The
Massachusett language is an
Algonquian language of the
Algic language family, formerly spoken by several tribes inhabiting coastal regions of
Massachusetts, including
Cape Cod and the Islands. It was also commonly referred to as the
Natick,
Wômpanâak (Wampanoag),
Pokanoket, or
Indian language. The language was used by
John Eliot to print the first
Bible in the Americas in 1663. The adoption of the orthography of the Bible led to widespread literacy amongst the indigenous peoples of southern
New England. The language went extinct in the late 19th century, but is currently being revived by Wampanoag tribal member
Jessie Little Doe Baird, who started work on the Wômpanâak Language Reclamation Project in 1993. Classes for learners have been set up in four Wampanoag communities, and a handful of native speakers are now growing up in the language. An immersion charter school is set to open in 2015, with Wampanoag as the language of instruction for core subjects. As the school is a charter school, it will be available to both tribal and non-tribal citizens of regional Massachusetts.