The Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas *** SSILA BULLETIN *** An Information Service for SSILA Members Editor - Victor Golla (golla@ssila.org) Associate Editor - Scott DeLancey (delancey@uoregon.edu) -->> --Correspondence should be directed to the Editor-- <<-- ___________________________________________________________________________ Number 256: July 27, 2007 ___________________________________________________________________________ 256.0 SSILA Business * Newsletter now available online * Bill Poser takes over management of SSILA website * By-Laws ballot delayed; will be posted at website * Dues statements soon * Abstracts for annual meeting due September 1 (not August 1) 256.1 Correspondence * Re: Opening the Jacobs Collection (L. & T. Thompson) * Etymologies for an entomologist? (C. Favret) * Words for trail trees? (J. Nardo) 256.2 Upcoming Meetings and Workshops * 22nd California Indian Conference (UC Davis, October 26-27) 256.3 Funding Sources * American Philosophical Society research grants for 2008 256.4 New on the Web * New items at USON site 256.5 E-Mail Address Updates --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 256.0 SSILA Business --------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Newsletter now available online ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ PDF versions of the January and April 2007 issues of the SSILA Newsletter have been posted at the SSILA website (http://www.ssila.org). In a few weeks, the July 2007 issue will also be posted in the same location. These files are available for downloading without charge, and SSILA members residing outside the US and Canada are urged to take advantage of this mode of distribution. Due to steeply rising postage rates and long delays in delivery, the hard-copy Newsletter will no longer be mailed to addresses outside the US and Canada unless a specific request is made (this does not apply to institutional subscriptions and exchanges). Requests for mail delivery of the 2007 issues to addresses outside of North America should be e-mailed to . Beginning with the 2008 volume, the default distribution of the Newsletter to ALL individual members, including those residing in the US and Canada, will be by PDF at the SSILA website, where access to the page with the current Newsletter will be password-protected. Hard copies will continue to be sent on request, but an additional fee will be charged for mailing to addresses outside of North America. SSILA members who have already received the January 2007 issue by mail may still wish to download the PDF for that issue, since the paper version contains a number of misprinted phonetic characters. Most of these unfortunate typographical errors are in the three papers on placenames, pp. 9-14. Our apologies to the authors! * Bill Poser takes over management of SSILA website ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Longtime SSILA member Bill Poser (wjposer@ldc.upenn.edu) has taken over general responsibility for the SSILA website from Ardis Eschenberg, who has ably managed the site for several years, twice overseeing its migration to a new server. Plans are under way to give the site a major overhaul. Meanwhile, the reinstallation of the SSILA Directory and other online databases, which Ardis has been working on during the past few months, will remain a major priority. * By-Laws ballot delayed; will be posted at website ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ There has been a slight delay in preparing the special ballot for ratification of the changes in the Society's By-Laws that were adopted at the Business Meeting in Anaheim. The ballot will be posted at the SSILA website shortly. * Dues statements soon ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Dues statements, indicating dues paid or owing, will be mailed to all members within a few days. Please bear with us as we reorganize our secretarial files in preparation for the appointment of a new Executive Secretary in January 2008. * Abstracts for annual meeting due September 1 (not August 1) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Members are reminded that the deadline for receipt of abstracts for the January 2008 annual meeting of the Society, in Chicago, Illinois, is Saturday, September 1, and not Wednesday, August 1. The latter is the new early deadline for LSA abstracts. Although registration for the joint meeting is handled by the LSA, SSILA organizes its program separately from the LSA. Full details regarding SSILA abstract submission can be found in the Call for Papers posted at the SSILA website (http://www.ssila.org). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 256.1 Correspondence --------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Re: Opening the Jacobs Collection ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >From Larry & Terry Thompson (lcthomp@earthlink.net) 4 July 2007: In connection with Alice Taff's note (SSILA Bulletin #254.3, 14 May 2007) about the availability of the Melville and Elizabeth Jacobs manuscript collection at the University of Washington Archives: We are very glad that the study group she refers to did some hard lobbying to make the collection accessible. But it has been accessible ON REQUEST since it was donated to UW early in 1972, and the donation agreement also included the proviso that "after January 1, 2006, access [to the Jacobs Collection] will be governed by rules that normally apply to other manuscripts accessions in the Manuscript Collection of the University of Washington." In other words, the collection automatically became open last year, subject only to the general rules and restrictions of the UW Archives (all archives must have formal requests for use). The reason for the closure between 1972 and 2006 was to keep family matters included in the raw field notes private for a period of time for the sake of the language experts the Jacobs worked with. When the two of us went through Mel's and Bess' files and processed them for the archives, Mel was near death of cancer and knew he would no longer be able to use the material or give his personal permission for it to be used. He would be very pleased at its extensive use during the past 36 years. At one time, it was the most used of any of the collections in the archives. Over the years, there has also been some negative noise about the Northwest Collection of manuscripts also being closed. That closure is due to the still active scholars and the living language/culture experts who need to give permission for specific material to be