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files include linguistic and ethnological field notes, reading notes, stories and myths, vocabularies, drawings, and unpublished and published manuscripts.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
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
Includes a copy of text, "Chastising a woman," by George Bushotter. Vocabulary consists only of those words appearing in the text; Dakota from S.R. Riggs, "A Dakota-English Dictionary," edited by J.O. Dorsey, CNAE VII, Washington, D.C., 1890. Text is portion of text number 206 in the Bushotter collection of stories in the James O. Dorsey Papers, MS. 4800 [103].
Biographical / Historical:
Seytler was in 1896 attemping to revise the Bushotter collection. See letter from Boas to McGee, August 8, 1896, MS. number 2632.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 3954
Other Title:
Chastising a woman
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
Drawing depicts man on horseback holding a pipe. Inscription reads: "The male Heyoka dreamer."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08729300
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 001
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Inscriptions read "The Ghost Lodge (elevation), Wanagi Tipi" and "Ground plan of the Ghost Lodge, as drawn by Bushotter." Recto and verso of leaf were given separate inventory numbers. Drawing on verso depicts circular diagram of interior of tipi with south entry marked at top, with arrows indicating path of ritual movement.
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08729600
NAA INV.08729700
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 004-005
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Drawing depicts crooked lance, painted shields, and warbonnet with long feather trailer. Inscription reads: "Exposure of the war dress, etc of the deceased before the Ghost Lodge."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08729800
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 006
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Drawing depicts saddled riderless horse. Inscription reads: "The Ghost's horse."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08729900
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 007
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Drawing also depicts 8 people shown at base, two groups of people on either side. Inscriptions read "Sketched by Bushotter" and "Felling the Mystery Tree."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08730000
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 008
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Inscriptions read "Sketched by Bushotter" and "The Raising of the Sun-Pole."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08730100
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 009
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Inscriptions read "(Sketched by Bushotter") and "The Tent of preparation and the Dancing Lodge."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08730200
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 010
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Inscriptions read: "Ghost pictures," "male ghost," and "female ghost."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08729400
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 002
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Drawing depicts woman in dress and breechclout holding a pipe. Inscription reads: "The female Heyoka dreamer."
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.08729500
NAA MS.4800: 105
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 003
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Ten drawings on nine leaves. Illustrations of figures and materials relating to the Sun Dance, Ghost Lodge, and Heyoka.
Biographical / Historical:
George Bushotter (1864-1892), or Oteri, was a Teton Lakota born in Dakota Territory to a Yankton man and his wife Grey Whirlwind, a Minneconjou Lakota. Raised to be a warrior, Bushotter nevertheless left to study at the Hampton Institute in Virginia from 1878-1881. He entered the Theological Seminary of Virginia in 1885 to become a minister, but his inadequate knowledge of English made the study of Latin and Greek incredibly difficult for him. At the advice of the faculty, Bushotter left the seminary in 1887. While at Hampton, he met Rev. James Owen Dorsey and recognized the potential in working with him to complete ethnographic studies, and worked with the BAE for approximately ten months in 1887. His primary contributions were in the comparative linguistics of Teton Lakota, writing myths and other texts in Lakota, and assisting Dorsey in creating the synonomy of Lakota tribal names that formed a major part of what was to become the Handbook of North American Indians North of Mexico. For more information on George Bushotter, see American Indian Intellectuals, ed. Margot Liberty, 1978.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS.4800: (3.1.1.3) [105]
Funding note:
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Local Note:
Old number 932 (part), changed to 1466
Album Information:
MS 4800-105 000
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Pages
Folklore
Date:
1887
Scope and Contents:
259 texts; numbers 189 and 253, as well as parts of 223 and 224 are by John Bruyier, 1888. Interlinear translations by Dorsey, aided by Bushotter and Bruyier.
