THE DAKOTA L ANG U AG E .

E THE DAKOTA LANGUAG .

B' 'E '. S . '. 'IG G S.

To th e Ofiioers and Members of tko Mi nn esota Hi stori cal Soci ety

z—' so rr I o w in t o dis Gentlemen i ght y am that , g the

- - t . ance of Lac qui Parle from St Paul , and the season of the

o u r as y ear at which y annual meetin g takes place , as well on a I ccount of other pressin g duties , am unable to answer in

person to the invitation kindly extended to me , by the Hon c rable Executive of the Society, to address you on the

coming occasion . The address which I have prepared h as

t . . C E O D been placed in he hands of the Hon M M L , to be used t as the Society may jud ge b e s tfi

C onnected with the subject therein presented , i s a point

I v iz to which wi sh for a moment , to call your attention '

THE DESTIN' o r THESE INDIAN T'IBES . It is well understood h by all t inking persons , that in their present uncivilized con

n u . l dition , they cannot long co tin e C ivi iz ation , as it passes m onward , must encircle the with its blessin gs , or sweep them from the face of the earth . They must be civilized and christianized or perish . It seems also t o be passin g from a state of theory to that of a generally admitted fact ,

n that the India s in any state , cannot lon g continue to exist

as . A a separate people The great merican people , will W ithout doubt , absorb every other interest and every other n existe ce w ithin it s wide spreadin g reach . There are certain great and predominant influences which

h T e Address was read at the annual Meeting by Mr. MCL E OD . MI E I 'I C I NN SOTA H STO CAL OLLECT ONS . direct the moral and political formations and transforma tions , which are silently and constantly takin g place in our country . The result of these infl u ences i s the production h . To of a omo geneous whole , out of a heterogeneous mass — a certain extent this is admitted by all but there are cer

n tain elements which politicia s , who have grown up under particular infl uences declare to be not capable of combina tion . Nevertheless this combination is goin g on very rapidly , but such persons have not the sa gacity to perceive

. O it , or moral honesty enou gh to admit it win g to various

h as a causes operating for evil , the unity of the race been p l arent h as . p y broken up , insomuch that it come to be denied That unity will be restored by the progress of science and art , and especially by the universal prevalence of the Gospel — of the Prince of Peace producin g a brotherhood of nations .

As n h ilanth ro it re gards these India s , the question , with p

ists is t o p and Christians , , not whether they can be expected preserve their national existence , it is admitted that they ff cannot , the e ort to keep them in that state has already Operated in a manner very prejudicial to th e interests of

s — is many small tribe but the question , what boon shall we hold out to them , to what place shall we assi gn them to what kind of civilization shall we introduce them Shall m b e we refuse to grant the the ri ghts ofcitizens , when they ' come fitted to exercise those rights If so we press them back into barbarism . Shall we not rather hold out to them A with the restraints of law, its blessin g and privileges t present an Indian has very little inducement to chan ge his

o ff habits . He thereby cuts himself from the sympathies of his own people , and he hears no friendly voice , emanatin g from our legislative halls , saying to him , come up hi gher .

This is a subject for our legislators to consider well .

And what is the type of civilization to which we shall try THE DAKOTA L ANG UAG E . 9 1

to introduce them Shall it not be that which eminently

— h as characterizes our own age and which been produced ,

fl o f more than by any other in uence , by the dissemination the religion of the bible Where the Bible i s not read by the common people , there the civilization is of a lower grade . Education in the broadest sense of the word—education in the arts as well as the letters of civilization—education fo r

o d . N time and als eternity , shoul be sought for them othin g short of this will meet the obli gations resting upon us as a

people . In the lan guage of Prof. Gammell , in his excellent

“ ” “ s A . u n Hi tory of the m Baptist Missions , their claims po

A t n the sympathies and philanthropy of merican chris ia s ar e ,

if possible , stron ger than those of any other portion of man i . It s u s kind for that their heritage has been despoiled , and

u s they have been scattered and wasted , and it i s to that

Providence has assigned the broad domain , which they lately

held by the undisputed possession of centuries . We are

o c c u daily treadin g amid the graves of their dead , and are pying the ancient homes where they once dwelt in barba

rian pride and power .

