a request

[Dr. MJ Hardman]

Turns out that my roofer is Crow.  He says that he spoke the language
fluently at one time, but he married out of the tribe and now lives in
Florida, not Montana.  He has four children.  I promised him a list of
internet sites with Crow that might interest his himself and his children
(and maybe his wife as well!).  Suggestions please?

He says that that a number of his uncles were actors in the movie Little Big
Man.  I have heard of it but have not seen it (no surprise; I see almost no
movies).

He was talking of the loss of language even during his lifetime.  He seemed
very pleased that there was interest in recovery.  Given my work, anything I
can do that is wanted I will.  I gave him a copy of the Actas of our 1975
conference of speakers of indigenous languages of Latin America.

On another point: in Jaqaru there is no Œcourtesy¹ form of saying ŒI¹m
sorry¹.  One must be specific, like, we have quarreled, let¹s not quarrel
anymore.  And the word that is translated as Œsin, fault¹ I think is a
meaning imposition from the church.  Old women, like me, look over our
descendents (as I did just the other day when they were all gathered
together) and we say Œnan juchanht²wa¹, it¹s my fault¹.  My mother-in-law
used to say it.  At first it much surprised me; it took watching and
listening to understand.  Ah the misunderstandings imposed by the church
(mostly Jesuits)! And their works be the only ways left in some cases of the
early contact.   MJ
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