Assiniboine (Nakota)

• Brenda Farnell, Wiyuta: Assiniboine Storytelling with Signs: A Compact Disc. Univ. of Texas Press. Univ. of Texas Press, 1995. 1 CD-ROM disc. $100. --- A state-of-the-art CD-ROM documenting the performances of traditional Assiniboine narrators. In addition to the original narratives, the disc includes the complete Labanotation texts of the Sign Talk gestures and a phonemic transcription of the texts with English translations. An interactive format allows the user to switch between different segments and formats as desired. One can watch an entire performance in video mode or read it in written mode. But, much more usefully, one can call to the screen a video clip with corresponding Labanotation and Nakota-English transcriptions for comparison, one sentence or phrase at a time. In addition, further ethnographic information-such as comments by the storytellers or their relatives-can be retrieved by clicking on any underlined word. The CD runs on any Macintosh Level LC (System 7) or higher class computer with a CD-ROM drive. It contains a Help document that teaches the user how to use the program effectively. Sufficient information about the Labanotation movement-script is given to allow those unfamiliar with it to read the movement texts. --- Order from: Marketing Dept., Univ. of Texas Press, P. O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819 (tel: 800-252-3206; fax: 512/320-0668). For further information, call Amy Root at 512/471-7233. [Jan. 1995]