This Dakota-English dictionary was sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society when it was first published by the Smithsonian Institution in 1852. The editor, Stephen R. Riggs (1812-83), had worked with Samuel and Gideon Pond and Dr. Thomas S. Williamson to create the dictionary as well as prayer books and hymnals. All four men were missionaries sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to work among the Dakota of the Minnesota River valley. This reprint edition returns to print an expanded version of the dictionary published in 1890.

Long out of print, this classic work on the Dakota language offers extensive information on Dakota grammar and contains a bilingual selection of Dakota myths. Dakota Grammar presents three interrelating aspects of language and culture, beginning with a detailed description of the Santee dialect of the Dakota language and its grammar. The texts of traditional stories, as recounted in Dakota by native speakers, are accompanied by full English translations. Riggs also provides an ethnographic overview of various aspects of Dakota culture and history that enhances the value of this book to all...