Merriam word-list finder
About Merriam’s digitized word lists
The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley digitized its microfilm copies of Merriam’s word lists and put them up on archive.org. These digital copies are difficult to navigate, because they is organized by microfilm reel rather than by list, or by language. This page is not affiliated with the Bancroft Library, but was made to help interested researchers find the Merriam word lists that are relevant to their research. You can read more here.
Links to Merriam’s word lists
Links to individual word lists can be found below, organized by language group. The groups are listed in a geographical order, roughly from the northwest to the southeast, as in the original collection. Merriam’s names for each group, and Heizer’s (1966) numerical classification, are in parentheses and square brackets. Language names and language groupings that are not from Merriam himself are either from Golla (2011) or from the Bancroft’s finding aid.
The word-list links are to the first page of each resource. Once you have clicked through to a list, use your right arrow key to page forward through the document. If you go backwards or use the scroll-bar to navigate, you may end up in a list for a different language! Note that some lists represent multiple languages, so be sure to read Merriam’s notes at the beginning of each list.
Dene/Athabaskan (Athapascan)
Yurok (Polikla)
Wiyot (Soolahteluk, We'-yot)
3 identified dialects of Wiyot are Patawat (Pah'-te-wat) [3a], Wiki (We'-ke) [3b], and Wiyat (We'-yot) [3c]. Merriam’s vocabulary and natural history word lists for Wiyot are not separated by dialect.
Northern Yukian (Yukean)
Southern Yukian / Wappo (Mi-yahk'-mah)
Merriam’s vocabulary V18 and natural history vocabulary NH19 have two dialects: Mishewal (Mish'-a-wel, Mish'-sha-wel) [h4] and Mayacama (Mi-yahk-mah, Mi-yah'-kah-mah) [4j].
Klamath-Modoc (Lutuamean)
Shastan
Palaihnihan (Achomawan)
Karuk (Karok)
Chimariko (Chemareko)
Yana (Yahnah)
Pomo
Chumash
Yuman
Washo (Washoo)
Salinan (Ennesen)
Ohlone, Costanoan (Olhonean)
Wintuan, Wintun (Wintoon)
See Whistler’s dissertation (ch. 3) for classification & synonymies. See Merriam’s map (p.260) for geographic locations.
Maidu (Midoo)
Miwok (Mewan)
Yokuts (Yokut)
Uto-Aztecan (Shoshone)
Neither of the natural history vocabularies corresponding to this dialect were microfilmed or digitized. Notes in the microfilm say, “folder X/23r/NH111 missing at time of filming,” and “folder X/23t/NH113 missing at time of filming.”
The natural history vocabulary corresponding to this dialect was not microfilmed or digitized. A note in the microfilm says, “Folder X/23t/NH113 missing at time of filming.”
All of Luiseño is represented by a single vocabulary list (V130), but the natural history word lists are separated by dialect.
Tongva
Tubatulabal (Tubotelobela)
Miscellaneous Arizona
Miscellaneous - Idaho, Utah, Nevada
Merriam’s 2 vocabulary lists from Idaho (Bannok-kwaht, Snake), 3 vocabulary lists from Utah (Go'-she-ute, Siv'-vits, Ute), and 3 vocabulary lists from Nevada (Nu-vahˊ-ahn-dits Pi-yuˊ-che & Pa-nar-a-nap, Shoshone, So'-so'-ne) are on reel 50, which is not available on archive.org.
Works cited
- Golla, Victor. (2011) California Indian Languages. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Heizer, Robert F. (1966) Languages Territories and Names of California Indian Tribes. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Guide to the C. Hart Merriam Papers, Volume 1: Papers Relating to Work with California Indians, 1850-1974 (bulk 1898-1938)
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf8c6006rv/entire_text/