Guide to the Indigenous Materials at the American Philosophical Society

Description: This volume contains extracts of Benjamin Smith Barton's "New Views of the Origin of the Tribes and Nations of America" (Philadelphia, 1797), with additions by Peter S. Du Ponceau. The bulk of the volume is comprised of word list of 54 words with equivalents listed in a range of 50-70 languages. While Barton listed no authority, Du Ponceau cited sources. Languages with words listed include Chitimacha, Atakapa, Cherokee, Osage, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Nottoway, Kansa, Omaha, Dakota, Pawnee, Nanticoke, Gros Ventres, Miami, Mi'kmaq, Seminole, Quapaw, Yuchi, Delaware, Ojibwe, Shawnee, Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Tuscarora, Natches, Wyandot, Creek, Mahican, Mohegan, and many others. The word list includes the terms for God, heaven, and sky, as well as various terms relating to kinship, parts of the body, weather, and more. The volume also includes notes on sounds of the Otomi (Othomi) observations on declension; observations about the Omaha, Kansa, Oto, Arkansas, and Missouri languages; and notes on symbol and sound. Also includes a newspaper clipping of a review (in German) of Barton's "New Views" that appeared in "Göttingische Anzeigen von gelehrten Sachen," June 17, 1799.

Collection:A comparative vocabulary of Indian languages (Mss.497.B28)

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A vocabulary in the Mingo tongue taken from the mouth of William Sack, a Canistogo Indian. . . and memorandum book

Culture:

Susquehannock includes: Conestoga

Mingo

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Language:English | Susquehannock | Tuscarora | Mohawk | Seneca

Date:1757, 1764-1771

Contributor:Sack, William | Tāyāhaōndeate ("Indian Peter")

Subject:Pennsylvania--History | Linguistics | Seven Years' War, 1756-1763 | Trade

Type:Text

Genre:Notebooks | Vocabularies

Extent:1 vol., 8 p. (vocabulary); 58 p. (memorandum book)

Description: Notebook with memorandum book, Fort Augusta, 1757-1771. Reference is made to Edward Shippen, Jr.; includes 6 pages of vocabulary identified as "Mingo", which may be Susquehannock or Seneca, then 1 page each of Tuscarora and Mohawk numerals; all copied in Indian vocabularies (Mss.497.In2). Memorandum book carries list of obligations, November 1764 - May 4, 1771. The vocabulary was taken from William Sack, a Conestoga Indian, in January 1757 at Fort Augusta in the midst of the Seven Years' War. Sack would later become a controversial figure in Pennsylvania history. The Paxton Boys claimed he was a murderer and used his presence in the Conestoga's camp as pretext for their assault on the Conestoga Indians. The manuscript then changes to the financial transactions of an unknown individual running from 1764 to 1771, although some evidence suggests that Edward Burd kept this memorandum book and vocabulary. This section runs 58 pages. It does not appear to containing any information on Indigenous languages, but may potentially contain information relevant to research Indigenous and settler interactions during this period.

Collection:A vocabulary in the Mingo tongue taken from the mouth of William Sack, a Canistogo Indian. . . and memorandum book (Mss.497.3.V852m)

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Comparative Haudenosaunee materials, Frans M. Olbrechts papers

Culture:

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Date:circa 1930

Contributor:Olbrechts, Frans M., 1899-1958

Subject:Linguistics

Type:Text

Genre:Vocabularies

Extent:56 pages, 100 card slips, 1 box

Description: The Olbrechts papers contains three items focused on comparisons of Iroquoian languages, all located in Series I. The "Comparative relative pronouns" notebook contains word comparison tables with terms from Cherokee, Tuscarora, Mohawk, Oneida, Huron, Wyandot, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and "Pr." Two folders titled "Comparison of Iroquois languages" contains with comparative vocabulary, as does a large lexical file box with 1000+ slips.

Collection:Frans M. Olbrechts papers (Mss.497.3.OL2)

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Material on Iroquois Dialects and Languages

Culture:

Tuscarora includes: Ska:rù:rę'

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Oneida includes: Onyota'a:ka

Onondaga includes: Onöñda'gega'

Mohawk includes: Kanienʼkehá꞉ka

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Cayuga includes: Gayogohó:no

