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I looked at this website several weeks ago.I apologize if it might have been on this forum before;I’m kinda new.
URL is http://www.native-language.org/tutelo.htm
Still under construction however.Great site!
Homepage claims that Saponi and Tutelo were the same language and were
mutually intelligible;if one spoke Saponi
he/she could understand Tutelo and
vice-versa without an interpreter.
Interestingly,the Saponi dialect is believed to have had some words that were borrowed from Powhatan and West
African languages.There’s this quote on the homepage,”the Saponi were known for sheltering African slaves”.Hmm!Brings
up several questions to me right away.
Does anyone know of any sites where
one can hear the Saponi language?Thank
you!
Roca
Hi Roca,
Here is one site where you can hear a prayer (.wav files) and see the English translation:
http://www.occaneechi-saponi.org/tutelo-saponi/intro/yesah_prayer.shtml
Stacey
I just ran into that site myself. I’ve got another site, http://www.greattradingpath.com, that for the past year was #1 on Google for “Native American Drums,” which helped me make about one sale a week. Lately, I’ve dropped down to #3. This site has become #1. Their drum page is a listing of drum sites, but they won’t take any links from people that aren’t federally recognized. I don’t know if they have any commercial angle, but they could if they wanted to.
The language is supposed to be extinct, but I’ve heard from two, totally unrelated, sources that there are two elderly sisters on a reserve who still speak it. One of the sources was a linguist, so I’m assuming that the right thing is being done to perserve what they know.
The Occaneechi site above is good. They got a grant awhile ago to develop a curriculum for teaching the language. I don’t know if anything was ever done, or if it was done, if it was decided that it’s just for their tribal members. Haven’t heard anything on it in awhile.
There are several other groups who have some of the Saponi language preserved within their community, though there’s the old recognition juggernaut that dictates keeping what might amount to evidence of descent close at hand.
So . . . I satisfied some of my desire to hear and learn the language by learning some Lakota. It’s one of the closest living languages, and fairly readily accessible. I think it’s valuable doing this, because I’ve been able to make sense of some of the pronunciations for Tutelo words that are known, and get a sense of the grammar. I wanted to do more because I have kids here and now who can learn so much easier, but I just have to hope that our day will come. At the bottom of the forum first page, you’ll see there is a “Tutelo Immersion” topic, so you can see we’ve tried.
I do know a young linguist who would be interested in developing some learning materials from the existing materials, but I’d hoped to be able to offer him some grant money for his trouble. He’s already done this for another language, hoping to use it as his dissertation, but politics went against him and he was rejected. Perhaps we can get something together with a 501 3c group, looking for a grant. This is something we can all discuss at the annual campout in June.
The link to the Horatio Hale Tutelo dictionary is on the first page of this site. It can also be purchased. I think searching on the title in Google will get you to that source where you can buy it.
Shucks! The links aren’t working for me right now!;) I’ll have to try it again later.
Linda, I didn’t know you may have a line on a linguist, that’s wonderful. Was any of the 501 c 3 info. helpful at all? Dog gone-it! What else can I do?
Knowing smatterings of Lakota does appease the appetite a little, but I really am dying to learn Tutelo. I need the ISBN number of the Horatio Hale Tutelo Grammar book. Glenn said if I can get that, he would have Jessie at the Mountain Bookstore order it in for me along with the upcoming Harry Pooter book, and a couple of other books other’s have mentioned on the forum here. Glenn wants to learn Tutelo too, which totally surprises me!
Let me know, or e-mail me if there is anything else I can do. Love & Light, Lynella.
Dear Stacey,
Thanks for the link!
http://www.occaneechi-saponi.org/tu…ah_prayer.shtml
I heard the Tutelo language for the very 1st time last week in that prayer 🙂 I’ve seen “Dances With Wolves” several times (even have a VHS videotape);I think Tutelo sounds somewhat like Lakota.(?)
Hopefully in a few years,I’ll give Tutelo
a try.Right now,I have a more immediate
need to learn Spanish because of the current demographic in Virginia.I’ve been
using the Rosetta Stone software (progressive immersion) and having a ball
with it.
Roca
Hi Roca,
Here are a couple of other links from that same site…
http://www.occaneechi-saponi.org/tutelo-saponi/wakasik/story_one.shtml
http://www.occaneechi-saponi.org/tutelo-saponi/LRDP/language_is_culture.shtml
Hi Lynella,
According to Amazon, the ISBN number for Horatio Hale’s book is 1889758213. (They have is listed for $36.00)
Stacey
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