Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language

Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language is a collection of 40 texts in the Wyandot language, recorded by French-Canadian anthropologist Marius Barbeau in 1911-1912 and completed by John Steckley over a century later. Steckley provides an engaging analysis and fresh translation to preserve the language and cultural heritage of the Wyandot or Wendat people. The stories in the collection, drawn from traditional folklore, act as a time capsule for Indigenous history, humor, and Elder knowledge.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 672 pages
Publication date: 18 November 2020
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

In 1911-1912, the renowned French-Canadian anthropologist Marius Barbeau embarked on a remarkable journey to document forty texts in the Wyandot language, as spoken by native speakers in Oklahoma. Despite his initial intention to return and further his linguistic study, he tragically never fulfilled that promise. More than a century later, Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language carries forward Barbeau's legacy. John Steckley, a dedicated scholar, has provided an engaging analysis and fresh translation of these texts, with the utmost dedication to preserving the traditional language and cultural heritage of the Wyandot or Wendat people. Drawing upon his extensive expertise in studying the dialects of Wyandot and Wendat, as well as his role as a tribal linguist for the Wyandotte Nation, Steckley has corrected errors in Barbeau's earlier work and added personal anecdotes to enrich the reader's experience. The stories within this collection, largely drawn from the rich traditional folklore of the Wyandot people and conveyed in a language that had been dormant for decades, serve as a captivating time capsule, encapsulating timeless tales, Indigenous history, humor, and Elder knowledge. Steckley's new translation not only empowers the Wyandot peoples of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Michigan to reclaim their language but also offers researchers worldwide a valuable and up-to-date resource for linguistic study. As a significant literary record of a people and a language, Forty Narratives in the Wyandot Language makes a profound contribution to the preservation and revitalization of an Indigenous language in North America.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228003625