Joseph Laurent

Joseph Laurent (Western Abnaki: Sozap Lolô; 1839–1917),[1] was an Abenaki chief, best known for authoring an Abenaki language dictionary. He also established a trading post in New Hampshire that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Joseph Laurent
Sozap Lolô
Laurent, from The Boston Globe in 1901
Chief of the Abenaki reserve (1880–1892)
Personal details
Born1839 (1839)
Odanak, Lower Canada
Died1917 (aged 77–78)
OccupationOdanak Nation leader, teacher, trader, linguist
Known forNew Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues (1884)

Biography
Inner title page from New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues

Laurent was chief of the Abenaki reserve of Odanak in Quebec, Canada, from 1880 to 1892. He was a teacher and leader in his Algonquian community, and the Odanak Nation throughout his life.[2] Laurent is best known for the publication of his book New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues. The book is a dictionary that translates Abenaki to English, and was the first of its kind. The structure of the dictionary is what widely sets it apart from others. His translations are set up as a journey through their land as opposed to a standard list. He takes the reader on a trip from Quebec and throughout New England through linguistics and language education.[3] Despite Laurent's upbringing of speaking fluent Abenaki and French,[3] he not only created a dictionary to teach English to Abenaki people, he more importantly created the substantial text in an effort to preserve the Abenaki language and culture. The Abenaki language was oral, and little to no written documents had been recorded. New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues was vital in taking the number of a hundred-plus speakers to the rest of the Abenaki population as they continued to be a part of an English-speaking world, and it is still widely used today.[4] Among others, the Abenaki linguist Jesse Bruchac has used the work of Laurent in his own work on language revitalization.

Laurent was also an entrepreneur. He purchased goods from Odanak members and took them to his trading post in Intervale, New Hampshire, to sell to tourists. The camp was located in a grove of white pines known as Cathedral Woods, across from the scenic overlook that resides on the border of North Conway and Intervale.[1] They sold things like baskets, Victorian goods, and miniatures.[5] It was not only a business opportunity, but was also a way for his family to practice speaking English. The trading post remained for 33 years, until Laurent's death in 1917.[1] In 1991, the trading post was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as "Abenaki Indian Shop and Camp".[1]

Stephen Laurent (1909–2001),[6] the youngest of Joseph Laurent's 18 children,[7] was also an accomplished writer/linguist, and resided in Intervale from 1940 until his death.[8]

References
  1. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". nps.gov. National Park Service. 1991. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  2. "Conseil des Abenakis". Conseil des Abenakis. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  3. Brooks, Lisa Tanya (2008). The Common Pot: The Recovery of Native Space in the Northeast. University of Minnesota Press. p. 411. ISBN 9780816647835.
  4. Belman, Felice (2001). The New Hampshire Century: Concord Monitor Profiles of One Hundred People Who Shaped It. UPNE. pp. 101. ISBN 9781584650874.
  5. Nash, Alice N. (2006). Daily Life of Native Americans from Post-Columbian Through Nineteenth-century America. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 251. ISBN 9780313335150.
  6. "Stephen Laurent: Abenaki Tribal Elder Preserved Language". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 2001. p. B15. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  7. Elder, Shirley; Lyons, Richard L. (September 18, 1988). "Abenaki Indian preserves heritage of words". The Boston Globe. p. NH3. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  8. Heald, Bruce D. (2014). A History of the New Hampshire Abenaki. The History Press. p. 41. ISBN 9781625849656.

Further reading
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