About the Book
As Long as the Earth Endures is an annotated collection of almost all of the known Native texts in Miami-Illinois, an Algonquian language of Indiana, Illinois, and Oklahoma. These texts, gathered from native speakers of Myaamia, Peoria, and Wea in the 1890s and the early twentieth century, span several genres, such as culture hero stories, trickster tales, animal stories, personal and historical narratives, how-to stories, and translations of Christian materials. These texts were collected from seven speakers: Frank Beaver, George Finley, Gabriel Godfroy, William Peconga, Thomas Richardville, Elizabeth Valley, and Sarah Wadsworth.
Representing thirty years of study, almost all of the stories are published here for the first time. The texts are presented with their original transcriptions along with full, corrected modern transcriptions, translations, and grammatical analyses. Included with the texts are extensive annotation on all aspects of their meaning, pronunciation, and interpretation; a lengthy glossary explaining and analyzing in detail every word; and an introduction placing the texts in their philological, historical, linguistic, and folkloric context, with a discussion of how the stories compare to similar texts from neighboring Great Lakes Algonquian tribes.
Author Bio
David J. Costa is director of the Language Research Office at the Myaamia Center at Miami University. He is the author of The Miami-Illinois Language (Nebraska, 2003) and editor of New Voices for Old Words: Algonquian Oral Literatures (Nebraska, 2015).
Praise
"This unique, long-awaited volume is of great value to Algonquian studies from both a linguistic and cultural-historical perspective. It represents a major contribution toward fostering a Myaamia cultural legacy that will be accessible to a wide readership."—E. J. Vajda, Choice
“[These texts are] extremely important both to the Myaamia community and to scholars specializing in Algonquian linguistics. There is nothing like this for the Miami-Illinois language. The organization of this [book] should serve as a model for similar text editions of Native American languages.”—Amy Dahlstrom, associate professor of linguistics at the University of Chicago and author of Plains Cree Morphosyntax
“This will make an important contribution to the Miami-Peoria people, to Algonquian studies, to Miami language studies in particular, and to studies of Native American oral traditions. This kind of retranscription and retranslation, in the absence of native speakers to help, is an incredibly difficult and impressive task. Kudos to the heroic efforts of the last speakers, the documenters, and the author here for bringing us what has been preserved.”—Andrew Cowell, professor of linguistic anthropology at the University of Colorado and editor of Naming the World: Language and Power among the Northern Arapaho
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
List of Abbreviations
Text 1. Wiihsakacaakwa Story
Elizabeth Valley
Albert Gatschet
Text 2. Wiihsakacaakwa Aalhsoohkaakana ‘Wiihsakacaakwa Stories’
Elizabeth Valley
Jacob Dunn
Text 3. Paapankamwa Aalhsoohkaakani ‘Fox Story’
Elizabeth Valley
Albert Gatschet
Text 4. Paapankamwa Aalhsoohkaana ‘Fox Stories’
Elizabeth Valley
Jacob Dunn
Text 5. The Story of Wilakhtwa
Elizabeth Valley
Albert Gatschet
Text 6. Wilakhtwa Aalhsoohkaakanemali ‘The Story of Wilakhtwa’
Elizabeth Valley
Jacob Dunn
Text 7. Waapanswa ‘Story of Rabbit’
Elizabeth Valley
Albert Gatschet
Text 8. Waapanswa ‘Story of Rabbit’
Elizabeth Valley
Jacob Dunn
Text 9. Eeyeelia ‘The Story of Possum’
Elizabeth Valley
Albert Gatschet
Text 10. Eeyeelia ‘The Story of Possum’
Elizabeth Valley
Jacob Dunn
Text 11. Wiihsakacaakwa Aalhsoohkaakani ‘Wiihsakacaakwa Story’
George Finley
Albert Gatschet
Text 12. Wiihsakacaakwa Aalhsoohkaakana ‘Wiihsakacaakwa Stories’
George Finley
Jacob Dunn
Text 13. Story of Wiihsakacaakwa
George Finley
Truman Michelson
Text 14. The Story of Fox and Wolf
George Finley
Truman Michelson
Text 15. The Story of Raccoon and Crawfish
George Finley
Truman Michelson
Text 16. Iiši-Mihtohseenwici Noohsa ‘How My Father Lived’
George Finley
Albert Gatschet
Text 17. Peoria Lord’s Prayer
George Finley
Jacob Dunn
Text 18. Eehonci Kiintoohki Pyaawaaci Myaamiaki ‘Where the Miamis First Came From’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 19. Lénipinšiaakami ‘Lénipinšia Water’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 20. Šiipaakana Aalhsoohkaalinta ‘The Story of Awl’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 21. Naapiinkwiaki Aalhsoohkaalinta ‘Story about False Face Doctors’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 22. Paapankamwa Aalhsoohkaanaki ‘Fox Stories’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 23. Iiniini Wiiyoonkonci Waahseehkiki ‘Why We Have Daylight’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 24. Aalhsoohkaani Waapimaankwa ‘The Story of White Loon’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 25. Biographic Notice of Kápia
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 26. Aalhsoohkaalinta Kaapia ‘Story of Kaapia’, Version 1
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 27. Aalhsoohkaalinta Kaapia ‘Story of Kaapia’, Version 2
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 28. Mihšihkinaahkwa Kiilahkweeta ‘Little Turtle’s Speech’
Gabriel Godfroy
Jacob Dunn
Text 29. Iineehi Oohkomahi Akiihi Wiikapimiša ‘Grandmothers and Mothers of Sweet Linn’
Sarah Wadsworth
Albert Gatschet
Text 30. Oohkomahi Neehi Akiihi Wiikapimiša ‘Grandmothers and Mothers of Sweet Linn’
Sarah Wadsworth
Jacob Dunn
Text 31. Aanikopia Iiši-Mihtohseeniwici ‘Anikopia’s Life Story’
Sarah Wadsworth
Albert Gatschet
Text 32. Aanikopia Neehi Niimaakani ‘Anikopia and the Flag’
Sarah Wadsworth
Jacob Dunn
Text 33. Ague Cake
Sarah Wadsworth
Albert Gatschet
Text 34. Paakiciinki ‘Ague Cake’
Sarah Wadsworth
Jacob Dunn
Text 35. Tanning the Buckskin
Sarah Wadsworth
Albert Gatschet
Text 36. Tanning the Buckskin
Sarah Wadsworth
Jacob Dunn
Text 37. Preparation of Meat and Lard
Sarah Wadsworth
Albert Gatschet
Text 38. Koohkooša Oonsaahsonta ‘Pork Curing’
Sarah Wadsworth
Jacob Dunn
Text 39. Wea Lord’s Prayer
Sarah Wadsworth
Jacob Dunn
Text 40. Iiši-Mihtohseeniwici Ciinkweensa ‘The Life Story of Young Thunder’
William Peconga
Albert Gatschet
Text 41. Ciinkweensa Iiši-Mihtohseeniwici ‘How Young Thunder Lived’
William Peconga
Jacob Dunn
Text 42. Ciinkweensa ‘Young Thunder’
Frank Beaver and George Finley
Albert Gatschet
Text 43. Waapitioonsa ‘Young Antelope’
Frank Beaver
Jacob Dunn
Text 44. Miami Baptist Prayer
Thomas Richardville
Jacob Dunn
Text 45. Miami Lord’s Prayer
Thomas Richardville
Jacob Dunn
Text 46. The Biblical Account of Creation: Genesis 1:1–2:3
Thomas Richardville
Jacob Dunn
Glossary
Notes
References
Index
