ancestors give, carried in Lenape, Nanticoke, and Algonquin, and from new words the church forms on those roots.
The church itself carries its name in this tongue: Mikumwakàn, remembrance, from the Lenape mikum-, to remind, with the ending -wakàn that turns an action into a living quality.
A people who speak a borrowed language think borrowed thoughts. Moabe exists so that our rites, our calendar, our titles, and our teachings on cosmology, suv'eranty, and agriculture are spoken in words that carry our own meaning.
This first edition gathers 160 entries from the ancestral sources the church holds. Every word records where it originates, so that the ancestors are honored and the language can grow truthfully. Later editions will add words, audio, and translations into other languages.
How to read an entry
Each entry gives the Moabe word, its English meaning, its part of speech, and its source mark. The source mark tells you whether the word comes directly from an ancestral tongue or originates with the church.
| Mark | Source | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| L | Lenape (Delaware) | A living language; words taken as the Lenape speak them |
| N | Nanticoke | Preserved in records of the 1700s and 1800s; pronunciation uncertain |
| A | Algonquin | A related Algonquian language |
| W | Washitaw class teachings | Taught in the community's language classes; outside origin not yet traced |
| M | Moabe coinage | Formed by the church from ancestral roots; not claimed as traditional |
Parts of speech: n. noun, v. verb, adj. adjective, pron. pronoun, part. particle, phr. phrase. An animate noun (people, animals, and some sacred things) is marked anim.; an inanimate noun is marked inan.
Sounds of Moabe
Moabe follows the Lenape sound system, since most of its words come from Lenape. Every vowel is pronounced fully; weakening a vowel can change a word's meaning.
| Letter | Sounds like |
|---|---|
| a | a in father |
| à | a in what |
| e | e in Spanish, close to a in Kate |
| è | e in net |
| ë | e in roses (a soft, short sound) |
| i | i in police |
| ì | i in pit |
| o | o in note |
| ò | au in caught |
| u | u in tune |
| ù | u in put |
| aw | ow in cow |
| ay | eye |
| č, ch | ch in char, or j in jar |
| kw | qu in queen |
| š, sh | sh in shy |
| x | ch in German ach; a breath from the back of the throat |
Voicing. After m or n, the sounds k, p, t, s, and ch soften into g, b, d, z, and j. So ntun (my mouth) is said ndun, and mpi (water) is said mbi.
Stress. Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable and is gentle, marked by a slightly higher pitch rather than force.
Grammar foundations
Pronouns. The pronoun adds emphasis; the verb already carries who is acting.
| Moabe | English |
|---|---|
| ni | I |
| ki | you |
| nèka | he, she |
| nilùna | we (not including you) |
| kilùna | we (including you) |
| kilùwa | you all |
| nèkàmò | they |
Moabe has two words for "we." Nilùna leaves the listener out; kilùna gathers the listener in. In ceremony, facilitators speak kilùna, because the whole circle is one.
Verbs by person. Prefixes mark who acts: n- for I, k- for you, and no prefix for he or she. From pil- (to be clean): npilsi, I am clean; kpilsi, you are clean; pilsu, she or he is clean.
Possession. The same prefixes mean my, your, and his or hers. Some words must always be possessed: body parts and family members. One cannot say "a heart" alone, only my heart, your heart, or her heart.
Plurals. Animate nouns usually add -ak: ahas (crow), ahasak (crows). Inanimate nouns usually add -a: hèmpës (shirt), hèmpsa (shirts).
Animate and inanimate. Every noun is either living (anim.) or not living (inan.). People and animals are always animate. Some things English treats as objects, such as a feather or a tree, are animate. The dictionary marks each.
The dictionary
Sacred terms of the church
These terms name the church's offices, rites, and seasons. Terms marked proposed await the church's decision.
Offices
| Moabe | Meaning | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuhàm Circle | The matriarchal council; from nuhàm, my grandmother | L root, M term | Proposed |
| First Grandmother | The elder who leads the Nuhàm Circle | M | Proposed |
| Welteh | Facilitator of the third degree, Naxa; "the good heart," from weli + teh | M | Proposed |
| Lapèmkwës | Facilitator of the second degree, Nìsha; "the useful one," from the vow | M | Proposed |
| Pìlsit | Facilitator of the first degree, Kweti; "the clean one," from pil- | M | Proposed |
| Kweti, Nìsha, Naxa degree | First, second, and third degree of facilitator | L | Proposed |
Rites and spoken words
| Moabe | Use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| gata lapèmkwësi | "I want to be useful": the facilitator's ordination vow | L |
| nteluwensi ___ | "I am called ___": spoken when a title is received | W |
| npìlsi | "I am clean": spoken after water purification | L |
| òngùndëwakàn | The empowering intention spoken over the people to close every gathering | L |
| wanishi / yuh | Call and response of gratitude | L |
| nuwatun | "I know it": the declaration of awakening | L |
| kilùna | "We, including you": spoken in ceremony to gather the whole circle | L |
Seasons and cosmos
| Moabe | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| mëlingwèm | Green corn; the season of the young harvest | L |
| nìpën | Summer | L |
| wee-saw-panu | Autumn | N |
| wawpaney | Daybreak; the light returning | N |
| samp-oo-somow | Darkness; the fertile dark of the new moon | N |
| tibik-kìzis | Moon, "night sun" | A |
The calendar's moon names, station names, and new year name will be added here as the Sacred Calendar is written. The year begins when the sun enters Aries at the spring equinox.
