Smithsonian Distributes Circular on Indian Languages of North America
Close
PrintThe American Ethnological Society publishes a circular entitled "Indian Languages of North America." First Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry reports that he has helped distribute the circular to missionaries, government agents, and soldiers to facilitate the collection of Indian words. Henry considers the study of Indian languages as key to understanding the origins and history of North American natives.
Chronology of Smithsonian History
Curtis M. Hinsley, Jr., The Smithsonian and the American Indian: Making a Moral Anthropology in Victorian America, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994, pp. 48-49.
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
December 23, 1852
North America