Brief Ho-Chunk Language Vocabularies, 1830-1930

Brief Ho-Chunk Language Vocabularies, 1830-1930

These lists of Ho-Chunk words and their English equivalents total only 26 pages and consist of the following unpublished documents:

 1. Merrell, Henry. "Winnebago Dictionary." Merrell (1804-1876), a fur trader at Portage, created this list in the 1830s for his personal use; his manuscript was loaned to the Society in 1899 so this 20-page typed copy could be made; the location of the original manuscript is not known. In US Mss 6F, folder 1.

2. La Mere, Oliver.  "Winnebago Words Furnished by Oliver La Mere." La Mere (1879-1930) was a leader among the Nebraska Winnebago, with close ties to Wisconsin; he provided this 5-page vocabulary to Society museum director Charles E. Brown in 1915. In Wis Mss HB (Charles E. Brown Papers), box 3 folder 1.

3. Monegar, George. "Winnebago Indian Place Names obtained by Dr. Alphonse Gerend from Chief George Monegaar..." Monegar (dates unknown) was described as a Ho-Chunk chief living at Hemlock Creek, Wood Co., Wis., when this one-page list was collected in 1930. In Wis Mss HB (Charles E. Brown Papers), box 3 folder 1.

This is one of several works on American Indian languages to be found at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. Readers should note that these are historical documents rather than  modern ones, and that they were produced largely by white observers rather than native speakers; students wishing to study the language should rely on materials produced by the tribal language office.

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