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MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers

National Museum of Natural History

James O. Dorsey papers
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Finding aid
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Object Details

sova.naa.ms4800
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3261ab492-5f9d-4be7-b1f4-c24d3f5da29b
Creator
Dorsey, James Owen, 1848-1895
Names
Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
Bushotter, George, 1864-1892
Gatschet, Albert S. (Albert Samuel), 1832-1907
Hewitt, J. N. B. (John Napoleon Brinton), 1859-1937
Mooney, James, 1861-1921
Powell, John Wesley, 1834-1902
Riggs, Stephen Return, 1812-1883
Place
Siletz Indian Reservation (Or.)
Topic
Language and languages -- Documentation
Ethnology
Indians of North America -- Northeast
Social structure
Kinship
Manners and customs
Shahaptian languages
Yakonan languages
Athapascan languages
Kusan languages
Linguistics
Siouan languages
Dhegiha language
Siuslaw Indians
Hidatsa language
Omaha language
Dakota language
Catawba language
Biloxi language
Caddoan languages
Osage language
Alsea language
Kansa language
Mandan language
Chastacosta language
Coquille language
Tutelo language
Winnebago language
Siuslaw language
Takelma language
Creator
Dorsey, James Owen, 1848-1895
Culture
Indians of North America -- Subarctic
Athapascan Indians
Catawba Indians
Minitari (Hidatsa)
Numakiki (Mandan)
Biloxi Indians
Tutelo
Iowa
Chiwere
Ho-Chunk (Winnebago)
Oto
Quapaw Indians
Osage
Sioux
Lakota (Teton/Western Sioux)
Dhegiha Indians
Assiniboine (Stoney)
Ponca
Omaha
Tututni (Tutuni)
Kaw (Kansa)
Siletz
Coos (Kusan)
Yaquina (Yakwina)
Arctic peoples
Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America
Indians of North America -- Great Plains
Indians of North America -- Southeast
Takelma (Rogue River Indians)
Klikitat
Chasta Costa (Chastacosta)
See more items in
MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers
Sponsor
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund. Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Summary
Reverend James Owen Dorsey (1848-1895) was a missionary and Bureau of American Ethnology ethnologist who conducted extensive research on Siouan tribes and languages.The papers of James Owen Dorsey comprise mostly ethnographic and linguistic materials on various tribes of the Siouan language family as well as tribes from Siletz Reservation in Oregon. These materials include texts and letters with interlineal translations; grammar notes; dictionaries; drawings; and his manuscripts. In addition, the collection contains Dorsey's correspondence, newspaper clippings, his obituaries, and reprints.
Biographical Note
Reverend James Owen Dorsey (1848-1895) was a missionary and Bureau of American Ethnology ethnologist who conducted extensive research on Siouan tribes and languages. Dorsey was born on October 31, 1848 in Baltimore, Maryland. He exhibited a talent for languages at an early age. At age 6 he learned the Hebrew alphabet and was able to read the language at age 10. In 1867 Dorsey attended the Theological Seminary of Virginia and was ordained a deacon of the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1871. In May of that year, Dorsey traveled to the Dakota Territory to serve as a missionary among the Ponca. Plagued by ill health, Dorsey was forced to end his missionary work in August 1873. By that time, however, he had learned the Ponca language well enough to converse with members of the tribe without an interpreter. Dorsey returned to Maryland and engaged in parish work while continuing his studies of Siouan languages. His linguistic talents and knowledge of these languages attracted the attention of Major John Wesley Powell. Powell arranged for Dorsey to work among the Omaha in Nebraska from 1878 to 1880 to collect linguistic and ethnological notes. When the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) was established in 1879, Powell recruited Dorsey to join the staff. As an ethnologist for the BAE, Dorsey continued his research on Siouan tribes. His studies focused on languages but also included Siouan personal names, folklore, social organization, religion, beliefs, and customs. He conducted fieldwork among the Tutelo at Six Nations on Grand River in Upper Canada (1882); the Kansa, Osage, and Quapaw in Indian Territory (1883-1884); the Biloxi at Lecompte, Rapides Parish, Louisiana (1892); and again with the Quapaw at the Quapaw Mission (1894). He also worked with Native Americans that visited DC, including George Bushotter (Teton), Philip Longtail (Winnebago), Samuel Fremont (Omaha), and Little Standing Buffalo (Ponca). He also spent time at Siletz Reservation in 1884 to collect linguistic notes on the Athapascan, Kusan, Takilman, and Yakonan stocks. In addition to his research, Dorsey helped found the American Folklore Society and served as the first vice-president of the association. He also served as vice-president of Section H of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At the age of 47, Dorsey died of typhoid fever on February 4, 1895. Sources Consulted 1st-16th Annual Reports of the Bureau of American Ethnology. 1881-1897. Hewitt, J.N.B. 1895. "James Owen Dorsey" American Anthropologist A8, 180-183. McGee, W.J. 1895. "In Memoriam." Journal of American Folklore 8(28): 79-80. 