Oral History & Language
The Iowa Tribe was fortunate enough to have an historic preservation grant for the
purpose of conducting an oral history. A series of questions were developed to
assist in conducting the interviews. Elders were asked to share their memories
which were placed on an audio recording, and were given an honorarium. In addition,
photographs were gathered and genealogical information. It is our hope that future
generations will be able to visit the Iowa Tribe library and hear the voices of
their great, great grandparents and see family and historic photos as well. An
important element of Bah-Kho-Je culture is the Wa-Kah, or story telling sessions
in which tribal members gathered during the winter to share stories.
Currently, the Iowa Tribe does not offer language classes. Two years ago we were
able to offer classes which taught language and songs. The Tribe sponsored a
language workshop, and a number of Tribes attended with the purpose of exchanging
ideas for language retention. It is our intention to be able to offer similar
programs in the near future. In the interim, we have given recording devices to our
elders and the request that they record any words, stories, and songs they can
remember. This information will be catalogued and used for additional programs.
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