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Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language |
A rare collection of stories as told by some of the last Wyandot speakers.
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.
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.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen's Indigenous and Northern Studies (number 98 in series)
672 Pages, 6 x 9
ISBN 9780228003618
December 2020
Formats: Cloth, Paperback
"Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language is very significant as a literary record of a people and a language, and makes a major contribution to the study of Indigenous language in North America." David Kanatawakhon-Maracle, Western University, Ontario
John L. Steckley taught at Humber College for thirty years and is tribal linguist for the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma.
Acknowledgments | xiii
PART ONE
Marius Barbeau and His Informants | 1
Barbeau and the Forty Texts of the Narratives | 4
What Should You Expect from the Narratives? | 5
The Stories in English Based on the Re-Translations
1 The Young Woman Fallen from Above | 9
2 Origin of the Sun Shower | 9
3 The Seven Stars | 11
4 Two Giants and the Old Witch | 11
5 The Big Turtle | 14
6 The Skunks and the Smallpox | 14
7 Phratries Established | 15
8 The Snake Clan | 16
9 The Lion Fraternity | 16
10 The White Otter | 17
11 The Hunter and the Eagle | 17
12 The Wolf and the Young Hunter | 17
13 The Hugnont Charm | 18
14 The Sugar Tree | 20
15 The Hunter and the Dwarf Woman | 20
16 The Beaver Teeth as a Charm | 20
17 The Rabbit Giving the Power to Cure | 21
18 The Porcupine, the Bear, and the Stepson | 21
19 The Bear and the Hunter’s Son | 22
20 The Ground Squirrel and the Lion | 23
21 The Boy and the Pet Snake | 24
22 The Trickster and the Old Witch | 26
23 Tateri?a | 28
24 The Deer and the Owl | 31
25 The Rabbit and the Wolf | 33
26 The Old Bear and His Nephew | 33
27 The Steer and the Ill-Treated Stepson | 36
28 Tawidi?a and His Uncle | 40
29 The Land of Bliss | 44
30 The Wildcat and Its Scalp | 47
31 The Dogs and the Wild Cotton | 47
32 The Pumpkin and the Rabbit | 47
33 How a Famine Was Ended | 48
34 The Medicine Men | 48
35 The Deer Charm | 49
36 An Old Hunter’s Reminiscences | 49
37 The Wyandot at War with the Seneca | 50
38 A War Expedition against the Cherokees | 52
39 War between the Wyandots and the Cherokees | 52
40 How the Whites Fought the Wyandots | 53
PART TWO
Introduction to the Editor/Author/Translator | 55
Wyandot and Wendat Dialects | 57
Differences from Barbeau’s Texts | 57
Faulty Morphological Analysis | 59
Lack of Close Editing of the Textual Analysis | 63
Pronunciation Guide | 64
Conventions Used in the Forty Narratives | 65
Translating the Stories
1 The Young Woman Fallen from Above | 69
2 Origin of the Sun Shower | 77
3 The Seven Stars | 100
4 Two Giants and the Old Witch | 107
5 The Big Turtle | 137
6 The Skunks and the Smallpox | 147
7 Phratries Established | 152
8 The Snake Clan | 160
9 The Lion Fraternity | 166
10 The White Otter | 171
11 The Hunter and the Eagle 173
12 The Wolf and the Young Hunter | 183
13 The Hugnont Charm | 194
14 The Sugar Tree | 208
15 The Hunter and the Dwarf Woman | 212
16 The Beaver Teeth as a Charm | 216
17 The Rabbit Giving the Power to Cure | 228
18 The Porcupine, the Bear, and the Stepson | 232
19 The Bear and the Hunter’s Son | 238
20 The Ground Squirrel and the Lion | 261
21 The Boy and the Pet Snake | 274
22 The Trickster and the Old Witch | 293
23 Tateri?a | 317
24 The Deer and the Owl | 350
25 The Rabbit and the Wolf | 374
26 The Old Bear and His Nephew | 382
27 The Steer and the Ill-Treated Stepson | 410
28 Tawidi?a and His Uncle | 471
29 The Land of Bliss | 517
30 The Wildcat and Its Scalp | 554
31 The Dogs and the Wild Cotton | 556
32 The Pumpkin and the Rabbit | 558
33 How a Famine Was Ended | 564
34 The Medicine Men | 567
35 The Deer Charm | 579
