and what that literally translates as is 'that thing that thinks fast,'" Baldwin noted. "Recently we created a word for computer. While the Miami dictionary catalogues centuries-old words and sounds, Baldwin says the structure of Miami allows for an unlimited number of new words. And so the Miamis we call that river "Ottowawasipiwi" and that means the Ottowa River because the river lead to the Ottawas and of course the Ottowas call it "Omaumee" which meant it lead to the Miamis. And on one end were the Miamis in Fort Wayne and on the other end were the Ottawa people. The Maumee River, what's known as the Maumee River just outside of Toledo, flows from Fort Wayne, Indiana or near there over to Lake Erie. Some river names take on the names of other nations. The language and culture which went silent in this region so many years ago keeps a grip on the state's geography. A glance at a present day map of Ohio also shows a Miamitown, New Miami, and Miamisburg. The Great Miami river watershed drains much of the land west of Columbus. In Ohio, the town of Piqua was a well-known Miami settlement. So, the way we see the land is that our language is still very much on the land," Baldwin said. "If you go over to Indiana, the Wabash river and most of its tributaries are either corruptions of Miami words or English translations of Miami words. Baldwin says the original lands of the Miami in western Ohio and Indiana also yielded clues. Baldwin and co-editor David Costa used written records, remembrances of tribal elders who may have heard the language as children, and Miami University resources to build the vocabulary and syntax used in the dictionary. It has a cross-reference section for English. The new dictionary contains about 3,500 word and phrase entries. And it wasn't until 1990 when the Native American Languages Act was passed which gave a legal foothold for tribes to begin pursuing language revitalization," Baldwin said. "Native languages have long been under attack through federal policy and federal institutions for a number of years. The restoration of the ancient language was a long time coming. In his corner office at Miami University's Center for American and World Cultures, Daryl Baldwin, drops a 200 page draft copy of the Miami-Peoria Dictionary on his desk. By 1960, the language was nearly lost as the last tribal member to speak Miami conversationally died. It was spoken widely through the Central Great Lakes until the early 1800s. Researcher Daryl Baldwin says the Miami Language is part of the Algonquian linguistic family. But, a joint project of the tribe and Miami University seeks to restore what's known as the Miami-Peoria language. With the tribe's removal, their language declined too. #MIAMI DAYMAP SERIES#The Miami Nation, a nation that once encompassed much of western Ohio, was lost to white settlers through a series of battles and treaties and finally forced removal by the US Army in the mid 1840s.
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