A missionary's handwritten dictionary of terms in the Sauk language, 1834

Rev. Cutting Marsh¿s Sauk vocabularies, 1834

Cutting Marsh (1800-1873) was a Presbyterian missionary who came to Wisconsin in 1830 to serve the Stockbridge (Mohican) Indians. He lived at their settlement near Green Bay until 1834, when he moved with them to their new community on the east shore of Lake Winnebago. Marsh was a vocal critic of U.S. Indian policy, saying in 1857, "I cannot review the scenes with which I have been conversant¿ without the deepest pain. I am ashamed of my country." In 1834, Marsh journeyed across Wisconsin into Iowa in order to ask the Sauk and Fox Indians if they would like a missionary to come live with him. He appears to have prepared this 26-page handwritten dictionary of the Sauk language before or during this visit to the tribe. This is one of several works on American Indian languages to be found at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. Readers should note that this is a historical document rather than a modern one, and that it was produced by a white observer rather than a native speaker; students wishing to study the language should rely on materials produced by the tribal language office.

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