Houma Language Project

In the 1700s, the Houma people lived on the banks of the Red River and Mississippi River, speaking a language similar to that of the Bayougoula. Presently, there are no known speakers of this language, and sparse information compiled on the language from the 1700-1800s. The goal of the Houma Language Project is to facilitate restoring this Houma la... nguage. The efforts use language as a form of cultural participation and representation. The first aim is to gather and preserve existing information, specifically, gathering examples of language from documents and native speakers. The Houma Language Project is concerned with finding data sources and designing a collection in an accessible form. This archive should also serve as a point of contact for the project. The second aim of the project is to reconstruct language and create contemporary examples. This functions to facilitate linguistic and anthropological research. The aim is to provide a legitimately sourced description of grammar, vocabulary and syntax. The third aim is to engage this language as a form of community and cultural expression. It aims to apply then language into an accessible format, and encourage a community use of language.Read More