63.—The Assembly’s Shorter Catechism. 1 vol. 18mo. 34 pages. No imprint or date.
This is one of the earliest translations made into our Indian languages, and is understood to have been done prior to the American Revolution, while this tribe dwelt at Stockbridge, Mass., on the Housatonic River. It has the following endorsement: “This translation was made by John Quinney and Capt. Hendrick, who received his (their) commission from General Washington. Little else has ever been translated into the Stockbridge language besides this.” The name of the tribes is written on the cover, “Muh hee kun ne ew,” being the plural of (to preserve the orthography of the endorsement,) “Muh hee kun,” denoting Mohegan people. It is a well characterized dialect of the sub-groupe of the Eastern Algonquins.
SECTION V.—MONTAGNAIS, OR MOUNTAINEERS.
BOOKS AND TRANSLATIONS IN THE MONTAGNAIS.
[This people occupy the country on the head-waters of the River Saguenay, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, below Quebec, reaching to the Labrador coast. They are a part of the great Algonquin family so celebrated in the history of Canada.]
64.—Aiamieu Kukuetshimitun Missinaigan. Prayer and Question (Catechism) Book. Quebec: 53 pages, 12mo. A. D. 1848.
This work is published with the approbation of the Bishop of Quebec, in the dialect of the Montagnais. “Ella est un des debris,” observes the Bishop, in a note transmitting it, “ainsi que cette des Sauteux, de la grande nation du Algonquins, si celebre dans l’histoire du Canada.” The dialect differs but little from the forms of words now used by the nations of this stock in the north-western quarters of the United States. The use of the letter l, for the sound of n, as heard with our tribes, marks the chief peculiarity in sound.
SECTION VI.—DELAWARE.
BOOKS AND TRANSLATIONS IN THE DELAWARE, OR LENNO-LEANPI LANGUAGE.
65.—The History of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Shawanoe Baptist Mission. J. Meeker. A. D. 1837. 1 vol. 12mo. 221 pages.
This is a version from the Delaware, of Rev. David Zeisberger’s compend of the Four Gospels, published in 1806. It is an attempt to express the Indian sounds by a consonantal system of notation peculiar to Mr. Meeker.
66.—Lenapie Wawipoetakse ave Apwatuk. First Lessons in the Delaware. J. Meeker. Baptist Shawanoe Mission. 1 vol. 18mo. 48 pages. A. D. 1834.