Canku Ota - May 19, 2001 -

Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

May 19, 2001 - Issue 36

Anthropologist leaves life's work on Southern Ute language to tribe

by Matt Joyce Durango Herald Staff Writer

IGNACIO, CO – A young anthropologist just beginning his career came here in 1961 to document the Southern Ute Indian language – a language that had never before been written down.

Forty years later, James Goss, 67, has returned to the Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center and Museum to donate his entire research collection on Ute language, history and culture.

"I’ve always considered that whatever the older Ute people told me back in the 1960s is the traditional property of the Ute people and that it belongs here," Goss said.

"I keep my treaties. I promised to bring things back to the people that gave me my career, and now I’m doing it."

Goss, now a professor emeritus at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, developed an alphabet, a dictionary and a complete grammar of the Southern Ute language.

David Box, a Southern Ute elder who lives in Denver, helped lay the groundwork for some of Goss’ Ignacio interviews in the early 1960s, he said. Box said he would tell the Southern Ute people, "We’ve got something that’s good here because we’re going to use this when the time comes in the future."

Box said that Goss’ research could be useful for the tribe, especially younger tribal members.
James Goss displays some of the items Tuesday he donated to the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum in Ignacio. Goss developed an alphabet, dictionary and grammar of the Southern Ute language.

"It’s a fact-finding venture," Box said. "Now, you can come up with all kinds of facts and store that. It’s no good unless you use it."

Goss was at the Ute museum Tuesday helping develop an exhibit on Southern Ute veterans of 20th century wars. The exhibit is scheduled to open Memorial Day, said Lynn Brittner, director of the museum.

Goss’ museum contributions, which will take several trips to transport, include clothing, beadwork, maps, photographs, books on museum administration, books and academic papers on a variety of American Indian tribes, and an assortment of records of the Ute language from early explorers such as John Wesley Powell.

Goss’ donation also includes an audio recording of tribal member Eddie Box broadcasting the tribal news over KIUP in the Ute language during the summer of 1961.

"By the time I’ve transferred this whole collection, it won’t just be a Ute collection, but all the Native American material I’ve accumulated over 40 years of study as a professor," Goss said.

Brittner said the museum has plans to start a foundation and build a new museum, research center and auditorium.

Goss’ donation "is a great impetus to plan not only a museum, but also a research facility so that Ute students could come here and study about their own culture and not have to go somewhere else and fill out forms, and be denied access to collections," she said.

For now, the museum is seeking small grants to house the collection in acid-free boxes and folders, Brittner said.

"We’ve already started using his library even though we haven’t finished cataloging it," she said.

Goss said he hopes the gift – a legally binding decision that cannot be challenged by future Goss generations – will form the nucleus of an active research center on American Indian tradition and culture.

"This will be much more useful to the next generation of Utes than it would be in a university library or divided up by my descendants after I’m passed on," he said. "The Ute people gave me my career and now it’s payback time.

"This is the way I’m finishing my career."

Contents copyright © 2001, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.

People of the Colorado Plateau
http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/People/ute_indians.htm

Written Ute Language
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/NALI5.html

Canku Ota is a free Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107.

Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry.

The "Canku Ota - A Newsletter Celebrating Native America" web site and its design is the

Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 of Paul C. Barry.

All Rights Reserved.

	Canku Ota
	(Many Paths)
	An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	May 19, 2001 - Issue 36


	Anthropologist leaves life's work on Southern Ute language to tribe
	by Matt Joyce Durango Herald Staff Writer

IGNACIO, CO – A young anthropologist just beginning his career came here in 1961 to document the Southern Ute Indian language – a language that had never before been written down. Forty years later, James Goss, 67, has returned to the Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center and Museum to donate his entire research collection on Ute language, history and culture. "I’ve always considered that whatever the older Ute people told me back in the 1960s is the traditional property of the Ute people and that it belongs here," Goss said. "I keep my treaties. I promised to bring things back to the people that gave me my career, and now I’m doing it." Goss, now a professor emeritus at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, developed an alphabet, a dictionary and a complete grammar of the Southern Ute language. David Box, a Southern Ute elder who lives in Denver, helped lay the groundwork for some of Goss’ Ignacio interviews in the early 1960s, he said. Box said he would tell the Southern Ute people, "We’ve got something that’s good here because we’re going to use this when the time comes in the future." Box said that Goss’ research could be useful for the tribe, especially younger tribal members.	James Goss displays some of the items Tuesday he donated to the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum in Ignacio. Goss developed an alphabet, dictionary and grammar of the Southern Ute language.

"It’s a fact-finding venture," Box said. "Now, you can come up with all kinds of facts and store that. It’s no good unless you use it." Goss was at the Ute museum Tuesday helping develop an exhibit on Southern Ute veterans of 20th century wars. The exhibit is scheduled to open Memorial Day, said Lynn Brittner, director of the museum. Goss’ museum contributions, which will take several trips to transport, include clothing, beadwork, maps, photographs, books on museum administration, books and academic papers on a variety of American Indian tribes, and an assortment of records of the Ute language from early explorers such as John Wesley Powell. Goss’ donation also includes an audio recording of tribal member Eddie Box broadcasting the tribal news over KIUP in the Ute language during the summer of 1961. "By the time I’ve transferred this whole collection, it won’t just be a Ute collection, but all the Native American material I’ve accumulated over 40 years of study as a professor," Goss said. Brittner said the museum has plans to start a foundation and build a new museum, research center and auditorium. Goss’ donation "is a great impetus to plan not only a museum, but also a research facility so that Ute students could come here and study about their own culture and not have to go somewhere else and fill out forms, and be denied access to collections," she said. For now, the museum is seeking small grants to house the collection in acid-free boxes and folders, Brittner said. "We’ve already started using his library even though we haven’t finished cataloging it," she said. Goss said he hopes the gift – a legally binding decision that cannot be challenged by future Goss generations – will form the nucleus of an active research center on American Indian tradition and culture. "This will be much more useful to the next generation of Utes than it would be in a university library or divided up by my descendants after I’m passed on," he said. "The Ute people gave me my career and now it’s payback time. "This is the way I’m finishing my career." Contents copyright © 2001, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.

People of the Colorado Plateau http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/People/ute_indians.htm

Written Ute Language http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/NALI5.html






	Canku Ota is a free Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107.

	Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry.

	The "Canku Ota - A Newsletter Celebrating Native America" web site and its design is the
	Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 of Paul C. Barry.
	All Rights Reserved.