In part one of this episode, we learned the story of Janet Yoder and her husband's 30-year relationship with Vi Hilbert (TAHK-SH-BLU), and about the book that celebrates their friendship: Where the Language Lives: Vi Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed. We also learned about Vi's life and work from her daughter, Lois Dodson.
In part two of the podcast, we'll learn more about Lois' life and her evolution as a story teller with a sometimes conflicted relationship with the language her mother devoted so much of her life to preserve and further. We start the conversation with author Janet Yoder's reflections on why Lushootseed escaped the fate of other indigenous languages through good fortune as well as the determination of a "rich old Indian" who heeded the moral of a story Robby Rudine relates regarding "skunk's important information."
Enjoy!
