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Catalog Data

Creator:
Dorsey, James Owen, 1848-1895  Search this
Names:
Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this
Bushotter, George, 1864-1892  Search this
Gatschet, Albert S. (Albert Samuel), 1832-1907  Search this
Hewitt, J. N. B. (John Napoleon Brinton), 1859-1937  Search this
Mooney, James, 1861-1921  Search this
Powell, John Wesley, 1834-1902  Search this
Riggs, Stephen Return, 1812-1883  Search this
Extent:
30 Linear feet (70 boxes, 1 oversized box, 20 manuscript envelopes, 4 rolled maps, and 23 map folders)
Culture:
Indians of North America -- Subarctic  Search this
Athapascan Indians  Search this
Catawba Indians  Search this
Minitari (Hidatsa)  Search this
Numakiki (Mandan)  Search this
Biloxi Indians  Search this
Tutelo  Search this
Iowa  Search this
Chiwere  Search this
Ho-Chunk (Winnebago)  Search this
Oto  Search this
Quapaw Indians  Search this
Osage  Search this
Sioux  Search this
Lakota (Teton/Western Sioux)  Search this
Dhegiha Indians  Search this
Assiniboine (Stoney)  Search this
Ponca  Search this
Omaha  Search this
Tututni (Tutuni)  Search this
Kaw (Kansa)  Search this
Siletz  Search this
Coos (Kusan)  Search this
Yaquina (Yakwina)  Search this
Arctic peoples  Search this
Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America  Search this
Indians of North America -- Great Plains  Search this
Indians of North America -- Southeast  Search this
Takelma (Rogue River Indians)  Search this
Klikitat  Search this
Chasta Costa (Chastacosta)  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Field notes
Drawings
Vocabulary
Folklore
Sermons
Manuscripts
Obituaries
Correspondence
Newspaper clippings
Place:
Siletz Indian Reservation (Or.)
Date:
circa 1870-1956
bulk 1870-1895
Summary:
Reverend James Owen Dorsey (1848-1895) was a missionary and Bureau of American Ethnology ethnologist who conducted extensive research on Siouan tribes and languages.The papers of James Owen Dorsey comprise mostly ethnographic and linguistic materials on various tribes of the Siouan language family as well as tribes from Siletz Reservation in Oregon. These materials include texts and letters with interlineal translations; grammar notes; dictionaries; drawings; and his manuscripts. In addition, the collection contains Dorsey's correspondence, newspaper clippings, his obituaries, and reprints.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains James O. Dorsey's research and writings as a BAE ethnologist, as well as his earlier work as a missionary among the Ponca. The vast majority of the collection pertains to his research on Siouan-Catawban languages, including the Dakota and Dhegiha languages, Chiwere, Winnebago, Mandan, Hidatsa, Tutelo, Biloxi, and Catawba. His research on Athapascan, Kusan, Takilman, and Yakonan languages from his field work at Siletz Reservation are also present, as well as some notes on the Caddoan languages. Dorsey's research files include linguistic and ethnological field notes, reading notes, stories and myths, vocabularies, drawings, and unpublished and published manuscripts. The collection also contains Omaha, Ponca, Quapaw, and Biloxi dictionaries that he compiled and materials relating to his work editing Steven Riggs' Dakota-English Dictionary. Additional noteworthy materials in the collection are Teton texts and drawings from George Bushotter and drawings by Stephen Stubbs (Kansa), Pahaule-gagli (Kansa), and George Miller (Omaha). The collection also contains Dorsey's correspondence, newspaper clippings, obituaries, and his collection of reprints.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized into 6 series: 1) Siouan; 2) Siletz Reservation; 3) Caddoan; 4) General Correspondence; 5) Personal Papers; 6) Miscellaneous & Reprints.