1848 -- Born on October 31 in Baltimore, Maryland. 1871 -- Ordained a deacon of the Protestant Episcopal Church. 1871-1873 -- Served as a missionary among the Ponca in Dakota Territory. 1878-1880 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Omaha in Nebraska. 1879 -- Joined the staff of the Bureau of American Ethnology. 1882 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Tutelo at Six Nations on Grand River in Upper Canada. 1883-1884 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Kansa, Osage, and Quapaw in Indian Territory. 1887 -- Worked with George Bushotter to record information regarding the language and culture of the Dakota. 1884 -- Conducted fieldwork at Siletz Reservation. 1892 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Biloxi at Lecompte, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. 1894 -- Conducted fieldwork among the Quapaw at the Quapaw Mission in Indian Territory. 1895 -- Died of typhoid fever on February 4th at the age of 47.
Extent
30 Linear feet (70 boxes, 1 oversized box, 20 manuscript envelopes, 4 rolled maps, and 23 map folders)
Date
circa 1870-1956
bulk 1870-1895
Archival Repository
National Anthropological Archives
Identifier
NAA.MS4800
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Field notes
Drawings
Vocabulary
Folklore
Sermons
Manuscripts
Obituaries
Correspondence
Newspaper clippings
Citation
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Arrangement
The collection is organized into 6 series: 1) Siouan; 2) Siletz Reservation; 3) Caddoan; 4) General Correspondence; 5) Personal Papers; 6) Miscellaneous & Reprints.
Processing Information note
Processed by NAA Staff. Encoded by Nancy Kennedy and Lorain Wang.
Rights
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Funding Note
Digitization and preparation of many of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Selected Bibliography
1881. Omaha Sociology. 3rd Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology: 205-370. 1884. Siouan Folk-lore and Mythologic Notes. American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal 6: 174-176. 1885. On the comparative phonology of four Siouan languages. Smithsonian Institution Annual Report for 1883: 912-929. 1886. Migrations of Siouan tribes. American Naturalist 20(3): 211-222. 1888. Osage traditions. 6th Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology: 373-397. 1889. Indians of Siletz Reservation, Oregon. American Anthropologist A2(1): 55-62. 1889. Ponca and Omaha Songs. The Journal of American Folklore 2(7): 271-276. 1889. Teton Folk-lore. American Anthropologist A2(2): 143-158. 1890. The Cegiha Language. Contributions to North American Ethnology 6. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1890. The Gentile System of the Siletz Tribes. The Journal of American Folklore 3(10): 227-237. 1890 Indian Personal Names. American Anthropologist A3(3): 263-268. 1890. Riggs, Stephen Return. A Dakota-English Dictionary. Contributions to North American Ethnology 7. James Owen Dorsey, ed. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1891 Omaha and Ponca Letters. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 11. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1891. The Social Organization of the Siouan Tribes. Journal of American Folklore 4(14, 15): 257-266, 331-342. 1912 with John Swanton. A Dictionary of the Biloxi and Ofo languages. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 47. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1897 Siouan Sociology. 15th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology: 205-244. 1892. Siouan Onomatopes. American Anthropologist A5(1): 1-8. 1894 A Study of Siouan Cults. 11th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology: 361-544.
Genre/Form
Field notes
Drawings
Vocabulary
Folklore
Sermons
Manuscripts
Obituaries
Correspondence
Newspaper clippings
Scope and Contents
This collection contains James O. Dorsey's research and writings as a BAE ethnologist, as well as his earlier work as a missionary among the Ponca. The vast majority of the collection pertains to his research on Siouan-Catawban languages, including the Dakota and Dhegiha languages, Chiwere, Winnebago, Mandan, Hidatsa, Tutelo, Biloxi, and Catawba. His research on Athapascan, Kusan, Takilman, and Yakonan languages from his field work at Siletz Reservation are also present, as well as some notes on the Caddoan languages. Dorsey's research files include linguistic and ethnological field notes, reading notes, stories and myths, vocabularies, drawings, and unpublished and published manuscripts. The collection also contains Omaha, Ponca, Quapaw, and Biloxi dictionaries that he compiled and materials relating to his work editing Steven Riggs' Dakota-English Dictionary. Additional noteworthy materials in the collection are Teton texts and drawings from George Bushotter and drawings by Stephen Stubbs (Kansa), Pahaule-gagli (Kansa), and George Miller (Omaha). The collection also contains Dorsey's correspondence, newspaper clippings, obituaries, and his collection of reprints.
Restrictions
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
NAA.MS4800
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3261ab492-5f9d-4be7-b1f4-c24d3f5da29b
NAA.MS4800
NAA
Record ID
ebl-1503512914364-1503512914402-0

