Euchee Indian translator dies

SAPULPA — Maggie "Gulaha" (Cumsey) Marsey, Euchee Indian translator, died Thursday. She was 89.

A wake will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday with a service at 2 p.m. Monday, both at Pickett Chapel Indian United Methodist Church. Services are under the direction of the Smith Funeral Home.

Marsey was born Dec. 3, 1918, in Sapulpa to Bebe Crow "Baby Crow" and Louis Cumsey.

She graduated from Kellyville High School and married Robert Marsey.

Marsey was an active instructor in the 1990s, keeping her native Euchee language alive. She was often called by her Euchee name, gO'Ompas'EnA. She was the principal contributor to two Euchee language workbooks.

She was recognized for her diligence in preserving her native tongue in 1997, receiving an award from the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights at the United Nations Celebration of the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples in Tulsa.

Marsey specialized in translating Scripture. In 2001, she worked with others to translate and record "The Lord's Prayer" in Euchee. She also composed "God is Great," a prayer for children that is recited during public presentations and Euchee language radio broadcasts that air on KCFO 970.

She worked in master-apprentice language learning teams and spent the past three years working on a Euchee language dictionary. She was a lifelong member of the Pickett Chapel Indian United Methodist Church.

Marsey is survived by a daughter, Judy Sarniento; two granddaughters, Debra Pickering and Elizabeth; three grandsons, Stephen, Robby and Nathan; nine great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.