#chiwere

[whx-m]

some of the only otoe-ioway naturally speaking recordings left are christian sermons recorded back in the day when fluent speakers were still alive. 

it makes me feel some kind of way- that our recordings are sermons or translated christian hymns, but next to nothing else. no stories, nothing about our culture... n o t h i n g... but if i close my eyes and forget what they’re talking about, it soothes my soul just to hear it spoken the way it was meant to be spoken. no one is left who can speak Otoe-Ioway like this, fluid and with the right cadence and rhythm... it brings tears to my eyes and gives me chills just to hear it.

[linguisticalities]

Tribe that gave Missouri its name works to save its language

Researchers and descendants of its speakers are working hard to preserve Chiwere, an endangered Siouan language originally spoken by the Otoe, Iowa and Missouria tribes.