Miami-Peoria Dictionary

Publication cover including title, author and silhouettes of cornstalks in front of a setting sun

myaamia neehi peewaalia kaloosioni mahsinaakani is the printed dictionary of the Miami-Illinois language. We offer a printed version in our store and an online Myaamia Dictionary.

Completed in Spring 2005, the Miami Dictionary Project is an ongoing project that is reflective of our current knowledge of the language. It is created primarily for students of the language, but those interested in the study of the Miami language will find it valuable.

Project Background

Although there have been earlier dictionary drafts printed for the Miami communities, we created this as the first major, comprehensive edition. The printing includes:

  • An introduction and brief description of the Miami language
  • Alphabetical listing of Miami words, morphemes, and verb stems
  • An English finder list that refers the user back to the main Miami section of the dictionary for detailed information and example sentences

The sources for this work are many and basically include information derived from nearly 300 years of language documentation, starting with the earliest missionary work from the late 1600’s on up to the latest documentation around 1960. This project is far from complete, as there is a great deal of material we are still studying.

The Miami Dictionary project is funded by Miami University, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and through a generous donation from Rotary International, NW Ohio District 6600. 

Participants

  • Daryl Baldwin: Miami Tribe of Oklahoma (author)
  • Dr. David Costa: Miami Language Consultant (co-author)
  • Pam Dean: Layout designer