“ A e In their civil relations to the merican people , they hav been styled the adopted children of the republic they are

under its protection and within its guardian care . Their

th e condition , on this account , the more earnestly invites

ceaseless endeavors of christian philanthropy, to raise them

and from degradation , and reclaim them from barbarism ,

pour into their darkened natures , the light of the Gospel , which h as made our national condition and prospects so ff ” di erent from theirs .

Permit me to subscribe myself,

'ours very truly . ' I H ' M NNESOTA ISTO ICAL COLLECTIONS .

D AD 'E SS . Language is the vehicle of thou ght the medium of com munic ation between one being and another . It is a combi

o f nation arbitrary sounds and signs , by which one mind c ommunicates its thoughts , feelin gs , and purposes to other m inds similarly constituted .

From the Bible history of our race , it appears that man w as created , not only with the power of speech , but with the c omplete knowledge of a lan guage adequate to the fulfillment o f all the hi gh and noble purposes of communicating freely

m an and fully with his kindred , and also with his creator

. And God the first specimen of written lan guage , of which we have any authentic account , i s that which was graven by th e “ finger of God , on the two tables of stone , on the mount that burned with fire . Hence the inference that lan guage , both spoken and written , is from God . Human language must necessarily be an imperfect me i d um of communicatin g the feelings and purposes of mind .

is as It the channel of thou ght , and is deep or shallow ,

. And thou ght is deep or vi gorous , or otherwise as the ’ s abundant rain showers from heaven , falling upon earth surface , often m ake new channels of communication with

so t the great ocean , mind , when invi gora ed and enlar ged ,

it s works thoughts out through new channels , formin g new words and forms of speech , or imparting new meanings to t i hose already in use . Hence the study of lan guage s ever

so new and ever interesting . This must have been when ” all the earth was of one language and one speech , and nothin g prevented free communication between all the mem bers of the human family . But much more has it become a study of intense interest , since , as a check on rebellion , God

as r h scattered and separated the one g eat family of man , by introducing a diversity of lan guages . THE DAKOTA LANGUAGE .

It is a remarkable fact that all lan guages , barbarous as

ff e well as civilized , present but di erent shades of the sam

mental philosophy . From this source also , it seem s to me , is derived one of the stron gest arguments for the unity of

A th e f the race . t same time , a care ul comparison of the

lan guages of the various tribes of men , will ultimately prove the most certain guide to ascertaining their proper place in

th e the great family , and the time of their divergence from

parent stock .

A th e s darkness and barbarism and war have , in past ages

n and of the world , bee powerfully productive of dialects

s o lan gua ges , may it not be hoped that the spreading of light and knowled ge—the late wonderful applications of

art— science to the steamship , the railroad and telegraph

and with principles of peace the religion of the Bible , may

th e to be the means of restoring family of man again , if not

u s e one , at least to the of a few lan guages Christianity

and civilization , in their pro gress , are even now accomplish

ing this object . Some of t h e lan gu age s of our own American

n Indians have already perished . A d it does not require the spirit of prophecy to foretell that this will be the destiny of

‘ all . It would seem highly probable , at least , that the English

lan guage , before m any centuries , will prevail over the whole

l ll of North America . All others W give place and be merged

into it .

n as Having made these ge eral remarks , I may announce

th e THE KO T L AN the subject for present occasion , DA A

GU GE . A th e A nd I do this the more cheerfully , because

members of this Society , as well as the citizens of Minnesota

y th e generall , have lately manifested a kindly interest in

as welfare of the Dakota people , well as a laudable curiosity

in re gard to their language .

-fi v e The Dakotas , or Sioux , number about twenty thousand

. Assinnab o ins persons Besides these , the are said to speak ' 9 4 MINNESOTA HISTO I CAL COLLECTIONS .

