Preserving Languages (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Preserving Languages
Linguists say more than 150 of the remaining 175 indigenous U.S.
languages are in peril of disappearing

By W. JAMES HONABERGER | For The New Mexican
Sunday, May 16, 2004
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=44796&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=&S=1

[photo insert - Charlotte Baltazar, 15, of Dulce, forgets some of her
lines spoken in Jicarilla on Saturday, during a presentation on the
origins of the Jicarilla people and their culture at the annual Native
American Youth Language Fair at the Santa Fe Indian School. - Raul
Vasquez/The New Mexican]

Bea Duran of Tesuque Pueblo didn't teach her children to speak their
tribe's language because, as a child, she was punished for speaking the
language at school.

"It shouldn't have been an issue, but in the back of my head I had that
thought," Duran says. "I should have taught them. I feel bad that I
didn't."

On Saturday, looking at her granddaughters dressed in traditional
outfits at an indigenous language fair in Santa Fe, Duran said proudly
that she is teaching them to speak Tewa.

"I still have a chance," she said.

Duran and her grandchildren were among dozens of people who attended the
event, hosted by the Indigenous Language Institute at the Santa Fe
Indian School. Students from kindergarten to high school sang songs,
recited poems and counted in Navajo, Tewa, Jicarilla Apache and
Cherokee.

Despite the seemingly vibrant demonstration of indigenous languages, the
idioms are in danger of being lost. According to linguists, if tribal
members -- most especially the youngest generation -- do not learn to
speak their languages, the next 60 years might see the silence of more
than 150 of the remaining 175 indigenous languages in the United
States.

"We are in trouble," said Tessie Naranjo of Santa Clara Pueblo, the
institute's vice president. "More than any other time in our history we
need our language. It's through the language that we keep ourselves
going."

As late as 1776, at least 300 indigenous languages were spoken in what
is now the United States. Their roots trace to as many as 15 language
families. European languages, with rare exceptions, belong to one
language family -- Indo-European.

Despite the fact that linguists have documented most remaining
indigenous languages, comprehensive learning aids for indigenous
languages are virtually non-existent.

Maura Studi, a volunteer with the language institute, said she was
surprised at the lack of Cherokee-language-learning aids when she and
her husband, actor Wes Studi, began to teach their son the language.

"There just were not a lot of materials or help around," Maura Studi
said. "I realized that not everything was in place for making this an
easy process for anyone."

Lack of learning aids might be a thing of the past, as native
communities become tech savvy and multimedia devices become accessible.

"Many people are using the computer to create tutorial programs, and
we're finding that those are very powerful tools," said Inee Yang
Slaughter, institute director.

As Native Americans fluent in their language grow older and take Tewa,
Hawaiian or Choctaw to their graves, efforts to cultivate younger
speakers are helping.

Naranjo said language and culture have a symbiotic relationship.
"Behavior is embedded in the language; language reflects what the
values of your community are," she said. "If you don't know your
language, you won't learn how to be a good Tewa person ... or a good
anything person."

At Saturday's fair, Duran's grandchildren Maylinda Reynolds, 7, and
Crystal Rain Reynolds, 5, recited a poem and counted in Tewa.

"It's fun," Maylinda Reynolds said. "I can count to 20. I know how to
say thank you ... Ku'daa."