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<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">From Oceania Flash:</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><B>NCaledonia-culture-language-indigenous:</B> Kanak writer, politician woman appointed first Chairman of indigenous Kanak language academy<BR>
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NOUMEA, February 27 (Oceania Flash) - New Caledonia's government has officially appointed late last week its Vice-President, Déwé Gorodey, to the position of Chairman of the newly-created indigenous Kanak language academy.<BR>
The cabinet decision follows the inception, late January, by New Caledonia's legislative assembly, the Congress, of the French territory's first indigenous Kanak languages Academy.<BR>
Also appointed at last Thursday's cabinet meeting is another prominent Kanak leader, who is also a member of the local government (education): Charles Washetine.<BR>
Both Gorodey (who is also the local government's culture and indigenous affairs minister) and Washetine have been appointed pursuant to the share (2 of 8 seats) reserved to the executive within the academy.<BR>
The main aim of the Kanak languages Academy is to preserve New Caledonia's rich cultural indigenous heritage of up to 40 indigenous known languages and dialects.<BR>
On the institutional level, the new academy's other task is to "normalise, promote and develop" New Caledonia's linguistic heritage.<BR>
This could prove a challenge, as many of those languages only exist in their spoken form and very seldom translated into writing, except for 19th century transcriptions of the Bible by Christian missionaries.<BR>
The eight members of the academy are picked up from New Caledonia's main cultural and traditional clans and confederations.<BR>
Last month, Gorodey said she regarded the new institution as a living body.<BR>
"This will not be a temple because this is not how I see an academy. On the contrary, this is a living place where new words will also be taken into account. In fact, in recent history, many words of French or English origin have become part of our languages, for instance the French words for 'table' or 'spoon'. So we will integrate those words because we consider they are a valuable addition to our languages and cultures", she told reporters last month.<BR>
The Kanak Language Academy (KLA) was a concept introduced back in 1998, as part of the autonomy Nouméa Accord that were signed by the French government, as well as pro-French and pro-independence parties.<BR>
The pact, which paves the way for a gradual transfer of powers from metropolitan France to local authorities and a possible referendum on independence between 2013 and 2018, also gave special recognition, for the first time, to the indigenous Kanak peoples.<BR>
"(Kanak) languages are an essential, but all too often forgotten component of the world's cultural heritage in so far as they represent not only a means of communication, but also a unique perspective of the world", New Caledonia's government said.<BR>
New Caledonia's Kanak indigenous languages are mostly classified as being part of the Austronesian family of human languages.<BR>
According to recent population data, it is also estimated that around 60,000 of the some 230,000 inhabitants of New Caledonia speak at least one of these indigenous languages.</P>
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<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=1 FACE="Arial">John Lynch</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=1 FACE="Arial">Pro-Vice Chancellor (Regional)</FONT></P>
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