Brief Potawatomi Language Vocabularies, 1920-1932.

Brief Potawatomi Language Vocabularies, 1920-1932.

These three unpublished documents contain Potawatomi words and their English equivalents sent to Society Museum director Charles E. Brown in the early 20th century:

1. Shepard, Daniel D. "Prairie Potawatomi Words Furnished by Daniel D. Shepard [1929]." Shepard (dates unknown) provided much Potawatomi information to Society Museum director Charles E. Brown in the 1920s and 1930s, including this 15-page list on which typed English words are followed by their handwritten Potawatomi equivalents. [Wis Mss HB (Charles E. Brown Papers), box 3 folder 3.]

2. Shepard, Daniel D. "Potawatomi Names." This 2-page list of Wisconsin place names was provided to Society Museum director Charles E. Brown in 1932. [Wis Mss HB (Charles E. Brown Papers), box 3 folder 2.]

3. Skinner, Alanson. "Prairie Potawatomi Words Collected by Alanson Skinner." Anthropologist Skinner (1885-1925) worked for the American Museum of Natural History (1907-1915) and the Museum of the American Indian (1915-1920) in New York, as well as the Milwaukee Public Museum (1920-1924). He provided this 4-page list of words to Society Museum director Charles E. Brown in the early 1920s.  Wis Mss HB (Charles E. Brown Papers), box 3 folder 2.

This is one of several works on American Indian languages to be found at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. Readers should note that these are historical documents rather than modern ones, and that they were produced by white observers rather than native speakers; students wishing to study the language should rely on materials produced by the tribal language office.

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