Working with language communities in unarchiving

The purpose of the J. P. Harrington Database Project is to transcribe and code the linguistic and ethnographic notes Harrington made of California Indian languages, particularly those for which his documentation was the primary record. Showing Native people how to contribute to the creation of this valuable resource has taught students at the University of California, Davis lessons about the relationship between what they do as academics and how it relates to living people. Meeting the descendants of the speakers Harrington recorded has given us all a sense of how much these notes are valued by these communities today. The project has resulted in increased respect and appreciation for the contribution of all parties to our common goal of language research and cultural revitalization.