s ubstantially the same language . Dakota tradition says that

they were originally a family or clan of the Sioux , an d were “ s eparated by a quarrel which arose about a w o manfi Many words in the Osage language are the same as in

nd t Dakota . A the same is probably rue in regard to the

t o . O maha . They appear be branches of the same family f In the language, as spoken by the di ferent bands of those ff properly denominated Dakotas , considerable di erence ex

e w ak anto nw ans ist s . The intercourse between the Md on the

. War e t o nw ans Mississippi and lower St Peters , and the p ,

e k u te s Sissit o nw an Warp and a part of the family, has been

ditfe re nc e s so constant, that but sli ght are discoverable , in

their manner of speaking . In some instances where the War

e to nw an s u se ol Mde w ak anto nw an s p , some of the so modify t It the sound that it becomes and where the former use , the

n . As latter sometimes use a matter of course , some few a words have currency in one b nd , which are not used , per f haps not generally known by the others . But no dif erences o f language which exist are of such a kind as to impede

the free intercourse of thought . The Sissit o nw ansof L ake

a ff Tr verse and the prairies , present more di erences in their

s . One peech of the most marked of these , is their use of

dam n o . A for , the diminutive termination s there is less

' L frequent intercourse b e tw e e n th e m and the Isantie sg ( a name

given by the Missouri Indians to those livin g on the St .

I m h rr w m h v ve O f ff r o f t see s t at qua els about o en a e ry ten e ected the sepa ation bands ,

a nd o f Mr A 'E N IL L made enemies nations . . . ' E states that about one hundred and

fi f r i h o f h m w h Md ak nt nw an ty years ago, o n t e days is great grand other , hen t e ew a o

ere iv M L ac r o h h r w l ing about ille , a quar el f t is kind took place , whic esulted i n the

o ff o f r e f m o f k t h w m r , going a la g a ily Da o as to t e Chippe as . They beca e incorpo ated

w h e h m o f h o f H -in -t h e . da o f it th C ippewas, and any t e present band ole y , and also h v o n St r x r h e a a . o f He t ose who li e the C oi , a e t e desc ndants th t D k ota colony . says that many o f thes e Chippewas still trace their connection to Tat ank am ani and Oh nas h k i h r h o f Wak u t ’ s ' m nyan , w o a e also t e ancestors e band at e d Wing . If this state ent is r d e v r fi h h ve m h w e t ue , it can oubtless b e i ed by t ose w o li a ong t e Chippewas, and ill b a o f matter o f interest in the history both tribes .

I a - r Isam at i i h e a a w r 1 s n ati, o y , s t D kot o d . THE D AKOTA LANGUAGE .

Peters and Mississippi , ) their provincialisms are more nu A Ih ank t m e rou s . nd from their connections with the o n wans of the prairie , they have adopted some of their forms

th e Ih ank t o n O f speech . The chief peculiarity of w an

i is It . dialect is , their almost universally subst tutin g for

The Tit o nw ans have made farther innovations . They u se g

it th e Isantie s k Ih ankt onw ans hard for of and of the , and

d ' . rejecting altogether , use in its place By the bands of J ’ Dakotas east of the ames river , hard 9 is not used , except fi l ' nal in a sy lable where a contraction has taken place , and

. ch an afimi/Lm a is not heard at all Thus p , (a wagon or cart , ) o f War e to nw ans ch an anmi n m a the p , become p in the mouth

f Mde w ak ant onw an oh an akmikma o a , and p in that of an

o n a l Ih ank tonw an and /La p gmi ema with a Titonw an . Hda

Isantie s Ih anktonw an ( to go home) of the , is kda in the

d la Titonw an . e n ialect , and g in the Many words too , are tirel ff — Titonw ans y di erent , as for example , Isan , a knife the

sa Ih ank tonw ans a. Isant ank a y milla , and the , minn , the name by which the people of the United States are known

- o n Mississi . the p i and St Peters , becomes Minna hanska

- and . ' Milla hanska on the Missouri oung persons , passin g

from the Mississippi to the Missouri , and listening for the

Titonw an s first time , to the speech of the , find considerable diffi c u ity in understanding them ; and the same is true in

r Tito nw ans egard to young , when first they visit the villages

O f the Isantie s . The Dakota may be said to resemble other languages in

the fact , that it consists etymologically of articles, nouns ,

n c o n u nc pronou s , adjectives , verbs , adverbs , prepositions , j

tions . and interjections . In its syntactical arrangement , it is

r v like other p imiti e languages , and unlike the En glish and o ther modern languages . This I shall have occasion to

illustrate in another connection . 96 MI OT I 'I C I NNES A H STO CAL COLLE T ONS .