  • Electronic resource 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Images 400 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 719 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Drawings (visual works) 62 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ledger drawings 59 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Pages 36 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Works of art 35 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Drawings 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Newsclippings 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Envelopes 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Folklore 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Volumes 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Indians of North America 118 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Omaha 62 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sioux 25 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Chiwere 15 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Oto 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Lakota (Teton/Western Sioux) 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Missouria (Missouri) 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ponca 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Kaw (Kansa) 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Osage 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Winnebago Indians 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Dhegiha 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Dhegiha Indians 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Dakota (Eastern Sioux) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Nakota (Yankton Sioux) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Tutelo 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Yanktonnai Nakota 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1860s 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1870s 121 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1880s 278 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1890s 79 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • Iowa 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers 719 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha 175 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 4: General correspondence 132 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.1: General Siouan 86 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.2: Dakota / Lakota texts by George Bushotter 46 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha / George Miller drawings of Omaha tents and robes 46 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.4: Chiwere-Winnebago 39 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 2: Siletz Reservation 39 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.1: General Siouan / 34 drawings of beadwork and other designs 35 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.2: Dakota 25 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.6: Tutelo, Biloxi 25 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 6: Miscellaneous & Reprints 15 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.2: Dakota / George Bushotter drawings to accompany his work on Lakota Tetons 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 3: Caddoan 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 5: Personal papers 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha / An Osage Secret Society 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha / Drawings in pencil and water colors by Stephen Stubbs and Pahaule-gagli 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.5: Mandan & Hidatsa 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.7: Catawba 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.1: General Siouan / Empty folder 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha / Dhegiha grammatical notes 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha / Dhegiha linguistic material 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha / Empty folder 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 4800 James O. Dorsey papers / Series 1: Siouan-Catawban / 1.3: Dhegiha / Four Omaha myths, in English 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sioux 26 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Language and languages 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Otoe 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Indians of North America 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Folklore 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Kansa (Kaw) 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Chiwere 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Omaha Indians 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Missouri Indians 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Names, Personal 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Censuses 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Osage Indians 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ponca Indians 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Social classes and societies 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Clothing 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Death and mortuary customs 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Habitations and other structures 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Lakota dialect 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Marriage and family 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Missions 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Music 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Social structure 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • War 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 719 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • George Bushotter texts 1513

  • George Bushotter texts 230-235

  • George Bushotter elevation drawing and ground plan of Ghost Lodge

  • George Miller drawing of tipi of Nikucibca, painted with rainbow

  • Quapaw personal names, with kinship chart

  • Comparison of terms for 'serpent,' 'mysterious being,' etc., in the Siouan languages

  • Notes on Assiniboin sociology from the manuscript of Edwin T. Denig

  • A Grammar... of the Ponka Language

  • Notes relating to Dorsey's "The Gentile System of Siletz Tribes"

  • Note on Kansa and Osage sociology

  • Notes on Dhegiha genealogies

  • Osage census lists

  • Fragment of an account of fasting, possibly among the Omaha

  • Biloxi onomatology

  • Biloxi and Hidatsa comparisons

  • Dhegiha translations of material relating to Dorsey's missionary work

  • Adventures of Ishtinike, The Young Rabbit and Ishtinike and Ishtinike, the Brothers, and Sister

  • Notes on Dhegiha verbs

  • George Miller drawing of his ornamented blanket

  • Fragment of table of contents of a manuscript by Dorsey on the Dhegiha

  • Siouan Phonetic Types: Biloxi equivalents

  • George Bushotter drawing of exposure ritual objects of the deceased before the Ghost Lodge

  • Kwapa texts recorded by Dorsey

  • George Bushotter texts 1-5


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