A dictionary of the Osage language / by Francis La Flesche.

  • Francis La Flesche
Date:
1932
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of the Osage language / by Francis La Flesche. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/416 (page 1)
    A DICTIONARY OF THE OSAGE LANGUAGE By Francis La Flesche INTRODUCTION The preparation of this work has been made possible by the Mis¬ souri Historical Society, which, through the energetic interest of its late treasurer, Mr. Breckinridge Junes, established an “Osage Fund’7 for this particular purpose from a generous donation for the study of the Osage language made by Mr. E. W. Marland of Ponca City, Okla. It is the result of several years of study and it is hoped that it may be of use to those who desire a knowledge, not only of Osage, but of the great Siouan family of tongues to which it belongs. After several years of thoughtful work and study, this dictionary is presented in the hope that it will assist those seeking a knowledge and understanding of the Osage language and its usages. Much of this work has been made possible by association with personal friends among the Osage tribe. Living with them brought out more per¬ fectly the words and their meanings. Although many of the expres¬ sions of the Osage are similar to those of the Omaha, the terms in their rituals and songs varied. Particular attention is called to the fact that little or no reference has been made to the grammatical construction or meaning of words. The Osage, like many other tribes, do not discriminate between or know the various parts of speech. By a careful study of this dic¬ tionary the student or casual reader will find the same word has many meanings, which to the white man would be confusing. In almost every instance a verb has been indicated by (to) being placed after the word; then the expressions in three persons have been added as illus¬ tration for use. Throughout the English to Osage will be found “see ” or “which see, ” suggesting that the full meaning or sense of the word is worth referring to. It has been the desire to give in the Osage- English a full derivative and meaning and use of the word, while in many instances the English simply has the Indian word. Where subject matter refers to “the back of the book,” interesting para¬ phrasing has been given; legends applying strictly to certain words or expressions will be referred to, giving a better understanding to the reader. Many references are made to wi-gi-es (rituals), which play an important part in the construction of this dictionary.