Woodland Indians Forum

tree hugger wrote:

LNPA language projects on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/windamakwi12?feature=watch

So far, I've only had time to view two of the songs.  The language used is pretty good.  Of course, it's the "Dick and Jane" / "See Spot run" variety, right now; but, one has to learn to walk before he or she can run. 

The first one, about the bird and the bobcat has just one mistake, I believe.  The final word of the first stanza, "teken," is not a word.  The word for 'forest' is "tekene."  That final -e cannot be dropped.  I suppose allowances can be made for fitting the right number of syllables into a line.  Poets and lyricists are known for that kind of abbreviation. 

The third song, about the tree, has what appears to be a worse mistake.  It's final three words are supposed to mean, "the birds love him."  What it actually says is, "the birds buy him." 

Too bad no credit is given to the Lenape elders of Oklahoma, and the Lenape Talking Dictionary (and other publications) put together by Jim Rementer--from which all these language materials originate.

Last edited by sschkaak (Jan-26-2013 07:46:pm)

In the second song ("Soup Song"), he uses the word, ntahela ('I place him'), for every item he's putting in the soup.  This is okay for animates, like a 'potato' or 'turnip;' but, for inanimates, like 'meat' or 'pepper,' the word ntatun ('I place it') must be used.

Since, apparently, the language usage is not SO bad, the latest activity in this thread could be moved or copied to a Lenape-language related thread, where it might serve useful for future researchers. No?

lenape wrote:

http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com … 0126.shtml

sschkaak wrote:

Just noticed this, in this article:

"Chief Ruth and DePaul are unique in their own rights, being the first Native Americans to have a curatorial rather than consulting role on an exhibit at the Penn Museum."

Uh?  Well...  Frank G. Speck was appointed Acting Assistant Curator of this Museum in 1911.  Speck was part Mahican (proven, by the way), and, at the age of 8 years old, was sent to live with the Indian woman, Fidelia Fielding (a family friend) in Connecticut, and she taught him much of what was left of the Mohegan-Pequot culture and language.  So, apparently, the University of Pennsylvania doesn't even know it's own history!  (Maybe, since Speck didn't claim to be a tribal member, his ancestry and upbringing doesn't count, in this reckoning?)

Mea Culpa!  Frank G. Speck was NOT part Mahican, as I wrote in this post #73, back in September, 2008.  This has now been confirmed by his grandson.  In his Preface to The Celestial Bear Comes Down to Earth, Speck wrote:  "In youth, I once had hope that destiny would some day open a way for me to put upon record an original account of life's meaning to the aborigines of the Hudson Valley, where some of my remote forbears were born and reared."  (p. vii)  This statement, coupled with the fact that there was an Indian named "Speck," who testified concerning a land transaction for Poughkeepsie, NY, in the Hudson Valley in 1683, must have led me, years ago, to believe he meant his "remote forbears" in the Hudson Valley were Mahican.  In short, I added 2 + 2 together and got 5.  The remainder of the post is true.  He did live with Fidelia Fielding, as a boy.  In addition, he was, later in life, adopted into the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Indians and given the name Gahehdagowa ('Great Porcupine').  BUT, he was not part American Indian.  Very sorry to all for committing this error; however, it must be corrected.

Last edited by sschkaak (Jul-31-2014 06:36:am)