used. Again, these are raw field notes and need some understanding by a responsible person for their use. They can be used with specific permission from the collector of the material, just as would be necessary for the use of the SAME MATERIAL which in most cases is still in the collector's possession. At this point, the materials in the Archives are considered "safe copies" of rare material. Much of it is only copies of the originals, which are still in active use in the collector's possession. As all of us know, the purpose of an archive is the permanent preserva- tion of rare material, and does not necessarily mean that the original collector or the expert furnishing the material are dead or that work with the particular native group has been completed. The idea is to preserve safe copies of this rare material that was so hard to collect, and much of which is no longer available for collection. Sorry to sound so preachy, but since we originally helped set up these collections many years ago, we understand the reason for them to be "closed" but available for study only with the proper permission. We do hope scholars and native people will also understand, be pleased to have them protected, and will not feel they are hidden away and inaccessible. --Laurence C. and M. Terry Thompson Portland, Oregon (lcthomp@earthlink.net) * Etymologies for an entomologist? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >From Colin Favret (crf@uiuc.edu) 23 July 2007: I am an entomologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey in Champaign, Illinois. I am currently putting together a catalog of the genus names of aphids and am including the etymology of each name. Most of the names are easily translated from Greek or Latin, but I suspect three of them to be of Native American derivation. All three were created by the same authors, F.C. Hottes and T.H. Frison, in their seminal 1931 work, "The Aphids of Illinois". They are "Kakimia", "Paducia", and "Shenahweum". I have no solid evidence that they are derived from Native American words, except that several people have suggested that Shenahweum "sounds like one". Paducia may possibly be taken from Paducah, Kentucky, and thus ultimately from the town's namesake, Chief Paduke (although there is no known connection between the insect and the locality). It should be noted, however, that the primary author, F.C. Hottes, later (1951) named another aphid genus "Wapuna" and stated that he derived that name from the Potawatomi word for "dawn". I would truly appreciate hearing from readers of the SSILA Bulletin who might be able to suggest etymologies for one or more of these names. I will of course make sure that they are properly acknowledged in the catalog. Thank you so much for your help. --Colin Favret, Hymenopteran Biodiversity Analyst Illinois Natural History Survey Champaign, Illinois (https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/crf/www/) * Words for trail trees? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >From John Nardo (jnardo@ellijay.com) 26 May 2007: I am a retired Psychoanalyst on the Faculty at Emory University. In retirement, I am involved with a group of people investigating a kind of tree found in North Georgia and other areas formerly part of the Cherokee Nation. These "bent trees" are widely believed to be Indian trail markers, used for navigation. Our project is the first to look at these trees scientifically (http://www.mountainstewards.org/project). Thus far, dendrochronological studies have confirmed their age to before the Cherokee Removal in the 1830s. We would be very interested in hearing from anyone who knows of words in Cherokee or in other languages of Southeastern Tribes that might refer to trail trees (or marker trees, warning trees, etc.), or of any traditions from these groups that allude to bent trees being used for navigation. Thanks in advance. --John M. Nardo, M.D. 3720 Grandview Road Jasper, Georgia 30143 (jnardo@ellijay.com) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 256.2 Upcoming Meetings and Workshops --------------------------------------------------------------------------- * 22nd California Indian Conference (UC Davis, October 26-27) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >From Sheri Tatsch (sjtatsch@ucdavis.edu) 5 July 2007: Proposals are invited for the 22nd Annual California Indian Conference and Gathering, which will be held at UC Davis on Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27, 2007. Submissions are welcome on topics relating to the indigenous peoples of California. Presentations on Native California languages traditionally form part of the meeting. Abstracts and proposals should be received by August 15, with notification by September 20. Abstracts for sessions, papers, and workshops should be 250 words or less, double-spaced in a 12 point font, and should include: (1) title of paper; (2) name of presenter; (3) e-mail or other contact information and (4) tribal or institutional affiliation. Proposals for sessions and workshops should also include the names of the organizer and panelists abstracts from each of the panelists. Abstracts and propoposals can be submitted either by regular mail, or by e-mail as an attached document file (PC or Mac), to: Sheri Tatsch Department of Native American Studies One Shields Avenue UC Davis Davis, CA 95616 sjtatsch@ucdavis.edu Questions or requests for further information should be directed to Sheri Tatsch at the address above, or by phone at 530-754-8361 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 256.3 Funding Sources --------------------------------------------------------------------------- * American Philosophical Society grants and fellowships for 2008 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >From Linda Musumeci (lmusumeci@amphilsoc.org) 2 July 2007: The APS has four grant or fellowship programs that are of interest to linguists working on American Indian languages: (1) Phillips Fund Grants; (2) Franklin Research Grants; (3) Lewis & Clark Fund Grants; and (4) Sabbatical Fellowships. General information ------------------- Awards are made for non-commercial research only. The Society makes no grants for academic study or classroom presentation, for travel to conferences, for non-scholarly projects, for assistance with translation, or for the preparation of materials for use by students. The Society does not pay overhead or indirect costs to any institution or costs of publication. Applicants may be residents of the United States or American citizens resident abroad. Foreign