Friday, May 14, 2010

Native American Language

While on the topic of Native Americans, I want to recommend a little volume written by Roger Williams, called A Key into the Language of America (1643).  Williams spent many years living with the Narragansett tribe and learning their language.  He then wrote this key to their language, divided into vocabulary sections like "Of the seasons of the Yeere" and "Of Fish and fishing," interspersed with interesting and sometimes entertaining details about Indian customs.
 1681 painting of a Narragansett chief

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