Tunica language and history resources at the APS Library & Museum
Explore a vast body of resources on Tunica language, culture, and history through original archival documents and contemporary reflections by Tunica community members
In the 1930s, the last known speaker of the Tunica language, Sesostrie Youchigant, worked with the linguist Mary Haas to preserve information on the Tunica language for future generations. The stories, vocabularies, and deep cultural knowledge told by Youchigant and written down in notebooks by Haas form a rich resource that is playing a key role in the ongoing reawakening of the Tunica language.
This online portal brings together those original documents, now with enhanced tools for exploring them through transcriptions and content guides.
It also gathers together video interviews by contemporary Tunica community that help to give a rich picture of the past, present, and future of the Tunica language and community, as well as related digital resources.
Language notebooks and transcriptions
Community commentaries and highlights
Opening info saying that there are many great resources here to learn more about the Tunica language and culture in the notebooks through community voices and commentaries.
More Tunica resources
Beyond the notebooks, there are many more Tunica language documents made by Mary Haas and others at the APS Library and Museum. In addition, the collections include materials focusing on Tunica culture and history. All of these documents are digitized and accessible. Visit our page on these resources to learn more.
The Tunica Language & Cultural Revitalization Program of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, along with its partners, the Tunica Language Project, have produced many resources to promote the learning of the Tunica language.