Lakota text contents: 1. Sword Keeper and his brother. The latter meets Two Faces, a mythic giant. 8 pages and 3 pages (notes) and 1 page partial translation. 2. The Mythic Buffalo. 10 pages. 3. Two Faces. Explains the origin of arrows, pipes, axes, knife-sharpeners, beads, etc. 14 pages. 4. Three brothers who had a witch sister. 17 pages. (incomplete) 5. Children, a bad old woman cannibal, and Spider (the Mythic Trickster). 12 pages. 6. Spider, animals, and women. 15 pages and 6 pages. 7. A man and his ghost wife. 9 and 5 pages. 8. Two against one: a ghost story with a song. 10 pages. 9. A man, a female ghost, and a male ghost who wrestled with the man. 15 pages. 10. Ghost on the hill, who could not be hit by arrows. 8 pages. 11. Treatment of the sick, burial customs. 22 pages and 4 pages (notes) and 2 pages and 1 sketch. 12. The man who came to life again. 14 and 2 (translation) pages. Note by Bruyier at end. 13. The man and woman in the moon. 6 pages. 14. Man, two in the lodge, female ghost, and the friendly wolf. 8 pages. 15. The man who spared the wolf cubs. 11 pages. 16. The Thunder Being and the Unkcegila (a mastadon ?) 12 pages. 17. Waziya, the northern giant who brings snow. 4 pages. 18. Buffalo people who attacked the Indian people. 10 pages. 19. Spider and the land turtle. 29 pages. 20. The man and his two sons. 18 pages and 2 pages (notes). 21. The turtle who wished to fly. 10 pages. 22. The man who could become a grizzly bear. 6 pages. 23. How the Indians cured the sun. 3 pages. 24. Spider and the horned water monster. 7 pages. 25. The strange lake with large subaquatic animals. 6 pages. 26. The warrior surrounded by a serpent. 4 pages. 27. The one-eyed serpent with short legs and large body. 3 pages. 28. Why they pray to stones, the sun, etc. 9 pages.
29. The mountain in which was a large serpent.. 6 pages. 30. Adventures of a man and his wife.. 8 pages. 31. Spider and the Prairie Chicken. 6 pages. 32. Adventure of RAbbit Carrier. 6 pages. 33. The woman who turned to a fish from her waist down. 22 pages. 34. Spider and the Rabbit; how the latter made snow. 5 pages. 35. The male ghost and his living wife. 8 pages. 36. The man with the magic sword, and the one with the powerful breath. 6 pages. 37. Swift Runner (he who tied stones to his legs). 10 pages. 38. The man who was rescued by eaglets. 10 pages. 39. The Double-woman. 5 pages. 40. Spider and the mice. 14 pages. 41. Spider and the ducks--how they got red eyes. 13 pages and 1 sketch. 42. Spider and the Rabbit; how the latter lost his long tail. 11 pages. 43. The man who ressembled the man in the moon. 11 pages. 44. The young lover who was rescued by the girl. 12 pages. 45. The warriors who met Heyoka (Sunflower) who was singing and dancing. 2 pages. 46. The flying Santee (a ghoul). 8 pages. 47. How the Santees first saw buffalo. 8 pages. 48. How the Lakotas went against the Rees. 5 pages. 49. Adventures of the Short Man. 8 pages. 50. Smoke Maker's adventures: a war story. 7 pages. 51. Fight between the Lakota and the Blackfeet. 4 pages (incomplete) 52. Fight between two unarmed men and a grizzly bear. 8 pages. 53. Treatment of an Omaha spy caught by the Lakotas. 6 pages. 54. The wild man, a nude cannibal. 4 pages. 55. He who uses the earth as an ear. 7 pages. 56. Why horses are called, in Lakota, "mysterious dogs." 7 ages. 57. The man who could understand ravens. 5 pages. 58. Of the two small stones that were servants of the people. 6 pages. (Brief note at the end appears to be in Swanton's hand.) 59. The Wahanksica, a strange animal. 3 pages. 60. The animal in the Missouri River which breaks up the ice in the spring of the year. 4 pages.
