Stephen Laurent; Abenaki Tribal Elder Preserved Language
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Stephen Laurent, 92, an elder of the Abenaki Indian tribe and a champion of his language, died May 27 at the traditional tribal encampment at Intervale in New Hampshire.
Born in 1909 on the Odanack Abenaki settlement near the St. Francis River in Quebec, Laurent moved to New Hampshire in 1940. He was a postmaster from 1945 to 1975, and played cello and violin in chamber music groups.
Laurent was widely respected for his 30-year project to translate into English the French-Abenaki dictionary.
In 1995, 500 copies of Laurent’s translation were printed. Laurent also recorded the book onto tape to preserve the pronunciation of the language.
The Abenakis once populated New England and up to the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Today, about 400 Abenakis live at the Odanack settlement.
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