“ The Latin word Mamma was ori ginally Greek , and

h as come down , in some form , into most modern lan guages . But the predominant meaning attached to it by th e Old ' ' “ omans , viz Breast , pap , from which the youn g is nour ” ish e d , seems to have been unknown to their eastern m nei ghbors . This meanin g we retain in ma mal , mammalia , ” i u etc . The Dakota word mama s sed with this same

“ ” Latin si gnification . It is a curious fact that mama refer s ff to the sustenance a orded the child by the mother , and m papa is used by the Indians of the prairie for dried eat,

the food of man . A strong likeness is seen in the Dakota pronouns ma ,

” “ ” “ - a i mi , (me) and miye (me y ) to the L atin mih , ” ” me , meus , etc and some resemblance in sound exist s

“ ” t u tu u s o f tu w between and the Latins , and e of

th e . the Dakotas , but latter means who When I first com

me nc e d th e learnin g Dakota language , this likeness in

sound , and unlikeness in sense , was , on several occasions ,

the cause of my makin g ludicrous mistakes . The Dakota ” sh e pronoun iye , he or i s the same in sense , and probably nearly the same in sound with the L atin ille —the double 1 havin g the force of y , as at present in the French lan

gu a ge .

“ The only Dakota word beside mama, which I have

noticed as havin g a stron g resemblance to the En glish , both ” sk e a - a in sense and sound , i s p ( ska p ) meanin g to

. A evaporate , to escape friend of mine notices a resem blance between the French word couler and the Dakota

kuse , both meanin g to leak .

w o n thin ch in . In Dakota there are two articles , and or It f is su ficient for the purposes of this occasion , to say that

w a an the they are used , generally , here the English or and t would be required , but not always , and hat their place i s

. n . after the noun , etc , ever before it TH E DAKOTA LANGUAGE .

In all lan guages the names of thin gs form a very impor tant class of words . The Dakota vocabulary of trees and

th e shrubs covers probably all , or nearly all , varieties which

grow in th eir country . Their names for herbs and grasses i f are more limited , be ng confined chie ly to such as are known by them to possess medicinal properties , and such as are the

food of certain animals . While they have names for the

fruits that grow in their country , they have very few specific

f . names for lowers The fish in their waters , and . the birds t and fowls of the air , whether resident or o herwi se in their

n own country , have all ames ; and it is not strange , though

h u miliatin t o somewhat g, find the Dakotas better acquainted t n t with h e names and habits of these i habitants of he waters ,

air . n , and earth , than we are Their omenclature of quadru

n o t peds living in their country , is , of course , defective but their knowledge of the horse has not extended back many

centuries , as i s manifest from the fact that they call him

Sh uktank a Sh u nk a do . and wakan , great g and spirit dog n This is a like formatio with mazakan and maza wakan ,

. A spirit iron , their name for a gun nother example of the

k an Wa tank a . same kind is found in , Great Spirit

They have been so much engaged , from time immemorial ,

in dissecting wild animals , that their vocabulary of terms de

ff is noting the di erent parts of the body, much more exten

t n sive and defini e than exists in our own la guage , aside from

the technical terms employed in the science of anatomy . But in terms to express abstract ideas the Dakota language

is undoubtedly defective . The ideas themselves , not having

entered their minds , they needed not the clothing of words . They do not appear to have any words corresponding to

a . color , time , and sp ce They do not feel the need O f them .

ff O f They can talk of the di erent kinds color , as white , black ,

. and red , etc they have words to express the great divisions

time as of day and night , summer and winter ; while ideas é I H I 'I L C I M NNESOTA STO CA OLLECT ONS .

respecting space are expressed by lon g and short , far and near . Like the ancient Latins , their virtue is bravery , and

Sin w o artani their ( ) is not a violation of the law of God ,

o w but the transgression of their n customs , which induces disease or physical evil of some kind . The teachin gs of the Bible have wonderfully changed the meaning attached to many words in our own lan guage , and they are capable of workin g the same transformations for the Dakotas .

