On Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m., the St. George Library presents an opportunity to hear Paiute stories in both English and Southern Paiute and to learn about the work of two Paiute elders and one young linguist to preserve the Southern Paiute language.
In 2013, linguist Chloe Brent Valentine and Cedar Band of Paiutes elder Eleanor Tom published a Southern Paiute “sky story” as a children’s book. The book, titled “Why the Moon Paints Her Face Black,” is illustrated by Paiute children and includes a CD with a reading of the story told in Paiute by Tom and in English by Valentine. The importance of the CD is explained in the book: “Southern Paiute is not a written language. Those who speak it, speak it. They do not write it; they do not read it. Today, only Paiute elders speak the language. Once they have passed on, so too will the language.”
Valentine and Tom—now joined by another Paiute elder, Earnestine Lehi—are currently working on publishing another manuscript, “Tevitsi Aiayak Teniem Oode—It’s Really Good You’re Saying That: Stories and Conversations in Paiute.” The new manuscript not only contains stories from Tom and Lehi’s childhoods in Paiute and English as translated by Valentine but presents them in the form of a running dialogue between Lehi and Tom.
“It’s pretty fun and rare to get a Paiute dialogue,” Valentine said.
In a recent event at the Paiute Tribal Building in Cedar City, stories from the manuscript were shared with the public, and attending members of the Paiute Tribe of Utah were also encouraged to “brush up on their Paiute” with displays at the back of the room depicting basic words and body parts in Southern Paiute. At the event, Tom and Lehi expressed gratitude for their ancestors who gave them their heritage and the desire to pass their knowledge on, particularly to their own people.
The event at the St. George Library is part of the statewide celebration of National Native American Heritage Month. The Nov. 14 event will include storytelling in English and Paiute, a short background on the new manuscript, and a question-and-answer session.
“The library hosted a story day last November featuring ‘Why the Moon Paints Her Face Black,’” said St. George Library youth services clerk Alisha Burton. “I am thrilled we can have Chloe and Eleanor, and also Earnestine back this year to talk about their progress on the new book. I really hope we are able to raise some awareness of the important work they are doing to preserve and promote the Southern Paiute language.”
