ELL: the "studied" vs . the "studiers"

Thu Apr 1 15:04:52 UTC 1999

<3.0.5.32.19990331210414.007dc290 at utxvms.cc.utexas.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854";
x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
To: owner-endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au

*** EOOH ***
Return-Path: <owner-endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au>
X-Authentication-Warning: carmen.murdoch.edu.au: majodomo set sender to
owner-endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au using -f
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 22:04:52 +0700
From: Matthew McDaniel <akha at loxinfo.co.th>
Organization: The Akha Heritage Foundation
X-Accept-Language: en
To: endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
Subject: Re: ELL: the "studied" vs . the "studiers"
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854";
x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"
Sender: owner-endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au

I would like to suggest that I am far too busy to be either "angry" or develop
a sense of "aggressiveness".  What I write into this list is at the same par
with the speed at which I work, and the intensity of the problems which I face
in the field.  I should not be faulted for that.  It might be an indicator of
what kind of job discription one would have fighting to preserve an endangered
language.

What sense is it if I support writers wo they can feed their families and
document and write about their lives and cultures, all in an effort to
preserve the language, while some big plush organizations come in and promote
media and printed matter that has built in bias against the culture.

I have to say, from the response and its departure from logic, I have never
met a group so resistant to the presentation of other ways of doing something
as the missions. If they were as benevolent as they claimed, here all in good
will and not political at all, they would hardly mind adjusting the process a
little.  Further more it can easily be said that the heavy handed manner in
which they have pressed the villages and worked almost like a tonic during the
rapid removal of land the Akha sit on, they are only encouraging a great
backlash, but that is OK, they will then be able to say they are being
"persecuted for the Lord."  I am Christian, but don't ask me to sit back for
this kind of stoogery.

There are incredible injustices being waged against the Akha.  Their language
is not endangered due to some mystery.
The missions have unfortunately made themselves party to some of these
injustices.

What good does it do me on zero altitude budget to scramble for toner and
writers pay and all the parts of this process and then see my work not have a
chance of helping the language as the traditional culture is banned in village
after village.

Well, now it isn't going to happen that way any more.  We will battle every
mission for every village till it is born out that the Akha will have a non
coercive choice to what they want.

Put a megaphone up and force them to listen to Jesus and we will take it down.

Right now we have an incredible surge in the number of people begging for
books on the culture.
How could this be if the missions had left this all voluntary?

My tone sounds aggressive?  It is said I may have turned someone off.  Oh, I
am sorry, was someone on this list mid stride to the checkbook?

I hardly think so.

Who were the Akha suppose to appeal to?

Was someone on this list going to come here and stop what was being done to
the Akha?

It blows my mind, that with all the details that are known about what is going
on here I am some how to be faulted for reporting on them, and pointing the
finger.

I have had numerous CHRISTIANS write me regarding a new ethic on a just
relationship between Christians and the Indigenous.

Many people feel that if people are to be presented with the option to know
who Jesus is, it should be apart from a mission political or territorial
agenda, and seige of a village to force it all to convert or split it by
having such an irrelevant and irreverent platform is hardly the manner to
accomplish that.

We have spent years preparing books for the Akha which they want in large
numbers and quite frankly the missions really don't like us being here.

And just exactly who has all the bucks.

I think the barking is at the base of the wrong tree.

Matthew McDaniel

"Gail M. Coelho" wrote:

> At 10:55 PM 3/31/99 +0200, you wrote:
> >
> >Like I said, it's the Endangered Languages List, not the
> >Slam them Missions and Christians List.
>
> Ah, but on an Endangered Languages list, you should expect at least *some*
> people to raise objections to what missionaries did and continue to do to
> the cultures (and thus languages) of people whose languages are endangered.
> I don't believe people interested in preventing languages loss or in
> working with communties who speak endangered languages are going to get
> very far if they don't come to grips with the missionary problem.
>
> I personally would not adopt Matthew's agressive tone, because it turns
> people off rather than promote dialogue but then, I don't like your tone
> either! Also, Matthew's anger is representative of the intense anger that
> many communities feel about missionary activity, as well as colonialism. So
> I think Matthew's agressive voice has its place on this list as a reminder
> to us of the fact that, as linguists, we must face the missionary issue and
> try to deal with it, *as part* of our efforts to understand the endangered
> languages issue.
>
> Gail Coelho
> ----
> Endangered-Languages-L Forum: endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
> Web pages http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/
> Subscribe/unsubscribe and other commands: majordomo at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
> ----

--

Matthew McDaniel
The Akha Heritage Foundation
386/3 Sailom Joi Rd
Maesai, Chiangrai, 57130
Thailand
Mobile Phone Number:  Sometimes hard to reach while in Mountains.
01-881-9288  when in Thailand
66-1-881-9288  when out  Thailand

Web Site:
http://www.akha.com
mailto:akha at loxinfo.co.th

US Address:

Donations by check or money order may be sent to:

The Akha Heritage Foundation
1586 Ewald Ave SE
Salem OR 97302
USA

Donations by direct banking:

In the US can be transfered to:

Wells Fargo Bank
Akha Heritage Foundation
Acc. # 0081-889693
Keizer Branch
Keizer, Oregon, USA

Outside the US:

Matthew Duncan McDaniel
Bangkok Bank Ltd
Acc.# 3980240778
Maesai Branch
Thailand

----
Endangered-Languages-L Forum: endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
Web pages http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/
Subscribe/unsubscribe and other commands: majordomo at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
----