Biographical Note:
Reverend James Owen Dorsey (1848-1895) was a missionary and Bureau of American Ethnology ethnologist who conducted extensive research on Siouan tribes and languages. Dorsey was born on October 31, 1848 in Baltimore, Maryland. He exhibited a talent for languages at an early age. At age 6 he learned the Hebrew alphabet and was able to read the language at age 10. In 1867 Dorsey attended the Theological Seminary of Virginia and was ordained a deacon of the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1871. In May of that year, Dorsey traveled to the Dakota Territory to serve as a missionary among the Ponca. Plagued by ill health, Dorsey was forced to end his missionary work in August 1873. By that time, however, he had learned the Ponca language well enough to converse with members of the tribe without an interpreter. Dorsey returned to Maryland and engaged in parish work while continuing his studies of Siouan languages. His linguistic talents and knowledge of these languages attracted the attention of Major John Wesley Powell. Powell arranged for Dorsey to work among the Omaha in Nebraska from 1878 to 1880 to collect linguistic and ethnological notes. When the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) was established in 1879, Powell recruited Dorsey to join the staff. As an ethnologist for the BAE, Dorsey continued his research on Siouan tribes. His studies focused on languages but also included Siouan personal names, folklore, social organization, religion, beliefs, and customs. He conducted fieldwork among the Tutelo at Six Nations on Grand River in Upper Canada (1882); the Kansa, Osage, and Quapaw in Indian Territory (1883-1884); the Biloxi at Lecompte, Rapides Parish, Louisiana (1892); and again with the Quapaw at the Quapaw Mission (1894). He also worked with Native Americans that visited DC, including George Bushotter (Teton), Philip Longtail (Winnebago), Samuel Fremont (Omaha), and Little Standing Buffalo (Ponca). He also spent time at Siletz Reservation in 1884 to collect linguistic notes on the Athapascan, Kusan, Takilman, and Yakonan stocks. In addition to his research, Dorsey helped found the American Folklore Society and served as the first vice-president of the association. He also served as vice-president of Section H of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At the age of 47, Dorsey died of typhoid fever on February 4, 1895. Sources Consulted 1st-16th Annual Reports of the Bureau of American Ethnology. 1881-1897. Hewitt, J.N.B. 1895. "James Owen Dorsey" American Anthropologist A8, 180-183. McGee, W.J. 1895. "In Memoriam." Journal of American Folklore 8(28): 79-80. 1848 -- Born on October 31 in Baltimore, Maryland. 1871 -- Ordained a deacon of the Protestant Episcopal Church. 1871-1873 -- Served as a missionary among the Ponca in Dakota Territory. 1878-1880 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Omaha in Nebraska. 1879 -- Joined the staff of the Bureau of American Ethnology. 1882 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Tutelo at Six Nations on Grand River in Upper Canada. 1883-1884 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Kansa, Osage, and Quapaw in Indian Territory. 1887 -- Worked with George Bushotter to record information regarding the language and culture of the Dakota. 1884 -- Conducted fieldwork at Siletz Reservation. 1892 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Biloxi at Lecompte, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. 1894 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Quapaw at the Quapaw Mission in Indian Territory. 1895 -- Died of typhoid fever on February 4th at the age of 47.
Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation  Search this
Ethnology  Search this
Indians of North America -- Northeast  Search this
Social structure  Search this
Kinship  Search this
Manners and customs  Search this
Shahaptian languages  Search this
Yakonan languages  Search this
Athapascan languages  Search this
Kusan languages  Search this
Linguistics  Search this
Siouan languages  Search this
Dhegiha language  Search this
Siuslaw Indians  Search this
Hidatsa language  Search this
Omaha language  Search this
Dakota language  Search this
Catawba language  Search this
Biloxi language  Search this
Caddoan languages  Search this
Osage language  Search this
Alsea language  Search this
Kansa language  Search this
Mandan language  Search this
Chastacosta language  Search this
Coquille language  Search this
Tutelo language  Search this
Winnebago language  Search this
Siuslaw language  Search this
Takelma language  Search this
Genre/Form:
Field notes
Drawings
Vocabulary
Folklore
Sermons
Manuscripts
Obituaries
Correspondence
Newspaper clippings
Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.MS4800
See more items in:
MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3261ab492-5f9d-4be7-b1f4-c24d3f5da29b
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-ms4800