n In this connection , it is o ly just to remark , that the lan guage u nder consideration is possessed of great fl exibility almost all words expressin g quality may be so chan ged as to stand for those qualities in the abstrac t . And nouns of

m a ah the instru ent , nouns of the gent or actor , as well as s tract nouns , may be formed from most verbs . Of necessity there are now many compound nouns , as

i - Pe ta- a Wata tanka , a lar ge boat ; wat , a fire or steam boat,

w ata . of , a canoe The names ofmen and women are usually

. W m. compounded words used at the end , Shows that it i s ’ . D an f u a woman s name , as an a fix , is, dimin tive , as wakpa ,

k da w a a n . a river p , a small stream

The birthri ght names of children , in a family , is a peculi

- arit th e . fi rst if so y in Dakota language The born child , a n

- - G h a nO . i s aske ( p ska) if a daughter , Winona (Wee na) The

n Ha- seco d , third , fourth , and fifth , if boys , are Hepan ( pan) ,

Ha e e Hepi ( p ) , C atan ( Cha tan) and Hake (Haka) ; if girls ,

Ha istinna Wansk e they are respectively Hapan , p , , and

Wih ak e .

Th e lan guage of relationship amon g th e Dakotas presents ’ a ’ some interestin g facts . One s f ther s brothers are all ’ ’ fathers and one s mother s sisters are all mothers . Their

’ children are brothers and sisters . The mother s brothers ,

’ and the father s sisters , are uncles and aunts ; and their m . A t i do children , cousins woman calls her elder brother a man calls his elder brother chinye while they both agree A THE D AKOT LANGUAGE . 99

in callin g a youn ger brother misu nk a . A woman calls h e r

m ta ic h u n i nk a . e lder sister m ; and her younger si ster , A i n man calls hi s older S ster ta ke ; and his younger sister ,

A in - n t ank sh i . man calls his brother law taha ; and his

-in -law a b fe s ister , hanka his m le cousins , ta anshi and his ’ h ank ashi . A male cousins , woman calls her husband s

’ Sisters ic h ep an ; and her female cousins and husband s

’ ’

ic h e ansh i . brother s wife , p Her husband s brothers she calls

’ ’ n s hi e hs and her male cousins , and also her husba d s Sister s

ich e sh i . husbands , The same words are used , by both males d an females , for grandfather and grandmother , nephew ,

- - - - . II in in niece , and grandchild SC law and daughter law are designated by the same word . The parents of two persons

om aw ah eto n who are married call each other , for which we

have no correspondin g word in English .

Dakota nouns , generally , are not properly declinable . To

f w orm the possessive or genitive case , ho ever , they usually

f su nk a o u n e r prefix or a fix pronouns ; for example , , y g broth e r - su nk a nisu nk a mi , my younger brother , your younger

nk i ink h i su ak u . Mch s brother ; , his or her youn ger brother

so n nic hink sh i c h inkintk u so n . my ; your son , his or her This afli x of the third person i s confined to nouns signifying

relationship . The idea of property is usually conveyed by

O f a Sh unk a mita , nita and ta , contractions taw , thus , a do g

mit ash unk e nit ash u nk e t ash u nk e h is , my do g ; , your do g ,

o r her dog . I know not that any one has ever had reason to complain

w ' O f of a defect , either in the number or po er the Dakota

pronouns . Indeed , to minds constituted like ours , accus

t o me d to re gard repetitions as unnecessary , there appears

. A s a to be , Often , quite a redundancy Dakota can y simply ,

w ash te w a I love anything , as in adak or he can use two pro

nouns referring to the same person , and thus give emphasis

w ash te w adak a . to his former expression , as mish , I I love 100 I SO T HI STO'I C L C LLECTI O S MNNE A A O N .

sa He can y mitawa , mine , simply or miye mitawa , me mine .

w ah im In a compounded verb he can use two pronouns , as do tank a sat w , I came , I do n ; and in most cases of this kind

. r one pronoun would be incorrect The p onouns , I , am , you ,

n n Ch e are comprehe ded in the Si gle syllable ci ( ) that is , i th e ac tio n m when passes fro the first to the second person .

th e b e c tiv e e When introduced into the verb , o j pronouns tak precedence over the subjective , except in the case of the

first person plural , and with the second person objective , ' either singular or plural . t Words expressin g quality , in Dako a , seem to be neither more nor less important than they are in other languages .

t u as But , in this respec , the lang a ge must be regarded

t o somewhat defective , as the word must be used to ex

b sk u a press both green and lue ; and y means sweet , sour , t and salt , and is the only word which the Dakotas have o convey these very different ideas . C ontrary to the analogy

s of most European lan gua ges , the Dakota adjective follow the noun , and the adverb precedes the verb .

and Words nearly correspondin g to more and most very , are sometimes used in makin g comparisons . But another method , quite common , which strikes us as eminently prim itiv e ffi , is that of a rming one thin g to be good by sayin g that another is bad—affirmin g that one of two or more things is the lon gest by sayin g that the other is short .

u There are two classes o f personal pronouns , those which are sed separately , and such as enter into composition .

