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Miami University MacArthur Fellow Keeping Indian Language Alive

MacArthur Foundation

Each year, the MacArthur Foundation announces a series of no-strings attached grants to people they believe are “breaking new ground in areas of public concern.” Included in this year’s class of MacArthur Fellows is Miami University’s Daryl Baldwin. Daryl and 22 others will each receive $625,000 to further contributions to their respective fields.

 

In this WYSO Weekend excerpt, Jerry Kenney speaks with Baldwin to learn about the work he’s doing and where he and that work are headed. He also talks about life as a linguist and cultural revivalist.

The following information has been provided, with permission, by the MacArthur Foundation:

Daryl Baldwin is a linguist and scholar reviving the linguistic, cultural, and intellectual heritage of the Miami (Myaamia) nation. Forced removal of the Miami nation from their homeland in the Great Lakes region west to the unorganized territory in the nineteenth century scattered the Myaamia people, now numbering around 5,000, across the country and accelerated the decline of the Miami language, which lost its last native speaker in the mid-twentieth century. Through a multipronged approach that is rooted in restoring use of the Miami language, and includes both education and research, Baldwin is imparting important cultural knowledge to present-day Myaamia descendants.

Baldwin, a trained linguist, utilized historical documentation and the work of linguist David Costa to teach himself and his family the language. Baldwin’s efforts to share his love of the language would develop into community-supported summer youth camps. For Baldwin, however, language is inextricably linked to culture and identity, and language reclamation is a critical tool in his larger efforts to empower a healthy and sustainable Myaamia community. To that end, he has helped forge a unique and mutually beneficial tribal-academic partnership with Miami University in Ohio through the Myaamia Center (formerly the Myaamia Project). 

Credit MacArthur Foundation

 

Jointly directed and funded by the university and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, the center undertakes research for the preservation and rediscovery of Myaamia ways of knowing, including projects focused on harvesting practices and seasonal activities and diets; mapping the landscape and land uses of the traditional homeland; reconstructing the traditional Myaamia lunar calendar; documenting Myaamia ethnobotany practices; and development of curricula and training materials for teaching and learning the Miami language. The center also offers educational opportunities for both tribal members and the larger student body of the university.

Baldwin is a mentor and inspiration for other indigenous groups undertaking language revitalization efforts through the National Breath of Life workshops, which provide guidance for accessing and using archival materials held in D.C.-based archives and libraries. Through his long-term, whole systems approach to restoring the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Myaamia people, Baldwin is working with his community and center staff to make available important knowledge and create a hopeful vision for future generations.

Daryl Baldwin received a B.S. (1996) and an M.A. (1999) from the University of Montana, and he is a citizen of the Miami (Myaamia) Tribe of Oklahoma. He began his work with his family in 1991, later helping initiate community programs in 1995. In 2001, he became the founding director of the Myaamia Project, which in 2013 became the Myaamia Center, in affiliation with Miami University of Ohio.

 

Jerry began volunteering at WYSO in 1991 and hosting Sunday night's Alpha Rhythms in 1992. He joined the YSO staff in 2007 as Morning Edition Host, then All Things Considered. He's hosted Sunday morning's WYSO Weekend since 2008 and produced several radio dramas and specials . In 2009 Jerry received the Best Feature award from Public Radio News Directors Inc., and was named the 2023 winner of the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Best Anchor/News Host award. His current, heart-felt projects include the occasional series Bulletin Board Diaries, which focuses on local, old-school advertisers and small business owners. He has also returned as the co-host Alpha Rhythms.