Haida Past Speaks To Troubled Present (fwd)

[Jordan Lachler]

Hi Don,

>Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if Haida epics have been published in
>the Haida language (alone or in parallel text with another language like
>English)?

The original published versions, collected by John Swanton at the turn of
the last century, contained some transcribed Haida, included a couple of
texts with word-by-word as well as free translations.  But most of the
published volume was just the English translations, with the original Haida
transcriptions remaining in manuscript form.

In 1995, John Enrico published a large, re-elicited and retranscribed
collection of Swanton's texts in the Skidegate dialect of Haida.  For the
most part, the Haida was on the left-hand pages and the English on the
right-hand pages.  With some work, the reader could sync up the two versions.

We're currently working on a collection of Haida narratives recorded from
elders here in Alaska back in the 1970's.  With the help of the last 5 or 6
fluent speakers left here, we're hoping over the next couple of years to be
able to incorporate those stories into our intermediate and advanced level
Haida language classes at the University, and perhaps publish them, either
on their own or as part of other pedagogical materials.

Jordan Lachler
Haida Language Project Director
Sealaska Heritage Institute
Ketchikan, Alaska