1 I i h i e h h r it Unki sh u nk i e i M i s . . ish and miye , ; n sh . niye, thou , , y , e, s e, o and y p ,

i h h u nk i e e I m h e ni e i i e . a we ; y p , you , y p , t ey Dual , nkis , and y , w two , n so e cases t es are used obj ectively , but generally subj ectively .

h e m w e I h nu - i w e a i . Th e 2 . Those t at ent r into co position are , ; ya , t ou p , y p , you

' h m ve h r a r h r . t ird person no inati , bot singula nd plu al , as no insepa able pronoun

— - - Ma v m m m u i nu u i h hem . O bj ecti e a and i , e ; , you ; pi , us ; pi , you ; wic a , t and ni

‘ as used in neu t e r and passive verbs, are translated by I and thou .

— nit aw a s v r Mi m m m e n i h Posses i e P onouns , ita, and itawa , in ; , nita, and t ine ta and n t a a i w a h is h r u nk i- u nk it a- and u nk i -t aw a i ni i n t a i i w p , ta , or e s ; pi , pi , p , ours p , i p and

r - h u nk it aw a r Th e l at t s r f rm e h e i t a i . . you s ; ta pi and aw p , t eirs Dual , , ou s o in ac cas , s used separately ; the O t hers are prefi xed and affi xed to nouns f orming the possessed r ather than the possessing case . TH E DAKOTA LANGUAGE . 1 01

The Dakota verb is by far the most difficult part of the language and I am acquainted with nothin g in other lan gua ges quite so complex .

1 . In a large class of verbs , the manner of the action , and the i nstrument u sed in producin g it are expressed by prefixes to the root . Thus , whether the action is done by t —b cut in g with a knife or saw y shootin g or punchin g , or by — — the action of rain b y cutting with an axe b y strikin g —b —b with a stick , or by the action of the wind y the foot y — b h it the hand , as in pushin g or rubbin g y the mouth , as in

t is in g or talkin g ; and finally , when he action done by borin g , scratchin g , pinchin g , or in any other way not Speci

fi e d re fi xin b a b o , these various ideas are expressed by p g , ,

k a u . , na , pa , ya , and p , to the same root 2 . The Dakota verb tells whether one i s goin g home or

— h a s elsewhere whether he come home , or to a place where — he doe s no t reside whether what he has i s hi s own or an ’ — ’ other s whether he is eating his own food or his neighbor s , and whether what he i s makin g is for himself or another , and all th is by means of prefixes .

ll n 3 . A active transitive verbs in the Dakota la guage , have forms corresponding to the middle voice of the Greek

Hith ae l th e r h and the p of Heb ew , in w ich the action termi n ates on the They have also forms expressing recip ro c al action .

4 . Many Dakota verbs express the idea of relationship by k i the insertion of that is , convey the idea of doing to or for

’ ' O i O e rt . ne s own , as relations or p p y

G It has been said that the Dakota language resembles the reek . This correspond

m i v m m v d W h a d ence with the ddle oice ay be so e e i ence on that point . ebster, in is ” m i i o f E h r “ i rable d ct onary the nglis language , under the lette a , states that the w ord l d G “ ” f ather in O Greek and othic is Atta , which would seem to correspond exactly with

“ ” At e o f u . the Dakota , ( prono nced ata) Bu t the mention o f the G o ch i c would seem to direct our attention to some O f the

f E fi nd t h e i o f P r ac northern languages o urope , to b rth place the Dakota . e haps one q u ai nt e d with the language o f J e n ny Lind and F i e de ri k a fB re m e r m i ght fi nd resem l nIO I e m h r a r h r b ances nu erous t an can be t aced in langu ges f a t e south . 102 MINNESOTA HISTO'I CAL C OLLECTI ONS .

