Miami Tribe hopes dictionary will revive language

MIAMI, Okla. (AP) -- The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is hoping to revive its language through the publication of a dictionary.<br/><br/>Co-editor Daryl Baldwin says the book is a collaborative effort with

Wednesday, June 29th 2005, 6:18 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI, Okla. (AP) -- The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is hoping to revive its language through the publication of a dictionary.

Co-editor Daryl Baldwin says the book is a collaborative effort with Miami University of Ohio that started in 1991. He says it's drawn from written records spanning three centuries.

The language died out as part of an English-only campaign the US government conducted as part of an assimilation policy that lasted into the 1960s.

The dictionary came out about two weeks ago. Other projects planned include a field guide to plant species found in the tribe's historical lands in Ohio and Indiana expected to be finished later this year, and a mapping project that will reclaim tribal place names.

An audio CD of Miami speakers that contains vocabulary, phrases, conversation, the Miami origin story and the Lord's Prayer was completed in 2002.