61. How thw wind brought sickness to Medicine Butte Creek. 6 pages. 62. Beliefs about day and night. 6 pages. 63. The man in the forest and his contest with ghosts. 8 pages. 64. The feast in honor of the Anti-Natural God. 18 pages. 65. Of the Heyoka man who dreamed of his death by lightening. 13 pages. 66. Fight between the Lakota and the Blackfeet. 6 pages. 67. Of the mysteriousman who knew about the distant war party, 5 pages. 68. Of the wise man who caught his eloping wife. 8 pages. 69. How the Rees or Blackfeet came against the Lakotas. 5 pages. 70. Origin of the buffalo. 5 pages. 71. The Sun Dance. A. 98 pages and 3 figures. B. 9 pages. C. 4 pages. D. 7 pages and 1 diagram. E. 6 pages. F. 4 pages. G. 14 pages. H. 3 pages and 2 diagrams. I. 3 pages. 72. The man who could lengthen his arm at will. 7 pages. 73. What a young man must do before he can marry. 11 pages. 74. How the Crows surrounded some Lakotas. 12 pages. 75. A raid on a Lakota camp. 4 pages. 76. Story of a warrior who was not wounded. 9 pages. 77. Fight between the Lakota and white soldiers. 20 pages. 78. Of the Santees, and their fondness for certain foods. 4 pages. 79. What the Lakota thought of the first white people whom they saw. 13 pages. 80. Belief respecting lakes. 6 pages. 81. Belief about this world. 7 pages. 82. The calumet dance. 39 pages and 2 diagrams. 83. How they honor the dead (the Ghost Feast). 15 and 2 and 18 pages. 84. Men who are arrow and bullet proof. 8 pages. 85. Of love potions, etc. 5 pages. 86. The acts of a wounded warrior. 7 pages. 87. Actors clothed in buffalo robes with the hair out detect wrongdoers. 11 pages. 88. Those who imitate the elk. 14 pages. 89. Why a man may not speak to his mother in law. 11 pages. 90. Rules for feasting, smoking, and visiting. 11 pages. 91. Of certain boyish customs. 8 pages. 92. A ghost story. 7 pages. 93. Origin of the white people. 10 pages. 94. Games and their seasons. 10 pages. 95. Education of a boy. 10 pages. 96. Of youth killed in battle, and of his faithful horse. 12 pages. 97. The people who lived in the north. 7 pages and 2 sketches. 98. The ghost woman and the robin. 9 pages. Note at end by Bruyier. 99. The Flying serpent whose touch was fatal. 5 pages. 100. Origin of twins. 5 pages. 101. George Bushotter's autobiography. 117 pages. 102. Belief concerning a loved one who has been called by a ghost. 7 pages. 103. Fight between two gamblers near Chamberlain, Dakota. 7 pages.
104. The singing elk. 7 pages. 105. Belief about Spider. 9 pages. 106. War of the Lakota against the Omaha. 7 pages. 107. Narrow escape of Bark Bird's Tail (a Lakota). 5 pages. 108. Busnotter's cousin's war adventure. 11 pages. 109. How certain men (doctors, priests, etc.) have become mysterious. 16 pages. 110. How the Lakota fought the Cheyennes and Black Men (Commanches ?). 22 pages. 111. Rules of etiquette for brothers, sisters, cousins. 21 pages. 112. Ghost story. 5 pages. 113. The habits of beavers. 8 pages. 114. Spider and the old woman who fed all the animals. 24 pages. 115. The handsome man who was rescued from a pit by a wolf. 32 pages. 116. Trick of a myth-teller. 9 pages. 117. Of thistles. 4 pages. 118. How Indians regard the past and their ancestors. 22 pages. 119. The grass dance. 12 pages. 120. The Big Belly Society. 6 pages. 121. The Mandan Society. 10 pages. 122. "Following one another," a Lakota game. 7 pages. 123. "They make it run by pushing," a Lakota game. 46 pages and 2 (colored) diagrams. 124. Horse racing. 5 pages. 125. Hitting the moccasin, a game. 9 pages. 126. Shooting at the cactus, a gane. 5 pages. 127. Hitting the bow, a game. 5 pages. 128. Shooting at bunches of grass, a game. 5 pages. 129. Shooting at the lights of an animal, a game. 6 pages. 130. Taking captives from one another, a game. 9 pages. 131. Trampling on the beaver, a game. 6 pages. 132. "Howi ! Howi !" a ring game for boys or youths. 12 pages. 133. "They touch not one another," a game. 6 pages. 134. Game with a long grass which has a long, sharp beard. 6 pages. 135. The old woman accuses them," a game. 8 pages. 136. A game with slings. 5 pages. 137. "Goose and her children," a game. 10 pages. 138. Buffalo horn game. 7 and 1 page. 139. A stick which is hurled. 5 and 1 page and 2 figures. 140. "Making the wood dance by hitting it," a game. 8 pages. 41. "Making the wood jump by hitting it," a game. 8 pages. 142. "Making the bow glide by throwing," a game. 6 pages. 143. Coasting. 8 pages. 144. Game of ball. 12 pages. 145. "Shotting at an arrow set up," a game. 7 pages. 146. Grizzly bear game. 12 pages. 147. Deer game. 10 pages. 148. "Running towards one another," a game. 9 pages. 149. "They cause one another to carry packs on their backs," a game. 10 pages. 150. "They hit one another with mud," a game. 10 pages. 151. Hitting the ball, a game. 11 pages. 152. A game with a rawhide hoop. 43 pages and 2 figures. 153. Game of earthen horses. 8 pages. 154. "They slide by pushing," a game. 14 pages. 155. "They kick at one another," a game. 14 pages.
