Dorsey MicroFilm

[Koontz John E]

On Mon, 5 Jan 2004, Carolyn Q. wrote:
> I am liking this whole discussion and would be happy to contribute a few $$
> to the effort if it involves JOD's Osage slip file.  Would there be any
> problem getting access for scanning purposes?

I'd be willing to participate and to provide my copy of the film as a
source.  Returning to the 20K OP slips estimate - what I remember from the
NAA card file - at $.025/exposure that works out to $2500.  The Os slip
file is much smaller and, of course, apart from straight lexical slip
files there are things like maps with placenames, and files of personal
names, as well as hundreds of pages of grammar mms. and day-to-day working
notes.

I don't recall if any are on the reels, but the NAA also holds some of the
rough fieldnotes for the texts, written in blue pencil on coarse yellow
paper, in the Riggs Dakota system with some modification.  I was
flabbergasted to discover that Dorsey never used "the Dorsey system" of
the texts in fieldwork.  Including this, there are at least 3 systems
in his various work, plus various temporal and venue-based variants.

Another astounding thing that appears in the manuscripts of the letters is
that many of the names there differ from those published.  I believe this
reflects changes in Omaha and Ponca names used by various individuals
between the time of transcription and the time of redaction.  (I suppose
it might also be some form of anomymizing, but other names don't change.)

For what it's worth, some of Dorsey's ministerial notes are in the
regional Episcopal archives in Vermillion.  I've never seen these.