Jessie little doe baird biography for kids

Jessie Little Doe Baird (also Jessie Little Doe Fermino, born 18 November ) is a linguist known for her efforts to revive the Wampanoag (Wôpanâak) language.

She received a MacArthur Fellowship in She founded the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.

She lives in Mashpee, Massachusetts.

Background

In or , Baird experienced many dreams that she believes to be visions of her ancestors meeting her and speaking in their language, which she did not understand at first.

According to a prophecy of her Wampanoag community, a woman of their kind would leave her home to bring back their language and "the children of those who had had a hand in breaking the language cycle would help heal it." In around the same year, Baird began teaching the Wôpanâak language at tribal sites in Mashpee and Aquinnah.

Education

Baird studied for a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology three years later, where she studied with linguist Dr