PREFACE. 



The preparation of this volume may be regarded as one of the contributions to 

 science made by the great Missionary enterprise of the present age. It was not 

 premeditated, but has been a result altogether incidental to our work. Our object 

 was to preach the Gospel to the Dakotas in their own language, and to teach them 

 to read and write the same, until their circumstances should be so changed as to 

 enable them to learn the English. Hence we were led to study their language and 

 to endeavor to arrive at a knowledge of its principles. 



About eighteen years ago, Messrs. S. W. and G. H. Pond, from Washington, 

 Conn., took up their residence among the Indians of the Minnesota Valley. In the 

 summer following Dr. T. S. Williamson and his associates, from Ohio, under the 

 direction of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, reached 

 the same country. They immediately commenced the labor of collecting and 

 ascertaining the meaning of Dakota words. 



In the summer of 1837 we joined the mission and engaged in the same labors. 

 Others who reached the country at a later period have rendered much assistance, 

 among whom it is but just to mention the late Rev. Robert Hopkins, of Traverse 

 des Sioux. 



In prosecuting this work we have at all times availed ourselves of the best native 

 assistance ; but during the first years of our residence among them, the natives did 

 not know enough to give us the help we needed. If we required the meaning of a 

 word, as, for example, ka^ka (to bind), the reply generally was, "It means 'ka^ka,' 

 and cannot mean any thing else." It is related of Hennepin, that while a captive 

 among these Indians, on a certain occasion he ran off a little distance, and then, 

 running back again, inquired of the braves who sat near, what they called that. In 

 trying to learn the meaning of Dakota words we have often been obliged to adopt 

 similar expedients. 



The preparation of the Dakota-English part of the Dictionary for the press, 

 containing more than sixteen thousand words, occupied all the time I could spare 

 from my other missionary employments for more than a year. The labor 

 bestowed on the English-Dakota part was performed partly by Mrs. Riggs. 



A manuscript Grammar of the language, written by the Rev. S. W. Pond, was 

 kindly furnished to aid in the preparation of this work; but as it was not 

 received in New York until midwinter, it has been used only in the latter part. 

 Since my arrival in this city, the Grammar has been entirely remodelled and 



