In 1911-1912, French-Canadian anthropologist Marius Barbeau spent a year recording forty texts in the Wyandot language as spoken by native speakers in Oklahoma. Though he intended to return and complete his linguistic study, he never did. More than a century later Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language continues Barbeau's work. John Steckley provides an engaging analysis and fresh translation of the texts in order to preserve the traditional language and cultural heritage of the Wyandot or Wendat people. Leveraging four decades of studying the dialects of Wyandot and Wendat and his role as tribal linguist for the Wyandotte Nation, the author corrects errors in Barbeau's earlier text while adding personal anecdotes to provide readers with a unique comparative work. The stories in this collection, largely drawn from the traditional folklore of the Wyandot people and told in a language that has been dormant for decades, act as a time capsule for traditional tales, Indigenous history, humour, and Elder knowledge. Steckley's new translation not only aids Wyandot peoples of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Michigan in reclaiming their language but also gives researchers worldwide a rich, up-to-date reference for linguistic study. A significant literary record of a people and a language, Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language is a major contribution to the preservation and revitalization of an Indigenous language in North America.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Description conventions
- rda
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 497/.5558
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 23
- Distributor
- Canadian Electronic Library (Firm),
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- ISBN
- 9780228003618 9780228005155
- LCCN
- PM1366.Z9
- LCCN Item number
- W937 2020eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xi, 678 pages)
- Published in
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00082340 (OCoLC)1163789298 (CaOOCEL)458983
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language 2
- Title 8
- Copyright 9
- Contents 10
- Acknowledgments 14
- PART ONE 16
- Marius Barbeau and His Informants 16
- Barbeau and the Forty Texts of the Narratives 19
- What Should You Expect from the Narratives? 20
- The Stories in English Based on the Re-Translations 24
- 1 The Young Woman Fallen from Above 24
- 2 Origin of the Sun Shower 24
- 3 The Seven Stars 26
- 4 Two Giants and the Old Witch 26
- 5 The Big Turtle 29
- 6 The Skunks and the Smallpox 29
- 7 Phratries Established 30
- 8 The Snake Clan 31
- 9 The Lion Fraternity 31
- 10 The White Otter 32
- 11 The Hunter and the Eagle 32
- 12 The Wolf and the Young Hunter 32
- 13 The Hugnont Charm 33
- 14 The Sugar Tree 35
- 15 The Hunter and the Dwarf Woman 35
- 16 The Beaver Teeth as a Charm 35
- 17 The Rabbit Giving the Power to Cure 36
- 18 The Porcupine, the Bear, and the Stepson 36
- 19 The Bear and the Hunter’s Son 37
- 20 The Ground Squirrel and the Lion 38
- 21 The Boy and the Pet Snake 39
- 22 The Trickster and the Old Witch 41
- 23 Tatęriˀa 43
- 24 The Deer and the Owl 46
- 25 The Rabbit and the Wolf 48
- 26 The Old Bear and His Nephew 48
- 27 The Steer and the Ill-Treated Stepson 51
- 28 Tawidiˀa and His Uncle 55
- 29 The Land of Bliss 59
- 30 The Wildcat and Its Scalp 62
- 31 The Dogs and the Wild Cotton 62
- 32 The Pumpkin and the Rabbit 62
- 33 How a Famine Was Ended 63
- 34 The Medicine Men 63
- 35 The Deer Charm 64
- 36 An Old Hunter’s Reminiscences 64
- 37 The Wyandot at War with the Seneca 65
- 38 A War Expedition against the Cherokees 67
- 39 War between the Wyandots and the Cherokees 67
- 40 How the Whites Fought the Wyandots 68
- PART TWO 70
- Introduction to the Editor/Author/Translator 70
- Wyandot and Wendat Dialects 72
- Differences from Barbeau’s Texts 72
- Faulty Morphological Analysis 74
- Lack of Close Editing of the Textual Analysis 78
- Pronunciation Guide 79
- Conventions Used in the Forty Narratives 80
- Translating the Stories 84
- 1 The Young Woman Fallen from Above 84
- 2 Origin of the Sun Shower 92
- 3 The Seven Stars 115
- 4 Two Giants and the Old Witch 122
- 5 The Big Turtle 152
- 6 The Skunks and the Smallpox 162
- 7 Phratries Established 167
- 8 The Snake Clan 175
- 9 The Lion Fraternity 181
- 10 The White Otter 186
- 11 The Hunter and the Eagle 188
- 12 The Wolf and the Young Hunter 198
- 13 The Hugnont Charm 209
- 14 The Sugar Tree 223
- 15 The Hunter and the Dwarf Woman 227
- 16 The Beaver Teeth as a Charm 231
- 17 The Rabbit Giving the Power to Cure 243
- 18 The Porcupine, the Bear, and the Stepson 247
- 19 The Bear and the Hunter’s Son 253
- 20 The Ground Squirrel and the Lion 276
- 21 The Boy and the Pet Snake 289
- 22 The Trickster and the Old Witch 308
- 23 Tatęriˀa 332
- 24 The Deer and the Owl 365
- 25 The Rabbit and the Wolf 389
- 26 The Old Bear and His Nephew 397
- 27 The Steer and the Ill-Treated Stepson 425
- 28 Tawidiˀa and His Uncle 486
- 29 The Land of Bliss 532
- 30 The Wildcat and Its Scalp 569
- 31 The Dogs and the Wild Cotton 571
- 32 The Pumpkin and the Rabbit 573
- 33 How a Famine Was Ended 579
- 34 The Medicine Men 582
- 35 The Deer Charm 594
- 36 An Old Hunter’s Reminiscences 601
- 37 The Wyandot at War with the Seneca 614
- 38 A War Expedition against the Cherokees 635
- 39 War between the Wyandots and the Cherokees 644
- 40 How the Whites Fought the Wyandots 651
- Appendix A: Wyandot Verbs 664
- Appendix B: Earlier Work Done with the Narratives 689
- References 692
- Index 694