5 . Frequency of action is expressed by the redupli c ation of a syllable .

6 . A few verbs have a prefix which fixes the action tothe middle Of object .

7 . r The pronouns , both subjective and object ive , are eithe prefixed to the verb Orinserted . Here one finds the greatest difficulty in acquiring the language . Many persons who u n de t and rs the language , and are supposed to speak it well , t d nevertheless , of en make lu icrous , and sometimes serious , mistakes in the insertion of pronouns into verbs . The first ffi is di culty which the learner meets with , to know the place of the pronoun in the verb . The next is to know the relative . position of the nominative and objective . And the third and greatest of all is to acquire such a facility in the use O f them that they will always come in the right place .

8 . The prepositions t o and f or are introduced into many

are verbs, generally between the pronouns , some of which changed in consequence . 9 i . n Hi h l The causative form , a swering to the Hebrew p , is made by affi xing kiya or ya to the root or ground form of '

th e v e rb . 10 . Most verbs in the language may be used in both the f construct and absolute forms . It is su ficiently exact for the

w a present occasion , to say that , generally , prefixed to the

m . construct form akes the absolute For example , yazan , to ' tli e be sick , is construct , and is always used when the body , — or any particular part of it , is said to be sick as pa maya b c . w am a az an a zan , my head is si k But y is , simply and st rac te dl y , I am sick . These absolute forms Often express the idea of custom or habit in the agent . From these statements it will be perceived that a full par adigm of the Dakota verb must comprehend a vast numbe r t of forms ; and it will readily be admi ted , that , to master it

no f . fully , must be a work of small di ficulty It will farther DAK TA THE O LANGUAGE . r 1 03

be easily understood that many ideas which w e -e xpress by

Indian ne i h b o rs considerable circumlocution , our g can con

vey , more directly and forcibly , in a single word .

The plural of Dakota verbs , as well as nouns , pronouns , f and adjectives , is formed by a fixing bi to the Singular .

u When either the subjective or Objective pronoun is pl ral , the in pi is required , except the case of wicha , them , used with

w e I o . A , or g , thou noun of multitude is often compre

hended in , and represented by , singular pronouns and verbs , as one can readily perceive by listening to the speech of a

chief.

The use of the dual form , as in Greek , comprehending the

person speaking and the one Spoken to , gives variety and

beauty to the language . But notwithstanding the great

variety of forms which the Dakota verb assumes , by means

of pronouns , it is not to be disguised that , in some cases , it

ob is not always plain , which is the subject , and which the

oe th e . j t ; which the actor , and which actee Take , for —' example , The Chippewas have killed Dakotas ara

f r t onw an Dakota w ic ak tipi. The natural place o the sub je ct of the verb appears to be before the object ; but its

s o ri ght to that place does not seem to be well determined , as that there may not be a doubt in re gard to which is so used . The objective pronoun refers always to the objective noun . The expression often needs an explanation .

The third person sin gular of the verb , contracted if capa

v ble of contraction , is used as the infiniti e mood ; in which case another verb immediately follows . This is undoubt e dl y the ground form of the verb . By some of the members of the Dakota mission , it is considered as the participial form . The conditional mood is formed by means of con

‘

. Th e im e rativ e mo w e junctions p singular is formed by , , or

e 70 e m mi e . WC y , after the verb ; the plural by 1 , p , , or y 9 0 and 1 are used in commanding ; the others in entreatin g .

The Dakota men command ; the women entreat . MINNESO TA HISTO'ICAL C OLLECTI ONS .

The power of reduplication possessed by Dakota adje c

t iv e s t t , verbs , and adverbs , gives varie y and beau y , as well

t . ad as s rength , to the language The reduplication of an

e c tiv e re c e din w ash t e j denotes plurality in the noun Ep g as ,

Sh unk a w ash te sh te . good , wakan , good horses In numer

ical adjectives , it expresses ideas which could not otherwise

no mno m and be conveyed ; as , , two two , or by twos ; wan

an h adan w anc h adan . w c , a few times , of , once In adverbs it denotes frequency of action in regard to different objects ; in verbs it expresses frequency of action in regard to the same k t thing . Ba sa means o cut off, as a stick , with a knife or — saw ; b ak sak s a means to cut o ff several times to cut into

short pieces . Ira means to laugh ; irara means to laugh I . n often , laugh at , make fun of this connection I may ' ” criticise the derivation of ara , the name given to the

Falls of St . Anthony . It has been erroneously derived from

“ ” ” t . i s ira , and ranslated Laughin g Waters Ira itself

” “ ” I ra . ' compounded of , the mouth , and , to curl ara ” t ra is a reduplica ion of , to curl and Should be translated ” C urlin g Waters .

