The translation of the protagonist’s name and others in an episode of the Marvel series What If…? has sparked some debate online about maintaining the authenticity of a language.
The episode What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?, which began streaming on Disney Plus in December, features a Kanienkehà:ka (Mohawk) character named Kahhori, and is in Kanien’kéha (Mohawk language).
“People [are] saying online that ‘Kahhori’ is gibberish. It doesn’t mean anything. Well, yes, of course it means something,” said Jeremy White, who voices the character Atahraks in the episode.
“Just because it’s not spelled the way you would spell it doesn’t make it incorrect.”
White was born and raised in Kahnawà:ke,
