.NDEx.Njg

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Tuscarora Reservation
Thursday Morn
Very Kind Friend
I cannot
sufficiently thank
you for having di-
rected my steps into
such pleasant places.
I am really having
a delightful time
with every facility
for [pursuing] my
studies—I have
followed your sug-
gestion and written
down all the Stories
of all kinds which I
have heard so I have
a great mass which
after being thoroughly
sifted may leave
a few useful grains.
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I was surprised that
no translations had
been made into
Tuscarora—I have
been studying the
language [quite]
critically and have
already translated
the Lords Prayer and
am analyzing it
Having travelled
so much I have a
smattering of several
languages which with
my slight knowledge
of Latin and Greek
I find assists me
greatly in getting
at the [construction]
and grammar of
the language—for
it certainly can be
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reduced to a grammar
I believe [Horne] [Tookes]
idea is that the “fewer
parts of Speech in
a language the better”
I have succeeded
in finding nouns
verbs and connec-
tives, and sometimes
one word which in-
cludes them all!—
The subject is fascinating
to me—I have adopted
our own Alphabetical
sounds of the letters
with my own system
of phonetic spelling—for
it does not seem
right that the
Aboriginal tongue
of our English Speaking
America should be
translated with
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the Continental pro-
nunciation as are the
Mohawk and Seneca
for which reason
the English speaking
educated Indians
like [Mrs] Mt Pleasant
cannot even read
or understand her
own tongue—She
cannot read the
Seneca Hymns!—
I have read and
reread with great
interest your “Ancient
Society” It is a fountain
of wisdom—I wish
greatly that I could
procure the “league
of the Iroquois” for
I do not wish to
repeat any stories
which you may
have given and
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for the same reason
I would like [Cusick]s
[little] book—both of
which I have tried
in vain to procure
I have obtained two
very valuable relics,
an old Silver pipe,
and an Ivory handled
cane which were
presented 80 years
ago to the old
Chief [Cugissy] who
brought the first
missionary on to
the reservation—
I cannot tell
you what an inter-
esting man I find
Mr Mt Pleasant to
be—at first he
was very reticent
but he soon thawed
out and we are
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great frinds, even
more, we are brother
and sister, for he
adopted me as a sister
So I have been adopted
into the nation as
a member of the Bear
Clan—about 50 were
present at the ceremony
My name is more
poetical than appro-
priate being translated

Beautiful Flower

the

White-Bear of

the Tuscaroras!—

I considered it a
very graceful com-
plement—
Mr Mt Pleasant
never wearies
telling me stories
which are mostly
witch stories. Such
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a wonderful mixture
of faith and super-
stition A pure
Christian with all
the old true Indian
instincts as alive
as in any which
ever existed 200
years ago—A [?]
of Scripture [reading] for
every occasion—He
was telling of some one
yesterday and said
“He was awful
mad just like Moses
when he come down
from the Mountain, [ect]-
—I think he is
one of the most
interesting persons
I ever met
I have been
in nearly every
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house on the reservation
I brought many presents
and have bought a
great deal of their work
have helped the Band
[ect] and as I pay
Mrs Mt P- double the
price she charged for
board (which I thought
was too little) I find I am
quite welcome all around
and every body is
ready to help me—But
the last verse of your
introduction is very
true—Whatever is
done must be done
quickly as the old
ideas are nearly gone
or sadly [intermixed]
with modern notions—
Excuse this long letter
I did not intend you
such an infliction :Yours
gratefully Erminnie A. Smith