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Sunday, April 9, 2000 <br>
<br>
<font size=5><b>Indian Children Find Forum to Perform in Their Native
Language</b></font> <br>
<br>
<b>By Brendan Smith<br>
</b><i>Journal Staff Writer<br>
</i>For almost a century, government and mission boarding schools for
Indian children sought to extinguish a vibrant culture by forbidding the
speaking of native languages and the practice of tribal religions.<br>
"Kill the Indian, save the man," was the motto of Gen. Richard
Pratt, founder of the first off-reservation federal boarding school in
1879.<br>
Because of this stifling legacy, many Native American children today
don't speak their native language, said Inée Yang Slaughter, executive
director of the Santa Fe-based Institute for the Preservation of the
Original Languages of the Americas.<br>
"It was a U.S. government policy to assimilate the people,"
Slaughter said Saturday. "When children no longer speak or use the
language, it's considered an endangered language."<br>
The institute held its Second Annual Native American Youth Language Fair
& Pow Wow on Saturday at Santa Fe Indian School to showcase the
talents of Native American children in speaking and performing in their
native languages.<br>
The language fair grew from just six contestants last year to about 150
this year from pueblos and reservations across New Mexico, said Santa Fe
actor Wes Studi, a Cherokee who has appeared in many movies including
"Last of the Mohicans." Studi, who was honored last year by the
institute for his work in language preservation, served as master of
ceremonies Saturday.<br>
"It's becoming a popular event," Studi said. "Language
doesn't have to be something serious. It can be fun to do."<br>
Each contestant, ranging in age from 8 to 19, received a medal and a
gift, with additional awards in three age categories.<br>
Autumn Gomez, 13, and her 9-year-old brother, Matthew, gave a puppet show
with 8-year-old Julian Wahnee. The trio, who take Comanche language
lessons in Santa Fe, sang the alphabet and some numbers in Comanche
before offering a Comanche rendition of "Old McDonald Had a
Farm."<br>
"We are all going to speak Comanche again," Autumn told the
audience after the puppet show. "From now on, we're going to speak
Comanche forever."<br>
Autumn said she became interested in learning the language from her
grandmother, who speaks Comanche fluently.<br>
The youths participating in the fair had to work with teachers, parents
or other relatives to create their presentations in about 20 Native
American languages, so the fair is a "wonderful community-building
activity," Slaughter said.<br>
The Institute for the Preservation of the Original Languages of the
Americas hopes to expand and hold more Native American language fairs in
other parts of the country, Slaughter said.<br>
Out of 300-plus original Native American languages, only 175 still
exist.<br>
During an intermission Saturday afternoon, Blue Star Singers, a group of
five teen-age girls from Santa Fe, sat around a large drum, beating a
rhythm while they sang, their voices rising in unison.<br>
The language fair, which was followed by an intertribal powwow with gourd
dancing, is meant to instill pride in Native American children in using
their native language, Slaughter said.<br>
<br>
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<font color="#FF0000">><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<br>
</font><font face="Parisian BT" color="#800000"><b>
David Gene
Lewis<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab><br>
P.O. Box
3086<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab><br>
Eugene, OR 97403, USA<br>
Home 541.684.9003 Cell 541.954.2466<br>
Fax 541.346.0668<br>
<br>
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<a href="http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~coyotez" eudora="autourl">http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~coyotez</a><br>
<br>
</font><font color="#800080">Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Community, Oregon<br>
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