156. "The hoop is made to roll in the wind," a game. 9 pages. 157. [Popgun game.] Missing July, 1966. (not on microfilm made 1958) 1 page illustration found July, 1968. 158. Wrestling. 8 pages. 159. Courting the girls. 9 pages. 160. Game with bow and small wood-pointed arrows. 10 pages. 161. Swinging. 10 pages. 162. "Taking Places from one another," a game. 9 pages. 163. "Playing with small things," a game. 18 pages. 164. Pinching the backs of hands, a game. 11 pages. 165. "Scattering them," a game. 9 pages. 166. "Who shall get threr first," a game. 10 pages. 167. Hopping. 9 pages. 168. Throwing arrows by hand, at a target. 6 pages. 169. Ghost game. 21 pages. 170. Hide and seek. 13 pages. 171. Jumping down from a high object. 12 pages. 172. Plumstone game. 18 pages. 173. Odd or even ? A game with sticks. 12 pages. 174. Throwing chewed leaves into the eyes, a game. 7 pages. 175. Game with the ankle-bones of a deer. 12 pages. 176. Native wooden harminicon, played by boys. 14 pages and 5 figures. 177. Mysterious game. 17 pages. 178. Playing doctor. 10 pages. 179. Pretending to be dead, a game. 10 pages. 180. Hunting young birds in summer. 12 pages. 181. Hunting eggs in spring. 10 pages. 182. Going to make a grass lodge. 11 pages. 183. Scrambling for presents. 11 pages. 184. Sitting on wooden horses, a game. 8 pages. 185. Making a bone turn and hum by twisting a cord. 15 pages and 2 figures. 186. "String twisted in and out among the fingers." 8 pages. 187. Tumbling and somersault. 7 pages. 188. "Game with large things." 17 pages. 189. About two young men who were friends. 51 pages. By Bruyier. 190. A bird that foretells cold weather. 14 pages. 191. Cause of scrofulous sore on the neck. 10 pages. 192. Meaning of ringing sounds in the ears. 10 pages. 193. The Brave and Fox societies. 18 pages and 4 sketches. 194. Dog Society. 31 pages and 2 sketches and 1 page drawing.
195. "Killing by Hitting," or "Taking the Buffalo paunch," a society of women. 12 pages. 196. Scalpdance society. 16 pages and 1 sketch. 197. Night dance. 18 pages. 198. Mysterious society. 16 pages. 199. Grizzly Bear dance. 19 pages. 200. Belief about the Kildeer. 13 pages. 201. The acts of a leader. 17 pages. 202. Return of the night hawk in the spring. 7 pages. 203. Belief concerning the Ski-bi-bi-la, a small grey bird which says Gli Hunwo ?" ("Coming home ?). 16 pages. Also earlier version of the same, with mistakes. 10 pages. 204. About hanging the "tablo" ("shoulder blade") at the door of the lodge. 7 pages. 205. Trying to excell others. 12 pages. 206. Scolding or whipping a woman. 12 pages. 207. How Indian paints are made. 18 pagrs. 208. Acting like the buffalo bull. 9 pages and 1 page drawing. 209. Law about bowls. 9 pages. 210. Meaning of a rooster's crowing. 8 pages. 211. The taking apart of fetishes. 24 pages. 212. How one man drowned another. 21 pages. 213. Concerning warts. 8 pages. 214. Of a woman who qas killed by mosquitoes. 32 pages. 215. Concerning hermaphrodites. 22 pages. 216. Belief concerning the grebe or dabchick. 10 pages. 217. Rules for eating dogs. 8 pages. 218. Bushotter's recollections of a certain famine. 219. Why Lakota men should not wear women's moccasins. 16 pages. 220. Customs relating to bowls. 10 pages. 221. Meanings of various kinds of twitchings. 10 pages. 222. "Kicking out his elder brother's teeth." 10 pages. 223. How a boy wounded his grandfather in the scrotum. 13 pages. Bruyier's revision of the same. 13 pages. 224. Legend of the nude Spider woman. 12 pages. About the woman who was deceived by the grizzly bear, with an account of the prairie hen. 20 pages. By Bruyier. 225. "Punishment of the prairie." 19 pages.
