myaamia neehi peewalia aacimoona neehi aalhsoohkaana: Myaamia and Peoria Narratives and Winter Stories

by David J. Costa (Editor and Translator)

Myaamia and Peoria are two dialects of an Algonquian language originally spoken in the upper Midwest, primarily in what is now Indiana and Illinois. This language was originally spoken by several tribes, the main ones being the Myaamia, Peoria, Wea, Kashaskia, and Piankashaw. This book is the first collection of native texts from the Myaamia and Peoria ever published. Of the forty-five texts it contains, sixteen are in English only, and twenty-nine are in the Myaamia, Peoria or Wea dialects, with English translations. These texts were collected from several different people from the mid-1890's through 1916, and include origin and cultural hero stories, trickster stories, (including several stories of Fox and Wolf), animal stories, biographical, autobiographical and historical narratives, how-to stories, and Christian prayers. These stories will be of great interest to present-day members of the Myaamia and Peoria tribes, not only for the priceless information they provide towards an understanding of the Myaamia-Peoria language, but also for their invaluable insights into the lives, cultures and beliefs of the members of the Myaamia and Peoria tribes, information delivered in their own words, not recast in the perceptions of outsiders.

171 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010