Where the language lives : Vi Hilbert and the gift of Lushootseed
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-216).

In 1978, Seattle writer Janet Yoder took a Lushootseed class at the University of Washington. She was expecting to learn a little about this Salish language, and while Yoder did begin her Lushootseed lessons, what followed was lifelong learning and lots of adventures with Skagit tribal elder Vi Hilbert. Drawn from thirty years of friendship and interviews, Where the Language Lives is a tribute to Vi Hilbert's life, work, and her quest to preserve her native language. Vi carried her culture by the example of her life as she shared her beloved Lushootseed language through her teaching, speaking, storytelling, recording, and publishing. Without her diligent research and her transcription and translation of early recordings in Lushootseed, much of the language could have been lost to the world. Her historical preservation efforts were recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, presented by First Lady Hillary Clinton. She was also named a Washington State Living Treasure in 1989.

Vi Hilbert, a fluent speaker of Lushootseed, the native language of the Puget Sound area, known for her dedication to her language and culture, passed away Friday, December 19, 2008. She taught courses in Lushootseed at the University of Washington, founded Lushootseed Research, and wrote extensively. Her work included: Lushootseed texts, Lushootseed dictionary, and Haboo : Native American stories from Puget Sound.