Delaware Indian Language of 1824

Delaware Indian Language of 1824
by C. C. Trowbridge
Edited by James A. Rementer

In 1823, a man named Charles C. Trowbridge went to Indiana Territory on an assignment from Governor Lewis Cass of the Michigan Territory. His mission was to obtain the answers to a list of questions pertaining to the Lenape or Delaware language. After only two and a half months, Trowbridge collected over 280 pages of handwritten information, making the first full-fledged treatment of Southern Unami, th dialect spoken by the two Delaware groups in Oklahoma today.

After almost two centuries, Lenape Language Project director Jim Rementer has now edited and published Trowbridge’s extremely thorough study in full. With well over a hundred pages devoted to verb forms alone, and extended word-by-word analyses of texts and common phrases, Trowbridge’s work serves not only as a detailed grammar but also as an invaluable cultural record from a time when the Lenape community was on its journey from the Mid-Atlantic toward the west. This is the dialect of Lenape that was spoken in the southern half of New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Rementer’s extensive introductory material puts in context the historical forces that went into producing this text, with a biography of Captain Pipe, one of Trowbridge’s main Indian informants. Contributions by linguist Bruce Pearson and historian Timothy Crumrin round out the picture with biographies of Trowbridge himself and of William Conner.

Published June 2011. Hardcover, 314 pp. List price is $80.00. These will be available through the tribal office at a special price to tribal members of $65.00 plus $6.00 shipping.