Cherokee

Date:1950

Subject:Folklore | Linguistics | New York (State)--History | Ontario--History

Type:Sound recording

Genre:Autobiographies | Conversations | Stories

Extent:7 sound tape reels (4 hr., 25 min.) : DIGITIZED

Description: This collections consists of texts in several Iroquoian languages (Cayuga, Cherokee, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Tuscarora) recorded and played back to other speakers to test the mutual intelligibility of the languages for various speakers. The recordings comprise numerous texts in these languages, administered mutual intelligibility tests, stories, and conversations, all predominantly untranslated. Originally recorded on wire in the fall of 1950 at various locations in the United States and Canada. Later copied to sound tape reels. The Native speakers involved in these recordings are as follows. The Cayuga language speaker was Jane Owl, recorded at Cattaraugus Indian Reservation (N.Y.) The Cherokee speaker was David Owl, recorded at Cattaraugus Indian Reservation (N.Y.) The Mohawk speakers were Ernest Benedict and Sadie Curlyhead, recorded at Akwesasne (Saint Regis), and Ernest Benedict and Mr. & Mrs. Charles Benedict, recorded at Akwesasne (Cornwall, Ontario). The Oneida speakers were Harry Antone, Betsy Antone, Rosa Antone, Billy Antone, and Mr. & Mrs. Chapman Schanandoah, recorded at the Onondaga Indian Reservation (N.Y.), and Albert Christian, recorded at Nedrow (N.Y.) The Onondaga speakers were Louis Lyons, recorded at the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation (N.Y.), and George Thomas, Jr., Percy Smoke, Thomas Lewis, Pat Homer, and Floyd Henhawk, recorded at the Onondaga Indian Reservation (N.Y.) The Seneca speakers were as follows: Annie Lyons, recorded at the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation (N.Y.); a Mr. & Mrs. Smith, recorded at the Oneida Nation of the Thames in southwestern Ontario; Richard Johnny John, Colline Johnny John, Amos Johnny John, Lena Snow, Kenneth Snow, Albert Jones, Hubert Cusick, Lynn Dowdy, Henry Redeye, Elver Jacobs, and Mr. & Mrs. Laurence Jimerson, recorded at the Allegany Indian Reservation (N.Y.); Jesse Cornplanter and Solon Skye, recorded at the Tonawanda Indian Reservation (N.Y.) The Tuscarora speakers were Nellie Gansworth and William Mt. Pleasant, recorded at the Tuscarora Indian Reservation (N.Y.) (NOTE: This material has been digitized and can be accessed online for free by users not physically at the APS Library through a login and password. Please see our Audio Access Page for information on how to request these materials.)

Collection:Material on Iroquois Dialects and Languages (Mss.Rec.13)

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Papers on Iroquois personal names, 1914

Culture:

Tuscarora includes: Ska:rù:rę'

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Oneida includes: Onyota'a:ka

Onondaga includes: Onöñda'gega'

Mohawk includes: Kanienʼkehá꞉ka

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Cayuga includes: Gayogohó:no

Date:1914

Contributor:Beauchamp, William Martin, 1830-1925

Type:Text

Genre:Microfilms | Notes | Essays

Extent:1 reel

Description: Collected by William Martin Beauchamp, an Episcopal clergyman, in 1909, these names were taken from treaties, delegations, and other documents and are often accompanied by English translations as well as biographical information. Includes "Sketches of Onondagas of Note," "Names given to whites," and "Names of Iroquois, exclusive of Onondagas." Originals at the Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse Public Library, Syracuse, NY.

Collection:Papers on Iroquois personal names, 1914 (Mss.Film.643)

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Various materials, Bruce L. Pearson Papers

Culture:

Kwomtari

Wea

Tuscarora includes: Ska:rù:rę'

Saponi includes: Saponny

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Pamunkey

Meskwaki includes: Mesquakie, Musquakie, Sac, Sauk, Fox, Sac-and-Fox

Mohawk includes: Kanienʼkehá꞉ka

Naskapi includes: ᓇᔅᑲᐱ, Iyiyiw, Skoffie

Nanticoke

Miami includes: Myaamiaki

Kalinago includes: Carib, Island, Kalhíphona

Catawba includes: Iswa

Algonquin

Date:1960s-2000s

Subject:Linguistics

Type:Text

Genre:Correspondence | Essays | Notes

Extent:ca. 15 folders

Description: The Bruce L. Pearson Papers includes files relating to various languages and/or peoples that were outside of his main research scope, primarily on linguistics topics. These are especially throughout Series VI. Other subject files, as well as in Series VII and Series VIII, and are just one or two files per language or culture listed in this guide entry.

Collection:Bruce L. Pearson Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.265)

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Wyandot materials, Bruce L. Pearson Papers

Culture:

Wyandot includes: Huron, Wendat, Wyandotte, Huron-Wyandot

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Onondaga includes: Onöñda'gega'

Maya

Mohawk includes: Kanienʼkehá꞉ka

Date:1960s-2000s, bulk 1994-2000s

Subject:Oklahoma--History | Linguistics

Type:Text | Still Image

Genre:Songs | Notes | Photographs | Vocabularies

Extent:ca. 1 linear foot

Description: The bulk of the Wyandot materials in the Bruce L. Pearson Papers are in Series III. Wyandot, reflecting Pearson's work with the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. There is also notable correspondence in Series VI with Wes Taukchiray, and with John Bierhorst, and a folder of students' essays in Series VII. Pearson did not conduct fieldwork on Wendat, but conducted historical research and analysis. Of note are compiled vocabularies and language analysis, community publications, conference presentations, a speech by Leaford Bearskin, and some interpretations of the documentation of Marius Barbeau, including songs on CD sung by Richard Zane Smith. There is a small amount of comparative material with Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga and Maya in Series III.

Collection:Bruce L. Pearson Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.265)