A new UC Riverside Library exhibition explores the history of Indigenous languages with manuscripts, books, newspapers, and other materials that document the diversity of Native American languages and experiences.
It’s the second in a yearlong series called “The Power of Language: From Manuscript to Print” that shows the range of handwritten and print materials in the library’s Special Collections & University Archives.
The first exhibition in the winter quarter featured texts in classical Latin and Greek and highlighted some of the library’s oldest materials. The next in the summer will focus on imaginary languages created by contemporary fantasy and science fiction authors such as Klingon in Star Trek and Elvish in Lord of the Rings. It will be followed with an exhibition highlighting Asian and Western European languages in the fall.
The exhibition, titled “Speaking Across Time,” opened last week and features 18 different languages from the Americas, including one that is currently unidentified.
“Indigenous languages have power,” said Sandy Enriquez, a Special Collections public services, outreach, and community engagement librarian who curated the exhibition. “Whether spoken today or recorded in century-old manuscripts, they speak to us across time — in books, in journals, in letters, and other materials.”
About two dozen items from the 1900s to the 2020s are on display, representing only a small snapshot of the collection, but they provide an example of the breadth of materials and a variety of cultures and experiences, she said.
Enriquez chose a selection of materials from the vast collection that tell stories about Indigenous language history and use. She consulted with local scholars and the Native American community on campus. Each display case focuses on a particular theme.
The first display case in the entry hall spotlights the Inland area’s original inhabitants with books in the languages spoken by the Cahuilla, Tongva, Luiseño, and Serrano peoples. Another display provides examples of linguistic imperialism, such as an 1892 printing proof of a catechism in Cherokee that was used to proselytize Native Americans.
While most of the materials focus on historical texts, one display is themed around “Indigenous Futurism” with zines, poetry, fiction, and graphic novels that explore Indigenous perspectives in the creative arts. As the home of the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction & Fantasy, adding more works of Indigenous futurism is an ongoing goal for the library.
“It is my hope that this exhibit will help people connect — and in some cases, reconnect — with these important materials and stories,” Enriquez said.
The exhibition runs through June 27 and is free and open to the public in the Special Collections room on the fourth floor of the Tomás Rivera Library, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
