In 1978, Seattle writer Janet Yoder took a Lushootseed class at the University of Washington. She was expecting to learn a little about this Salish language, and while Yoder did begin her Lushootseed lessons, what followed was lifelong learning and lots of adventures with Skagit tribal elder Vi Hilbert. Drawn from thirty years of friendship and interviews, Where the Language Lives is a tribute to Vi Hilbert's life, work, and her quest to preserve her native language. Vi carried her culture by the example of her life as she shared her beloved Lushootseed language through her teaching, speaking, storytelling, recording, and publishing. Without her diligent research and her transcription and translation of early recordings in Lushootseed, much of the language could have been lost to the world. Her historical preservation efforts were recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, presented by First Lady Hillary Clinton. She was also named a Washington State Living Treasure in 1989

Biographies, Hilbert, Vi, Indians of North America, Indians of North America Washington (State) Puget Sound Biography, Lushootseed (Langue), Puget Sound Salish Indians, Puget Sound Salish Indians Biography, Puget Sound Salish languages, Salish de Puget Sound Biographies, Skagit Indians, Skagit Indians Biography

Foreword  Introduction  Where the Language Lives  Ten Things I Learned from Vi Hilbert  Vi Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed  Right Work  River Talk  The Old Canoe Is the New Canoe  The Brain Room  Healing Heart Symphony  Rich Old Indian  Lushootseed Is Written  Lady Louse Lived There  The Bone Game  Becoming an Elder  Burning at Nooksack  On Tape / Off Tape  Story Places  Finding Spirit  Wrapped in a Blanket  On the Outs  Elvis Sings and We Talk of Love  Vi’s Memory Is Her Treasure  Carrying a Name  Lost and Found  Basket Song  The Other Side  Lushootseed Continues  A Few Resources  Citations  Acknowledgments  In Memoriam  About the Author