nationals whose research can only be carried out in the United States are eligible. Grants are made to individuals; institutions are not eligible to apply. Requirements for each program vary. Grants and fellowships are taxable income, but the Society is not required to report payments. It is recommended that grant and fellowship recipients discuss their reporting obligations with their tax advisors. Phillips Fund Grants for Native American Research ------------------------------------------------- For research in Native American linguistics and ethnohistory, focusing on the continental United States and Canada. Given for a maximum of one year from date of award to cover travel, tapes, and informants' fees. Applicants may be graduate students pursuing either a master’s or a doctoral degree; post-doctoral applicants are also eligible. Awards are made from $1,000 to $3,500 (note that the maximum award has been increased). Deadline: March 1; notification in May. Franklin Research Grants ------------------------ This is a program of small grants to scholars intended to support the cost of research leading to publication in all areas of knowledge. The Franklin program is particularly designed to help meet the cost of travel to libraries and archives for research purposes; the purchase of micro- film, photocopies or equivalent research materials; the costs associated with fieldwork; or laboratory research expenses. Applicants are expected to have a doctorate or to have published work of doctoral character and quality. Pre-doctoral graduate students are not eligible, but the Society is especially interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received the doctorate. Awards are made from $1,000 to $6,000. Deadlines: October 1 and December 1; notification in February and April. Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research ------------------------------------------------------- The Lewis and Clark Fund encourages exploratory field studies for the collection of specimens and data and to provide the imaginative stimulus that accompanies direct observation. Applications are invited from disciplines with a large dependence on field studies, such as archeology, anthropology, biology, ecology, geography, geology, linguistics, and paleontology, but grants will not be restricted to these fields. Grants will be available to doctoral students who wish to participate in field studies for their dissertations or for other purposes. Master’s candidates, undergraduates, and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. Grants will depend on travel costs but will ordinarily be in the range of several hundred dollars to about $5,000. Applicants who have received Lewis and Clark Fund grants may reapply after an interval of two years. Deadline: February 15; notification in May. Sabbatical Fellowship for the Humanities and Social Sciences ------------------------------------------------------------ This program is open to mid-career faculty of universities and 4-year colleges in the United States who have been granted a sabbatical/research year but for whom financial support from the home institution is a vailable for only part of the year. Candidates must not have had a financially supported leave at any time subsequent to September 1, 2005. The doctoral degree must have been conferred no later than 2000 and no earlier than 1987. Stipends are $30,000 to $40,000 for the second half of an awarded sabbatical year. Deadline: October 15; notification in March. Questions concerning any of these programs should be directed to Linda Musumeci, Research Administrator, at LMusumeci@amphilsoc.org or telephone 215-440-3429. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 256.4 New on the Web --------------------------------------------------------------------------- * New items at USON site ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >From Zarina Estrada (zarina@guaymas.uson.mx) 26 June 2007: This is to let you know that on the Web page of our Masters program in Linguistics at the University of Sonora, you can now find the MA theses which have been defended, as well as other news. This includes the programs for the Workshops in Syntax that we have organized at USON from 2003 to date. The URL is: http://www.maestriaenlinguistica.uson.mx Although most of the dissertations deal with Mexican Indigenous languages, the most recent one was about Toba, a language from Argentina. --Zarina Estrada Fernández Licenciatura y Maestría en Lingüística Universidad de Sonora --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 256.5 E-Mail Address Updates --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following additions or changes have been made to the SSILA e-mail list since the last Bulletin: Barragan Trejo, Daniel ... danbartre@gmail.com Barrett, Rusty ........... erbarrett@uky.edu Conathan, Lisa ........... lisa.conathan@yale.edu Midtlyng, Patrick J. ..... midtlyng@uchicago.edu Stapert, Eugenie ......... eugenie.stapert@gmail.com When your e-mail address changes, please notify us (golla@ssila.org). ************************************************************************** THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES OF THE AMERICAS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Victor Golla, Secretary-Treasurer & Editor P. O. Box 555 Arcata, California 95518-0555 USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------ tel: 707/826-4324 - e-mail: golla@ssila.org Website: http://www.ssila.org ************************************************************************** The SSILA Bulletin is distributed electronically to all members of SSILA. Non-members may subscribe free of charge by sending their e-mail address to the editor (golla@ssila.org). SSILA also publishes a quarterly hard-copy Newsletter that contains book reviews, notices of journal articles and recent dissertations, and other news and commentary. The Newsletter and other publications of the Society are distributed only to members or to institutional subscribers. SSILA welcomes applications for membership from anyone interested in the scholarly study of the languages of the native peoples of North, Central, and South America. Dues for 2007 are $16 (US) or $20 (Canadian) and may be paid in advance at the 2007 rate. (The basic rate will rise to $20 in 2008.) Checks or money orders should be made payable to "SSILA" and sent to: SSILA, P.O. Box 555, Arcata, CA 95518. For further information, visit the SSILA website (http://www.ssila.org). **************************************************************************