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The Dhegihan languages are a group of Siouan languages that include Kansa language–Osage language, Omaha–Ponca, and Quapaw language. Their historical region included parts of the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys, the Great Plains, and southeastern North America. The shared Dhegihan migration story places them as a united group in the late 1600s near the confluence of the Ohio River and Tennessee River rivers (southern Illinois and western Kentucky) which then moved westward towards the Missouri River, and separated into different bands. However, some oral traditions and archeological evidence indicate that Dhegihan speaking peoples may have migrated west out of the Ohio River Valley much earlier.
The Dhegihan languages were first described and classified as Siouan languages by James Dorsey in 1885.McMillan, R. Bruce (2014). "Migration Legends and the Origins of Missouri’s Siouan-Speaking Tribes." The Missouri Archaeologist, Vol. 75, p. 5. According to Dorsey, "Degiha" translates to "Belonging to the people of this land" or "Those who dwell here" in Omaha-Ponca.NAA MS 4800 59. "Three drafts of On the Comparative Phonology of Four Siouan Languages - James O. Dorsey papers, circa 1870-1956, bulk 1870-1895." National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution. Other dialectical variants recorded by Dorsey with the same translation include "Ye-ga-ha" (Kansa), "De-ka-ha" (Osage), and "Ugapa" (Quapaw).
Kansa and Osage are mutually intelligible,Hardy, Heather K. and Scancarelli, Janine (2005) "Native American languages of the southeastern United States", p. 455. meaning that they are two distinct Dialect of a single language. The same is true for Omaha and Ponca.
The 2nd Annual Dhegiha Gathering in 2012 brought Kansa, Quapaw, Osage, Ponca and Omaha speakers together to share best practices in language revitalization.
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