226. Part of the punishment of a murderer. 12 pages. 227. About a foolish wife. 42 pages. 228. How a ghost stunned Bushotter's father. 21 pages. 229. Occasions for scolding wives. 12 pages. Half-page corrected sentence at end by Buyier. 230. Setting out food, etc. for ghosts. 16 pages. 231. Concerning widows and widowers. 30 pages. 232. About a newborn child. 9 pages. 233. Tatala, a humorist. 6 pages. 234. Vegetal lore. 16 pages. 235. About the year when the stars fell (1833). 18 pages. 236. Concerning shells used as necklaces. 8 pages and 2 sketches. 237. Game with a ball of mud. 8 pages. 238. "Throwing fire at one another." 11 pages. 239. Punishment of a liar. 8 pages. 240. Invocation of the Thunder. 13 pages. 241. About spiders. 15 pages. 242. The mysterious imitation of ghosts. 14 pages. 243. What they carry when they migrate. 20 pages. 244. What happened when the Lower Brules went to a mountain. 24 pages. 245. Concerning guardian spirits. 16 pages. 246. About the Thunderers (People dwelling in the clouds.) 25 pages. 247. About lizards, frogs, etc. rained from the sky. 11 pages. 248. Deer Women. 28 pages. 249. Bird societies. 31 pages. 250. Ways od dancing. 26 pages. 251. About gashing the limbs when mourning. 7 pages. 252. On Fellowhood. 16 pages. 253. Ceremonies at birth. 8 pages. Bruyier's revision. 5 pages. 254. Bushotter's stepfather's prophetic gifts. 15 pages. 255. The recovery of Bushotter's younger brother. 14 pages. 256. Why a son or daughter acts in a childish manner. 9 pages. 257. Giving birth to one child while still nursing another. 13 pages. 258. Courting. 48 pages and 3 page color folding drawing and 1 page drawing. 259. Heyoka woman. 8 pages.
Biographical / Historical:
George Bushotter (1864-1892), or Oteri, was a Teton Lakota born in Dakota Territory to a Yankton man and his wife Grey Whirlwind, a Minneconjou Lakota. Raised to be a warrior, Bushotter nevertheless left to study at the Hampton Institute in Virginia from 1878-1881. He entered the Theological Seminary of Virginia in 1885 to become a minister, but his inadequate knowledge of English made the study of Latin and Greek incredibly difficult for him. At the advice of the faculty, Bushotter left the seminary in 1887. While at Hampton, he met Rev. James Owen Dorsey and recognized the potential in working with him to complete ethnographic studies, and worked with the BAE for approximately ten months in 1887. His primary contributions were in the comparative linguistics of Teton Lakota, writing myths and other texts in Lakota, and assisting Dorsey in creating the synonomy of Lakota tribal names that formed a major part of what was to become the Handbook of North American Indians North of Mexico. For more information on George Bushotter, see American Indian Intellectuals, ed. Margot Liberty, 1978.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS.4800: (3.1.1.3) [103]
Local Note:
Old number 2632 (Parts 1-3)
autograph document signed
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1899-1956
Scope and Contents:
Contains Swanton's revisions of texts found in MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, and related materials. Contents:
1. George Bushotter's first story, the myth of Miwakan yuhala. [1899]. Autograph Document Signed. 10 pages. Copy of Lakota text, with interlinear translation in Swanton's hand; revised with "information provided by Joseph Estes [a Yankton]."
2. English translations of George Bushotter's Lakota texts 1 and 3-17. [1889-1900]. 64 pages.
3. "Dakota notes made in 1899." Approximately 55 pages in small notebook. Linguistic and ethnologic notes, mainly concerning the George Bushotter texts.
4. Note on the history of the Bushotter texts. 1903-1905. Typescript and autograph document. 1 page.
5. Letter to M. W. Stirling, concerning the Bushotter texts. Newton, Massachusetts. March 16, 1956. Typescript letter signed. 2 pages. 3 related letters by Stirling. March-April 1956. carbon copy Typescript letter. 4 pages.
