Bilingual audiobooks in English and Northern Pomo are now available to listen to online, the Mendocino County Library recently announced.
The books were written and recorded by Buffie Campbell-Schmidt, a tribal citizen of the Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians.
Campbell-Schmidt has dedicated her life and career to revitalizing the Northern Pomo language, and now generations of Pomo people and linguaphiles can not only read the words, but hear them as well.
Campbell-Schmidt’s four published books focus on important aspects of Pomo life: dressing in sacred regalia and dancing, observing the weather, naming and describing animals, and preparing and enjoying food.
Each book is critical to ensuring that the Northern Pomo language is preserved and passed down to future generations.
American anthropologist Alfred Kroeber estimated that between 1,000 and 1,500 people spoke Northern Pomo before the European colonization of Mendocino and Lake counties. The Foundation for Endangered Languages, a nonprofit dedicated to the documentation, protection and promotion of endangered languages, reports that the last native-born speaker of Northern Pomo died in 2005.
In addition to being an author, Campbell-Schmidt teaches Northern Pomo classes at Ukiah High School. Last year, her four-year language class saw its first graduates. She is also a regalia maker, basket weaver, and Indigenous food and medicine gatherer.
Campbell-Schmidt’s books are available to borrow in hard copy at all Mendocino County Library branches. Audio versions are available for free on SoundCloud. No library card is required.