Yanktonai

noun

Yank·​to·​nai ˌyaŋk-tə-ˈnā 

plural Yanktonai or Yanktonais

: a member of a Dakota people of the upper Midwestern United States

Examples of Yanktonai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1958, Yanktonai Dakota artist Oscar Howe entered a Native art competition at the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. —Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Dakota ihą́ktʰųwąna, a Yanktonai self-designation, literally, "little village on the end," from ihą́ke "on the end" + tʰųwą́ "village" + -na, diminutive suffix

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above