In the arran gement of predicate and subject in a sentence ,

y the Dakota langua ge is eminentl primi tive and natural . “ ” The sentence Give me bread , a Dakota transposes to

— th e Agu yapi i naq u y e bread me give . Such is genius t t t t t of he lan guage , ha , in ransla ing a sentence or verse Bi t from the ble , one expects o be gin , not at the beginnin g , d . An c but at the end su h too , is the common practice of their best interpreters ; where the person who i s speaking

o ff m leaves , there they usually co mence and proceed back

ward to the b e ginning . In thi s way the connection of the

sentences i s more easily retained in the mind , and more

. are h o w e v e r c ase s in naturally evolved There , , some which

b e . a m this method cannot followed In a logical rgu ent , if

. the conclusion is first translated , it will , in some cases, need

1 06 MI I 'I C I NNESOTA H STO CAL COLLE T ONS .

Accent in Dakota i s quite important . The meaning of

ma - a many words depends upon it as , for instance , g , a field ,

- a . b e and ma g , a goose The principle of accentin g seems to

' th e determined from the beginnin g of word , not from the

e nd. In the case of two thirds , or perhaps three fourths ,

th e of all the words in lan guage , the accent is on the

second syllable from the be gi nni n g . The greater part of the remainder are accented on the first syllable there are a

few cases of polysyllables accented on the penultimate . In l words of four or more syllables , a secondary accent fo lows

on the second syllable after the primary . Hence it i s n o t

unfavorable to the composition of poetry ; but , as almost all

words end in a vowel or nasal n . rhyme can have very little

variety . The lan gua ge is sometimes figurative from necessity and

e . sometim s from choice In the latter case , their figures are “ ” often far fetched . When they ask for an ox in soldier

do language , they call him a g and when a chief be gs for a

t . horse , he of en does it under the fi gure of moccasins Their war songs and others seem to have but little of eith er the

Spirit or form of true poetry . A few words make a lon g

i u son g and , in general , their mean n g is j st the opposite of

that naturally conveyed by the words . For example 'n am

e n in g a youn g man who has acted very bravely , killed an

“ and h is emy taken Scalp , they say , you are a fool ; you let ” the Chippewas strike you . And thi s i s understood to be the hi ghest form of eulogy .

In conclusion , I may say , that we cannot but regard the t Dakota as a noble lan guage ; not perfect indeed , bu as

b e perfect as , in the circumstances , it could be expected to a lan guage , which , while in some things it is very defective , in other departments , abounds in forms expressin g varieties

it s fl in action and one which , from great exibility , is capa ble of vast improvement . But in a century more it will HE K T DA OTA LANGUAGE . 1 07

probably no t be Spoken . No r is it perhaps desirable that it

l . Shou d continue as a livin g lan guage The question then is ,

i s — when it dead when the Dakota race , as such , Shall have

o w n ff — passed away , as their bu alo of the prairie shall w e not retain an adequate memorial of them Shall not the names of our rivers be the names of their rivers ; and shall not the names of our towns remind us of these races that A have become mer ged into our own nd especially , Shall we not hand down to posterity the means of knowin g what the Dakota language was ' When Minnesota i s a great — State when its inhabitants are counted by milli ons , and when railroads and telegraph wires are the great veins and

s arteries of its intercommunication , may the archives of thi

Society show , that we , who now live , have in thi s respect , both known and done our duty .

L ao- u i - P ar le Mi s i o 18 50 s n N . g , ovember ,

ALL BO O KS MA'BE 'ECALLED AFTE'7 DA'S

DUE AS STAMPED BELO W

UN'E' ' L F 'NA BE'KELE' I SIT O F CA I O I , BE' E ' CA 94720 K LE ,