The Robert Rankin papers, 1886, 1914, 1956-2011, document his field work, research, and professional activities, primarily in relation to his work studying American Indian languages. Rankin was professor of linguistics at the University of Kansas from 1969 until his retirement in 2005. The collection consists of sound recordings, field notebooks, vocabulary lists and bibliographies, dictionaries, research files, slip files, word lists, correspondence, ephemera, notes, readings and reprints, writings, drafts, and teaching materials. This includes materials from Rankin's work with the last native speakers of the Quapaw and Kaw (Kansa, Kanza) languages and subsequent research, writings, and collaborations with tribes and fellow linguists.
Scope and Contents:
The Robert Rankin papers, 1886, 1914, 1956-2011, document his field work, research, and professional activities, primarily in relation to his work studying American Indian languages. The collection includes sound recordings, field notebooks, vocabulary lists and bibliographies, dictionaries, research files, slip files, word lists, correspondence, ephemera, notes, readings and reprints, writings, drafts, and teaching materials.
The 196 sound recordings include material from Rankin's work with the last native speakers of both the Quapaw and Kaw (Kansa, Kanza) languages. The collection includes extensive research on these languages along with research on other facets of the Siouan language family. Rankin's close collaboration with colleagues and tribes is well documented, especially his work with linguists John E. Koontz and W.L. Ballard, as well as his contributions to language documentation efforts including the Handbook of North American Indians, the Annotated Dictionary of Kaw (Kanza), and the Comparative Siouan Dictionary. The collection also includes sound recordings and notes from Rankin's study of the Romanian language as part of his graduate study.
Arrangement:
The Robert Rankin papers are arranged in 9 series: Series 1. Quapaw, 1972-1991, undated; Series 2. Kaw (Kansa, Kanza), circa 1970-2011, undated; Series 3. Field notebooks, 1981-1983, 1995, undated; Series 4. Subject and correspondence files, 1886, 1956-2007, undated; Series 5. Conferences and professional associations, 1974-2010; Series 6. Writings, 1975-2010, undated; Series 7. Teaching and academic files, 1973-2006, undated; Series 8. Romanian study, 1914, 1962-1972, undated; Series 9. Sound recordings, 1963-1987, undated.
Biographical Note:
Chronology
1939 -- Born January 17
1960 -- Graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Romance Languages
1966-1968 -- Fulbright Fellowship in Romania researching Romanian dialects
1968 -- M.A. in Linguistics, University of Chicago
1969 -- Started at the University of Kansas as an Acting Assistant Professor of Linguistics
1972 -- Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Chicago
1972 -- Became an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the University of Kansas
1973 -- Language work with the Quapaw
1973-1974 -- Began work with the Kaw (Kansa, Kanza) language that continued for the rest of his life
1986 -- Became a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Kansas
2005 -- Retired from the University of Kansas
2014 -- Died on February 24
Robert Rankin was a professor of linguistics at the University of Kansas who spent the majority of his career working with American Indian languages in the Siouan language family. He began his career studying romance languages as part of his undergraduate and graduate work and completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Romania (1966-1968) examining regional linguistic differences. He began teaching at the University of Kansas in 1969 and was introducted to the Choctaw language in Summer 1972 while teaching a field methods course. He became fascinated with American Indian languages and started working with the remaining native speakers of the Quapaw tribe in early 1973. When there were no more native speakers left, he started working with the Kaw (Kansa, Kanza) language. When he began this research in 1973-1974, there were only four fluent speakers of Kaw (Kansa, Kanza) left. He continued studying the language until well after his retirement from the University of Kansas in 2005. Rankin died on February 24, 2014 in Kansas City, MO.
Sources consulted: "Robert L. Rankin obituary," Lawrence Journal-World, March 1-5, 2014 http://obituaries.ljworld.com/obituaries/ljworld/obituary.aspx?pid=169905179
Provenance:
This collection was transferred to the National Anthropological Archives by Robert Rankin's wife, Carolyn Rankin, in 2014.
