Are you interested in learning more about the Arapaho language? You might be interested in a digital collection at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The AHC has digitized and made accessible online more than 1,600 English-Arapaho dictionary cards and audio recordings of Arapaho language and music from the Zdeněk Salzmann Arapaho Indian research papers.

Zdeněk Salzmann was a leader in the field of anthropological linguistics. His primary research interests focused on American Indian linguistics, Czech and Slovak languages and cultures, and Czech settlements in Romania.

His study of the Arapaho language began in 1949, when a faculty member in the Sociology Department at Indiana University suggested it for Salzmann’s thesis work. Salzmann traveled to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming for the summers of 1949, 1950, 1952, 1961, and 1962 to conduct the project. In 1963, he finished his thesis entitled “A Sketch of Arapaho Grammar.”

English-Arapaho dictionary card, Zdenek Salzmann papers, #10396, Box 19. UW American Heritage Center

Salzmann’s research papers include photocopied materials from U.S. and foreign published journals and books, personal notes and research cards, cassette tapes, and film reels that document his research and life’s work on Native American cultures and languages.

English-Arapaho dictionary card, Zdenek Salzmann papers, #10396, Box 20. UW American Heritage Center

Links to digitized items and additional information about Salzmann’s papers can be found in the online finding aid or through our digital collections at: https://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~29~29

Supporting Wyoming’s Indian Education for All

Salzmann’s papers, along with the AHC’s extensive archival holdings and its K-5 Teaching Resources – Indigenous Tribes of Wyoming exhibit, serve as valuable resources for educators implementing Wyoming’s Indian Education for All mandate.

These primary source materials—including photographs, documents, manuscripts, and more related to Wyoming’s Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes—are available through digitized resources, online exhibits, and with assistance from Reference Department staff to help teachers educate students about the cultural heritage, history, and contributions of Wyoming’s tribal nations while supporting Wyoming Social Studies Standards.

For more information about the Center’s resources, contact the AHC’s Reference Department at ahcref@uwyo.edu.