John Gilmary Shea
Dictionnaire François—Onontagué
"Dictionnaire François—Onontagué" by John Gilmary Shea is a specialized linguistic reference written in the mid-19th century. This work serves as a French-Onondaga dictionary derived from a 17th-century manuscript, aiming to preserve the language and grammatical constructs of the Onondaga tribe amidst the growing interest in American Ethnology and the languages of aboriginal peoples. The project highlights the importance of language as a key to understanding tribal identities and histories. The opening of the book sets a critical tone regarding the state of American ethnological research, emphasizing the need for well-documented grammars and dictionaries to replace unreliable vocabularies. Shea discusses the efforts to compile and publish linguistic works based on thorough research, particularly contributions from early missionaries who documented the languages with care. He notes the value of the original manuscript from which this dictionary is derived and introduces the principles underlying the Onondaga language. Additionally, Shea calls upon scholarly and public institutions to support the preservation and dissemination of such works, stressing their importance for future generations and for the advancement of ethnology in America.