Where the Language Lives
Published by Girl Friday Books™
In 1978, Seattle writer Janet Yoder took a Lushootseed class at the University of Washington with Skagit tribal elder Vi Hilbert.
She was expecting to learn a little about this local indigenous language, but what followed was a lifelong journey with Vi, who endeavored to preserve a language on the brink of disappearance. Thanks to Vi Hilbert’s efforts and to all those who have now taken it on, Lushootseed is on the rise.
Drawn from thirty years of friendship, adventures, and interviews, Where the Language Lives is a tribute to Vi Hilbert’s life, work, and quest to preserve her native language. Her historical preservation efforts were recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and she was named a Washington State Living Treasure in 1989.
To honor and celebrate the life and achievements of her dear friend and mentor, Janet Yoder has woven what she learned from Vi Hilbert with the story of Vi’s life and work to create these essays.
Ultimately, Where the Language Lives evokes the memory of a woman who profoundly impacted a culture, a history, the longevity of a language, and even the larger world.
All of the author’s profits from your book purchase will be donated to Lushootseed Research to continue the work of Vi Hilbert.
Reviews
“Janet Yoder’s writing captures the spirit of this honorable and mischievous elder. In Lushootseed culture, words are spoken and stories are told without explanation. Words mean what the listener hears. You learned to be careful what you said in the presence of taqʷšəblu [Vi Hilbert]—you may have just made her a promise. A tribute to the life of a revered elder on a mission to save her language—all that is missing are more of taqʷšəblu’s ‘R-rated’ stories.”
—dxʷtuk kʷi at kən (Jack Fiander), taqʷšəblu’s longtime attorney and former student
“This book arrives like a comet, bright and beautiful, illuminating a world of wonders in the life and work of Upper Skagit elder Vi Hilbert. It should be required reading for every resident of Puget Sound Country. It is a delightful and intimate look into the life and culture of one of the most respected elders of Coast Salish territory.”
— Lynda V. Mapes, author of Breaking Ground: The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Unearthing of Tse-whit-zen Village
“Reading Where the Language Lives is like taking a long drive into Skagit Country with Vi Hilbert. I raise my hands to Janet Yoder for sharing her intimate visits with a beloved elder. Each essay is a beautifully crafted treasure, and together they resonate as musically as an olivella-shell necklace. Happiness, indeed.”
— Katie Jennings, filmmaker, Huchoosedah, Traditions of the Heart and The Healing Heart of Lushootseed
taqʷšəblu
Vi Hilbert
In fall of 1978, I walked into a classroom on the second floor of Denny Hall and met Vi Hilbert, elder of the Upper Skagit tribe. Vi was teaching her language—Lushootseed—at the University of Washington. Lushootseed is the language of Puget Sound (the southern part of what is now called the Salish Sea). Lushootseed is the language Chief Seattle spoke here 150 years ago. Lushootseed is the language his ancestors spoke here for hundreds of years. Though people have spoken Lushootseed longer than people have spoken English, Lushootseed nearly died and was saved largely by the work of Vi Hilbert.
This extraordinary woman taught me how to live in this place where the words and culture of the First People are always present. With Vi, I witnessed the winter spirit dance in the longhouse, ritual burnings for the departed, bone games, and canoe races. With Vi, I traveled to the story places, where North Wind battled South Wind to determine how our weather would be and to the Snoqualmie Valley where the sisters climbed down a cedar bark rope from the sky world bringing the baby who would make things the way they are now. Vi gave me inspiration, assignments, gifts, and most importantly, my right work.
