Indigenous Languages and the Promise of Archives

The collection explores new applications of the American Philosophical Society’s library materials as scholars seek to partner on collaborative projects, often through the application of digital technologies, that assist ongoing efforts at cultural and linguistic revitalization movements within Native communities.    

Adrianna Link is the head of scholarly programs at the American Philosophical Society. She also serves as a managing editor of The History of Anthropology Review. Abigail Shelton is the outreach specialist on a collaborative cultural heritage project at the University of Notre Dame and previously served as the assistant to the librarian at the American Philosophical Society. Patrick Spero is the librarian and director of the American Philosophical Society’s library and museum in Philadelphia. He is the author or editor of several books, including Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765–1776 and Frontier Country: The Politics of War in Early Pennsylvania.

List of Illustrations Preface by Brian Carpenter Acknowledgments Introduction: Collaborative Research and Language Revitalization: Toward a Relational Ontology across Time and Space Regna Darnell Part 1. Decolonizing Archives Commentary by Robert J. Miller 1. Decolonial Futures of Sharing: “Protecting Our Voice,” Intellectual Property, and Penobscot Nation Language Materials Jane Anderson and James E. Francis Sr. 2. The Legacy of Hunter-Gatherers at the American Philosophical Society: Frank G. Speck, James M. Crawford, and Revitalizing the Yuchi Language Richard A. Grounds 3. Supporting Researchers of Indigenous Vernacular Archives Lisa Conathan Part 2. Revitalization Tools Commentary by Bethany Wiggin 4. Locally Contingent and Community-Dependent: Tools and Technologies for Indigenous Language Mobilization Jennifer Carpenter, Annie Guerin, Michelle Kaczmarek, Gerry Lawson, Kim Lawson, Lisa P. Nathan, Mark Turin 5. Translating American Indian Sign Language from the 1800s to the Present Day Jeffrey Davis Part 3. Power and Language Commentary by Diana E. Marsh 6. “The Indian Republic of Letters”: Scholarly Networks and Indigenous Knowledge in Philology Sean P. Harvey 7. Literacy, Cross-Cultural Interaction, and Colonialism: The Making of a Nineteenth-Century Nez Perce Mission Primer Anne Keary 8. Across Space and Time: Letters from the Dakota People, 1838–1878 Gwen N. Westerman and Glenn M. Wasicuna Part 4. Landscape and Language Commentary by Michael Silverstein 9. CÚz-lhkan Sqwe-qwel- (‘I Am Going to Tell a Story’): Revitalizing Stories to Strengthen Fish, Water, and the Upper St’Át’imc Salish Language Sarah Carmen Moritz 10. No Time Like the Present: Living American Indian Languages, Landscapes, and Histories Bernard C. Perley, Margaret Ann Noodin, and Cary Miller Part 5. Creative Collaborations Commentary by Regna Darnell 11. “Going Over” and Coming Back: Reclaiming the Cherokee Singing Book for Contemporary Language Revitalization Sara Snyder Hopkins 12. Teaching Wailaki: Archives, Interpretation, and Collaboration Kayla Begay, Justin Spence, and Cheryl Tuttle Part 6. Transforming Collecting Commentary by Jennifer R. O’Neal 13. Museums and the Revitalization of Endangered Languages and Knowledge Gwyneira Isaac 14. Shriniinlii (‘Fix It’): The Grease Mechanics of Translating Gwich’in Craig Mishler and Kenneth Frank Conclusion: The Power of Words, Relationships, and Archives Mary S. Linn Contributors Index