Greetings and essential phrases
| Moabe | English | When to use | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isla, fa hu lan | Peace, how is your spirit? | Greeting to facilitators and clergy | W |
| Isla | Peace | Opening and closing; any greeting | W |
| Hè | Hello | Everyday greeting | L |
| Weli Kishku | Good day | Everyday greeting | W |
| Kulamàlsi hèch? | Are you well? How are you? | Asking after someone | L |
| Nulamàlsi | I am well | Answer to kulamàlsi hèch | L |
| Nteluwensi ___ | I am called ___ | Formal introduction | W |
| Kèku hèch kteluwensi? | What are you called? | Formal request for a name | W |
| Wanishi | Thank you | Gratitude | L |
| Yuh | You're welcome; okay | Reply to wanishi | L |
| Ahikta | Yes (formal) | Formal affirmation | W |
| Kpentamen hèch? | Do you understand? | Teaching | W |
| Mpentamen | I understand it | Teaching | W |
| Nuwi | Come here | Calling someone in, especially a child | L |
| Mitsitàm | Let's eat | Before a shared meal | L |
| Xu làpi knèwël | I will see you again | Parting | L |
The statement of Mikumwakàn
Mikumwakàn's statement opens every gathering, spoken first in Moabe and then in English.
Kilùna, mayày ta kulhatènamihëna òk wanishi. Lapi òk lapi, nutëmwakàn d' Xìnkwi Uwatuwakàn. Milinèn manitu Isla, Pèthakhòn, òk Xàskwim, Këkhitaholtëwakàn, Tuhwepia Kikehwakàn, òk Nuhàm Uwatuwakàn. Xkwithakamìka: kweti, pìlët, nishkàhëna. Wanishi.
We are beyond happy and grateful for the constant guidance and protection of the infinite intelligence and the gift of creating peace, power, and prosperity through unconditional love, cellular healing, and ancestral wisdom in service of creating a world of unity, integrity, and perfect harmony.
Words added with the statement
| Moabe | English | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| aholtëwakàn | love; love that flows between people | n. | L (Talking Dictionary) |
| ahol- | to love | v. | L (Talking Dictionary) |
| këkhit- | greatly, very much | prefix | L (Talking Dictionary) |
| Këkhitaholtëwakàn | unconditional love; love without measure; the peak of love each moon, the moon in harmony with the sun, root of the three fruits Isla, Pèthakhòn, and Xàskwim | n. | M, from këkhit- + aholtëwakàn |
| kikeh- | to heal | v. | L (Talking Dictionary) |
| Kikehwakàn | healing | n. | M, from kikeh- + -wakàn |
| wëlamàlsuhe | he or she makes people well; a healer | v. | L (Talking Dictionary) |
| nutëm- | to guard | v. | L (Talking Dictionary) |
| Nutëmwakàn | protection | n. | M, from nutëm- + -wakàn |
| kënaxala | you watch over her or him; you take care of her or him | v. | L (Talking Dictionary) |
| Uwatuwakàn | knowing | n. | M, from nuwatun (I know it) + -wakàn |
| Xìnkwi Uwatuwakàn | the Great Knowing; the infinite intelligence | n. | M, from xìnkwi (great) + uwatuwakàn |
| Nuhàm Uwatuwakàn | the knowing of the grandmothers; ancestral wisdom | n. | M |
| Tuhwepia Kikehwakàn | healing of the body; cellular healing | n. | M, from tuhwepia (body, W) + kikehwakàn |
| kulhatènamihëna | we all are happy | v. | M, formed on the Lenape pattern; to confirm with a speaker |
| mayày ta | indeed, truly, very much so | part. | L |
| milinèn | give us | v. | L |
| manitu | to make, to build | v. | L |
| lapi òk lapi | again and again | phr. | W |
| d' | of, for | part. | W |
| xkwithakamìka | on the earth | n. | L |
| pìlët | it is clean; whole in body and ceremony | v. | L |
| nishkàhëna | we dance together; perfect harmony | v. | L |
The ending -wakàn turns an action into a living quality, as in òngùndëwakàn and aholtëwakàn. Moabe uses it to form healing, protection, and knowing from their Lenape roots. A word for guidance remains open for the second edition.
Sources and acknowledgment
Moabe stands on languages that belong first to their own peoples. The church honors the Lenape, whose language is still spoken and taught today by the Delaware Tribe, the Delaware Nation, and Lenape communities in Canada. It honors the Nanticoke, whose words survive in records from the 1700s and 1800s, and the Algonquin, whose language is a close relative.
Words marked L, N, and A are used with gratitude and are never claimed as the church's invention. Words marked M are the church's own and are never presented as traditional. Words marked W come from the community's language classes; where their outside origin is traced, the mark will be updated.
Sources held by the church for this edition
-
Washitaw, Lenape and Nanticoke Language (compiled worksheets, with a Lenape dictionary drawn from C.L. and N.T.D. entries)
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United Washitaw Language class notes
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United Washitaw Language, Algonquin Vowels
-
The Washitaw People
Source for the second edition
- Lenape Talking Dictionary, built with Lenape speakers and holding audio for correct pronunciation
Path to the online multilingual edition
The online edition will let anyone search Moabe from English, Spanish, French, Arabic, or any language the church adds. Every entry in this edition is already shaped to carry that:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Moabe word | òngùndëwakàn |
| Meaning in each language | English: an empowering intention · Spanish: una intención que empodera |
| Type | n. |
| Source mark | L |
| Root and related words | òngùndëwakàn is the noun; related verbs to be added |
| Pronunciation audio | recorded by a trained facilitator |
| Sacred use | the empowering intention that closes every gathering |
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Choose the primary Moabe form where two tongues give a word, such as sun (aquechque, kìzis, kishux).
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Fill the gaps for earth, sky, star, spirit, prayer, ancestor, seed, and womb.
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Add the calendar's moon and station names.
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Record pronunciation audio for every entry.
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Add the first translation languages.
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Publish the searchable online dictionary on the church's own site.