Vl DAKOTA-ENGLISH DICTIONARY. 
know enough to give us the help we needed. If we required the meaning of a word, 
as, for example, kaSka (to bind), the reply generally was, ‘‘It means ‘kaska,’ and can 
not mean anything else.” It is related of Hennepin that, while a captive among these 
Indians, on a certain occasion he ran off a little distanee, and then, ranning back again, 
inquired of the braves who sat near what they called that. In trying to learn the mean- 
ing 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, con- 
taining more than sixteen thousand words, occupied all the time = 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 Rey. 8. 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 remodeled and rewritten, according to the 
suggestions and under the direction of Mr. William W. Turner, of the Union Theologi- 
cal Seminary of New York. Of this gentleman’s labors in connection with this work 
I cannot speak too highly. Not only has he by his eminent literary qualifications 
been able to render valuable assistance in the way of suggestion and criticism, but he 
has also read with great care the proof-sheets, especially of the grammar, that nothing 
might be wanting to make the work, under the circumstances, as perfect as possible. 
It is proper also to mention the name of Mr, William H. Smith, of New York, who 
assisted in the revision of the latter half of the dictionary in the absence of Mr. Turner. 
About the Ist of January, 1851, a prospectus was issued at Saint Paul, under the 
sanction of the Historical Society of Minnesota, to publish the work by subscription, 
and in this many of the most prominent citizens of the Territory manifested much 
interest. Among the larger subscriptions may be mentioned those of Governor Alex- 
ander Ramsey, Hon. H. H. Sibley, Hon. Martin McLeod, Rev. E. D. Neill, and H. M. 
Rice, esq. The prudential committee of the American Board of Commissioners for 
Foreign Missions also made an appropriation for the same object, besides another for 
defraying the necessary expenses of superintending the press. 
These provisions, though liberal, considering the circumstances under which they 
were made, were not sufficient to warrant the commencement of the publication; and 
being informed, in answer to a letter addressed to Prof. Joseph Henry, LL. D., that 
the work, on certain conditions, might probably be accepted as one of the Contributions 
to Knowledge of the Smithsonian Institution, it was concluded to present it for that 
purpose. After passing the prescribed examination, it was accepted by the Institution 
and directed to be printed. 
With the manner in which the work has been brought out its friends will, I trust, 
be fully satisfied. Neither pains nor expense has been spared in the publication. The 
plan had already been followed, in the books printed in the language, of using the 
vowels with the sounds which they have in Italian and German, and of representing 
each articulation by a single character. In the present work a few changes have been 
introduced into the orthography for the sake of expressing some of the sounds in a 
manner more perspicuous and consistent with analogy, and more in accordance with 
the system of notation which is now becoming general among scientific philologists in 
Europe. It was necessary in consequence to rearrange a great many of the articles 
in the manuscript dictionary, and to have a number of new punches made. 