36 An Old Hunter’s Reminiscences | 586
37 The Wyandot at War with the Seneca | 599
38 A War Expedition against the Cherokees | 620
39 War between the Wyandots and the Cherokees | 629
40 How the Whites Fought the Wyandots | 636
Appendix A: Wyandot Verbs | 649
Appendix B: Earlier Work Done with the Narratives | 674
References | 677
Index | 679
PART ONE
Marius Barbeau and His Informants | 1
Barbeau and the Forty Texts of the Narratives | 4
What Should You Expect from the Narratives? | 5
The Stories in English Based on the Re-Translations
1 The Young Woman Fallen from Above | 9
2 Origin of the Sun Shower | 9
3 The Seven Stars | 11
4 Two Giants and the Old Witch | 11
5 The Big Turtle | 14
6 The Skunks and the Smallpox | 14
7 Phratries Established | 15
8 The Snake Clan | 16
9 The Lion Fraternity | 16
10 The White Otter | 17
11 The Hunter and the Eagle | 17
12 The Wolf and the Young Hunter | 17
13 The Hugnont Charm | 18
14 The Sugar Tree | 20
15 The Hunter and the Dwarf Woman | 20
16 The Beaver Teeth as a Charm | 20
17 The Rabbit Giving the Power to Cure | 21
18 The Porcupine, the Bear, and the Stepson | 21
19 The Bear and the Hunter’s Son | 22
20 The Ground Squirrel and the Lion | 23
21 The Boy and the Pet Snake | 24
22 The Trickster and the Old Witch | 26
23 Tateri?a | 28
24 The Deer and the Owl | 31
25 The Rabbit and the Wolf | 33
26 The Old Bear and His Nephew | 33
27 The Steer and the Ill-Treated Stepson | 36
28 Tawidi?a and His Uncle | 40
29 The Land of Bliss | 44
30 The Wildcat and Its Scalp | 47
31 The Dogs and the Wild Cotton | 47
32 The Pumpkin and the Rabbit | 47
33 How a Famine Was Ended | 48
34 The Medicine Men | 48
35 The Deer Charm | 49
36 An Old Hunter’s Reminiscences | 49
37 The Wyandot at War with the Seneca | 50
38 A War Expedition against the Cherokees | 52
39 War between the Wyandots and the Cherokees | 52
40 How the Whites Fought the Wyandots | 53
PART TWO
Introduction to the Editor/Author/Translator | 55
Wyandot and Wendat Dialects | 57
Differences from Barbeau’s Texts | 57
Faulty Morphological Analysis | 59
Lack of Close Editing of the Textual Analysis | 63
Pronunciation Guide | 64
Conventions Used in the Forty Narratives | 65
Translating the Stories
1 The Young Woman Fallen from Above | 69
2 Origin of the Sun Shower | 77
3 The Seven Stars | 100
4 Two Giants and the Old Witch | 107
5 The Big Turtle | 137
6 The Skunks and the Smallpox | 147
7 Phratries Established | 152
8 The Snake Clan | 160
9 The Lion Fraternity | 166
10 The White Otter | 171
11 The Hunter and the Eagle 173
12 The Wolf and the Young Hunter | 183
13 The Hugnont Charm | 194
14 The Sugar Tree | 208
15 The Hunter and the Dwarf Woman | 212
16 The Beaver Teeth as a Charm | 216
17 The Rabbit Giving the Power to Cure | 228
18 The Porcupine, the Bear, and the Stepson | 232
19 The Bear and the Hunter’s Son | 238
20 The Ground Squirrel and the Lion | 261
21 The Boy and the Pet Snake | 274
22 The Trickster and the Old Witch | 293
23 Tateri?a | 317
24 The Deer and the Owl | 350
25 The Rabbit and the Wolf | 374
26 The Old Bear and His Nephew | 382
27 The Steer and the Ill-Treated Stepson | 410
28 Tawidi?a and His Uncle | 471
29 The Land of Bliss | 517
30 The Wildcat and Its Scalp | 554
31 The Dogs and the Wild Cotton | 556
32 The Pumpkin and the Rabbit | 558
33 How a Famine Was Ended | 564
34 The Medicine Men | 567
35 The Deer Charm | 579
36 An Old Hunter’s Reminiscences | 586
37 The Wyandot at War with the Seneca | 599
38 A War Expedition against the Cherokees | 620
39 War between the Wyandots and the Cherokees | 629
40 How the Whites Fought the Wyandots | 636
Appendix A: Wyandot Verbs | 649
Appendix B: Earlier Work Done with the Narratives | 674
References | 677
Index | 679
9780228005681
$115.00 CAD
Cloth
9780773518377
$37.95 CAD
Paperback
Finalist
Association of American Publishers
Prose Awards (Language & Linguistics category)
2021
Association of American Publishers
Prose Awards (Language & Linguistics category)
2021
