Jessie Little Doe Baird facts for kids

Jessie Little Doe Baird (born November 18, 1963) is a special kind of language expert called a linguist. She is famous for helping to bring back the Wampanoag (Wôpanâak) language. This language had almost disappeared.

In 2010, she won a big award called the MacArthur Fellowship. Jessie Little Doe Baird also started a group called the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. She lives in Mashpee, Massachusetts.

Her Journey to Language Revival

In the early 1990s, Jessie Little Doe Baird had many dreams. She felt these dreams were visions from her ancestors. In these dreams, her ancestors spoke their old language. At first, she did not understand them.

Her Wampanoag community had a special prophecy. It said that a woman from their tribe would leave home. This woman would bring their language back to life. It also said that the children of those who had helped break the language cycle would help heal it. Around the same time, Jessie started teaching the Wôpanâak language. She taught it at tribal places in Mashpee and Aquinnah.

Learning and Research

A few years later, Jessie Little Doe Baird went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She studied there for her master's degree. At MIT, she worked with a famous linguist named Dr. Kenneth L. Hale.

Together, they created a huge language database. This database was made from old written records. It included government letters and religious books. A very important book was a Bible printed in 1663 by a minister named John Eliot. This Bible was kept in the MIT archives. In 1996, Jessie and Dr. Hale started making a Wôpanâak dictionary. It ended up having more than 10,000 words!

Bringing the Language Back

Jessie Little Doe Baird started the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. Its main goal was to bring the Wampanoag language back to life. This project helped the Mashpee Wampanoag people. They were able to create a special school. In this school, children learn everything in the Wampanoag language. This is called a language immersion school.

Jessie's work on the Wôpanâak language is so important. It was even featured in a TV show! A PBS documentary called We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân tells her story. Anne Makepeace directed this film.

Jessie also helps lead her tribe. She is the vice-chairwoman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council.

Awards and Special Honors

Jessie Little Doe Baird has received many important awards. In 2017, she earned an honorary doctorate. This special degree was in Social Sciences from Yale University.

In 2020, she was named one of USA Today's "Women of the Century." This honor was for her amazing work. She helped revive the Wampanoag language. This language had not been spoken for about 150 years.