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TRUMAN MICHELSON

Truman Michelson came the Blackfeet reservation in the summer of 1910 to record the Blackfeet language. He was sent by the Bureau of American Ethnology, a part of the Smithsonian Institution. With the help of a local Piegan interpreter, David Duvall, Dr. Michelson recorded various stories and songs.

Michelson and Duvall recorded the stories and songs of Bear Medicine, Big Moon, Black Bear, Reuben Black Boy, David Duvall, Eagle Child, Horn, Little Young Man, Mountain Chief (Big Brave), Henry No Bear, George Pablo, White Elk, Julia White Swan, and Yellow Calf. He also enlisted the help Rueben Black Boy to provide translation and that of three Blackfeet children, George Thomas, Norah Thomas, and James Vielle, to provide word lists and translation.

These are part of his unpublished manuscripts.

Michelson Manuscript 2826 File 1

Michelson Manuscript 2826 File 2

Michelson Manuscript 2826 File 3

Michelson Manuscript 2823 File 1

Michelson Manuscript 2823 File 2

Michelson Manuscript 2823 File 3 Part 1

Michelson Manuscript 2823 File 3 Part 2

Truman Michelson only published a few articles and reports on the Blackfeet language.

Truman Michelson. “Piegan Tales,” The Journal of American Folklore. Vol. 24, No. 92, (Apr.-Jun., 1911), pp. 238-248.

Truman Michelson, “Review of Original Blackfoot Texts by C.C. Uhlenbeck,” American Anthropologists, New Series, Vol. 13, No. 2. (Apr. - Jun., 1911), p. 326-330.

Truman Michelson. Preliminary Report on the Linguistic Classification of Algonquian Tribes. 1912.

Truman Michelson. “A Piegan Tale,” The Journal of American Folklore. Vol. 29, No. 13, Jul.-Sep., 1916, pp. 408-409.

Truman Michelson. “Piegan Tales of European Origin,” The Journal of American Folklore. Vol. 29, No. 13, Jul.-Sep., 1916, p. 409.

Truman Michelson. "Notes on the Piegan System of Consanguinity," Holmes Anniversary Volume. Washington: Privately Printed. pp. 320-333.

Truman Michelson. “Notes on Some Word-Comparisons between Blackfoot and Other Algonquian Languages,” International Journal of American Linguistics. Vol. 3, No. 2/4. (Jul., 1925), pp. 233-235.

Truman Michelson. "Trickster Marries His Daughter," Journal of American Folklore. Vol. 45, 1932. p. 265.

Truman Michelson. "Phonetic Shifts in Algonquian Languages," International Journal of American Linguistics. Vol. 8, 1935. pp. 131-171.