Restrictions:
The Robert Rankin papers are open for research.
Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Computer disks are currently restricted due to preservation concerns.
Access to the Robert Rankin papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Indians of North America -- Southern states Search this
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Field notes
Citation:
Robert Rankin papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Wenner-Gren Foundation.
Digitization and preparation of sound recordings for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Contents: Crawfish (Origin of the Earth), pages 76-77; Origin of the Yuchi, pages 74-75; Yuchi song of Dance, pages 67-70; Yuchi legend- no title, pages 54-56; Yuchi song, page 49; List of clans, pages 70-71; The remaining pages are devoted to words and sentences in the Yuchi language. (On pages 91-99 is a vocabulary taken from the copy of Albert Pike's Yuchi vocabulary, with additions by Samuel Johnson.)
MS 2733 originally contained Uchean linguistic notes and the legend of how the South Wind lost his ears, collected by Truman Michelson (11 pages). In January 1929, these materials were sent by Matthew W. Stirling, chief of the Smithsonian's Bureau of American Ethnology, to Gunter Wagner. The present location of the Uchean notes and text is unknown, and MS 2733 now only contains a copy of Stirling's letter of transmittal to Wagner.
Notation at top in J. R. Swanton's hand: "Probably one of the languages collected by J. O. Dorsey." But this is not Dorsey's handwriting, and on the basis of the pronouns it is not Athapascan, according to H. J. Landar (here 5/66).
According to Mary S. Linn, author of A Reference Grammar of Euchee (Yuchi), the author of this document is Frank Speck. Linn cites the unique notations that Speck uses and his unique printed 't's and 'n's and non-curled 'y's and 'g's that are present in this document. Linn also believes that the cursive handwriting looks like Speck's, noting the length of the crossed 't's. (November 19, 2009)
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 1595
Local Note:
"The handwriting is not that of Dorsey, Frachtenberg, Curtin, Speck, Michelson, Gatschet, or Harrington." --MCB.
The subject and correspondence files series, dated 1886, 1956-2007 and undated, includes files relating to specific topics or people. They often include a mix of correspondence, readings, general notes, and project notes. In addition this series contains slip files, maps, bibliographies, lexicons, ephemera, sound recordings, transcriptions, and computer disks.
A few of the more prolific topics have been pulled out and put into separate subseries for ease of use. The first of these subseries includes files relating to Rankin's correspondence and collaboration with John Koontz from 1981-2006 and undated. John Koontz was a linguist at the University of Colorado who specialized in the Omaha-Ponca language and worked with Rankin on the Comparative Siouan Dictionary in addition to other papers and talks.
The second subseries consists of materials Rankin received from W.L. Ballard from Georgia State University on the Yuchi language. Materials include 20 sound recordings and associated notes that Ballard made in the 1970s and 1980s in addition to correspondence and data sets.
Materials that pertain to Siouan languages in general form the third subseries, followed by material relating to Rankin's work on the Handbook of North American Indians (HNAI) in the fourth subseries, and general correspondence files in the fifth subseries. The sixth subseries consists of the remainder of the subject and correspondence files listed in alphabetical order.
Arrangement:
Arranged in 6 subseries: 4.1 John Koontz, 1981-2006, undated; 4.2 W.L. Ballard, circa 1970-1996, undated; 4.3 Siouan, 1973-2007, undated; 4.4 HNAI (Handbook of North American Indians), 1974-1995, undated; 4.5 General correspondence, 1979-2005, undated; 4.6 Filed alphabetically, 1886, 1956-2004, undated.
Collection Restrictions:
The Robert Rankin papers are open for research.
Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Computer disks are currently restricted due to preservation concerns.
Access to the Robert Rankin papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Robert Rankin papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Wenner-Gren Foundation.
Digitization and preparation of sound recordings for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
