From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 2 07:35:42 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006 23:35:42 -0800 Subject: Foundation Message-ID: http://www.native-languages.org/ Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and promoting American Indian languages Welcome to Native Languages of the Americas! We are a small non- profit organization dedicated to the survival of Native American languages, particularly through the use of Internet technology. Our website is not beautiful. Probably, it never will be. But this site has inner beauty, for it is, or will be, a compendium of online materials about more than 800 indigenous languages of the Western Hemisphere and the people that speak them. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 3 07:31:35 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 00:31:35 -0700 Subject: American Indian languages website In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks to Andre for this terrific website information. This is a tremendous start, which certainly deserves support and collaboration from linguists to help insure its accuracy and thus greater usefulness. I took a quick look at the comparative Uto-Aztecan table, and was very impressed. It was also great to find out that a Nahuatl-English dictionary is available for download. Since the site will be enormously useful to linguists also, and to elicit the widest use and participation by potential contributors, it should be announced on the Linguist list, if it hasn't been already, and the reference archived there in their list of resources. Also, it would be useful to update the announcement whenever there are major advances in list contents, just to keep the site visible on people's radar screens. Rudy Troike From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 3 19:47:33 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 12:47:33 -0700 Subject: Saving the languages of 'our heritage' (fwd) Message-ID: POSTED ON 01/04/06 ENDANGERED TONGUES Saving the languages of 'our heritage' Premier dedicates $1-million to augment efforts with programs and technology ROD MICKLEBURGH http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060401.BCLANGUAGE01/TPStory/National VANCOUVER -- In the beginning, as cousins born less than a year apart on the Squamish native reserve, Barbara Charlie and Addie Kermeen shared almost everything. But early on, their young lives took a different turn, and years later, despite their closeness, the two native elders remain separated by language. Ms. Charlie, like thousands of other aboriginal children, was sent to a residential school. There, she lost the ability to speak the Coast Salish language she knew as a preschooler. Ms. Kermeen, on the other hand, was spared residential school because she had tuberculosis. Kept close to home, she did not speak English until she was 12. Today, Ms. Kermeen, 70, is one of only eight or nine members of the Squamish Nation still fluent in their original tongue. As speakers of Canada's aboriginal languages grow older, particularly those fluent in more obscure dialects, a desperate campaign has begun in recent years to prevent these endangered languages from dying out. With 32 of the country's 53 indigenous languages, British Columbia is in the forefront of the struggle, and yesterday, Premier Gordon Campbell announced a grant of $1-million to aid the cause. Speaking to more than 130 aboriginal community leaders at the fourth annual First Citizens' Forum, Mr. Campbell said five of the province's existing 32 aboriginal languages are already effectively extinct. "There is nobody left who can speak them fluently," he said. "Six more languages are on the verge of being spoken no more." In a rare burst of eloquence, Mr. Campbell said the many languages spoken by the first nations are a vital part of the province's past. "Our heritage is not just tied to the past two centuries. It is tied to thousands of years of stories, reaching back into time immemorial when languages we now seek to protect echoed from the trees and the mountains and the valleys of this province," he said. "If we lose these languages, we lose a part of British Columbia's heritage, and we lose a piece of ourselves." The $1-million will be used to augment existing efforts to save dying languages through immersion programs and voice technology. The languages that exist today barely survived the decades of assimilation imposed on native children by residential schools during most of the 20th century. The schools forbade students from talking to each other in their native language, at risk of severe punishment. "They outlawed our language, our songs, our dances," lamented Ms. Charlie. "My mother and father never spoke English, so I can still understand the language. "But for myself, I have forgotten how to say most of the words. It makes me feel bad." Chief Doug Kelly from the Soowahlie Indian Reserve near Cultus Lake in the Fraser Valley said his father, who spoke Salish, had such a terrible experience at his residential school that he refused to teach his children the language. "So I haven't learned it. I only recognize a few words." In recent years, however, traditional aboriginal languages are increasingly part of the curriculum in native-run schools. Ms. Kermeen recounted how shocked she was the other day when her eight-year-old grandson came home from school and told her something in Salish. "I asked him: 'Do you know what you're saying?' And he told me: 'I'm saying it's a good day today.' It made me very happy." At the First Citizens' Forum, hereditary Nuu-Chah-Nulth chief Shawn Atleo welcomed Mr. Campbell's announcement. "This is a chance to renew our commitment to preserve the words I sang as a child and understood fluently back then," Mr. Atleo said. The Chief recalled what his grandfather used to tell him when they were out fishing. "He would have tears rolling down his cheeks and he would always tell me: 'You can't let it go.' He was talking about our language, our songs and our expressions. 'You can't let it go.' "Through the language, our people were prepared for life. My father remembered, too, what my grandfather told him. He said: 'There was always a genius among our people.' " © Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 3 20:00:12 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 13:00:12 -0700 Subject: Funding opens dialogue for B.C.’s First Nations (fwd) Message-ID: Funding opens dialogue for B.C.’s First Nations By richard rolke Morning Star Staff Apr 02 2006 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=35&cat=43&id=620365&more= It’s hoped new funding will bring some First Nations languages back from the brink of extinction. The provincial government is targeting $1 million towards the First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council. “It’s an important investment,” said Tom Christensen, Okanagan Vernon MLA and aboriginal relations minister. There are 32 aboriginal languages across the province, but many are in jeopardy of disappearing. “We’ve seen some resurgence with some languages but given the small number of speakers with some, it’s a challenge to preserve the languages and build on it,” said Christensen. Christensen blames the current situation on residential schools and past societal views towards aboriginals. “One of the most tragic legacies of society’s approaches to aboriginal people was the deliberate effort to get them to not speak their language,” he said. Christensen says most people should consider how they would feel if they couldn’t speak English and it was threatened. “Language adds incredible societal value of recognizing who that First Nation is,” he said. The council dedicates $600,000 annually for projects revitalizing aboriginal languages through documentation, language classes, immersion programs and curriculum development. The additional funds will be used to support activities such as language immersion programs, expansion of First Voices technology, and examining the feasibility of a B.C. First Nations’ arts and languages centre. Christensen hopes the Okanagan Nation will access the funds. “There is good work already being done with the Okanagan Nation.” While the funding is directed towards First Nations, Christensen is convinced all British Columbians will benefit. “We’re able to celebrate the diversity of the First Nations and that makes us richer as a collective people,” he said.  -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 4 13:51:02 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 06:51:02 -0700 Subject: Language In America Message-ID: LIVE CHAT: Topic: Language: Mission Critical Where: http://www.edweek-chat.org/ When: Wednesday, April 5, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time Please join us for a live Web chat about foreign-lanuage education in the United States. Our guests, EDUCATION WEEK Associate Editor Kathleen Kennedy Manzo and Assistant Editor Mary Ann Zehr will discuss their special series, "Language: Mission Critical." Both in the United States and abroad, political, business, and education leaders are urging greater attention to teaching children foreign languages to help bolster international competitiveness, and in some cases, national security. Even if the message is getting through to classrooms, often the resources aren't. In this chat, our guests will field questions about the obstacles to expanding and improving such offerings as well as innovative approaches to building students' language skills. The first two installments of the series are online here: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/03/29/29mismatch.h25.html and the third will be available online April 12. Join us for this special chat with two of EDUCATION WEEK's most respected journalists. Submit questions here: http://www.edweek-chat.org/question.php3 No special equipment other than Internet access is needed to participate in this text-based chat. A transcript will be posted shortly after the completion of the chat. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 4 16:37:01 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 09:37:01 -0700 Subject: Lakota Language Message-ID: Lakota on Path to Recapture Language PINE RIDGE, S.D., March 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Lakota Sioux language, made famous through its portrayal in the 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," is now one of only a small handful of Native American languages with enough remaining speakers to survive into the next generation, announced a major language organization. Lakota is currently one of the last major Native American language hold-outs in what is a worldwide crisis of linguistic extinctions. To keep the Lakota language from disappearing completely, an ambitious revitalization campaign has been organized by a group of tribal leaders and linguists. The campaign is spearheaded by the nonprofit Lakota Language Consortium, which develops the Lakota- language teaching materials used in 23 area schools and which trains language teachers. The organization's goal is to encourage the use of the language by a new generation of speakers. Children using the group's language materials become proficient in Lakota by the fifth year of use. The group plans to have a fully sequenced curriculum that students can follow from first grade through college. The consortium's latest Level 2 textbook is currently being distributed to schools across Indian country. For Leonard Little Finger, the great-great-grandson of Chief Big Foot and one of the group's co-founders, the textbooks symbolize an important milestone for the Lakota. Little Finger notes that, "the effects of government policies were profoundly destructive to our language and our ability to pass it on to our children. These materials are so important because they are the first ever designed to raise children to speak Lakota. Not since before our great-grandparents were confined to the reservations, have we been allowed to raise our children speaking the language. As Lakotas, we will not let our language die, and these books give me hope that my grandchildren, at least, will have the privilege to speak their language." Tribal elders and traditional leaders have made it a priority to keep the language alive for future generations. 81-year-old Clarence Wolf Guts, the last surviving Lakota code talker from WWII, points out that, "our people need to know that Lakota had an important position and to learn to be proud to speak Lakota. It is good that the kids are now learning Lakota in the schools." Oglala Sioux Tribe Vice-President, Alex White Plume, shares this opinion and explains that through the group's efforts, ³we are finally making some progress in teaching the language to the children.² The group recently received the nation's leading language revitalization award, the Ken Hale Prize, from the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas. The consortium was distinguished for its outstanding community language work and deep commitment to the promotion and revitalization of Lakota. Still, the group's Linguistic Director, Jan Ullrich, points out that, "revitalizing a language is no easy task and much more needs to be done to educate the public about the state of endangered languages and the needs of indigenous peoples." Ullrich concedes that Native American language loss is an enormous though silent crisis. "The fact is, few people know about the seriousness of the language crisis - that there are perhaps only a dozen languages that have a chance of surviving in the United States out of the original five hundred. When a language disappears, we lose an important record of our human experience - our linguistic heritage. Languages encompass a people's unique and irreplaceable songs, prayers, stories, and ways of seeing the world. Ninety percent of these repositories of knowledge will pass into oblivion unless we do something about it." The organization's goal is to expand its revitalization efforts beyond the classroom and to more actively bring the language back into use within the community. They aim to provide incentives for young people to speak the language, to develop Lakota-language television programming, and to expand the literature available in the language. They model their actions on the best practices of other successful language revival efforts from around the world. However, the group's Executive Director, Wilhelm Meya says that funding continues to be the primary obstacle to the return of the language, "government aid is almost nonexistent and there are very few grants available for endangered languages. Individual donations seem to be the only hope endangered languages like Lakota have." Luckily, there are other people besides the Lakota themselves who want to see the language preserved. Meya explains that support for the group's effort has come from a number of less common sources such as German nonprofit organizations like the Tatanka Oyate Verein. "We have had to be creative to garner support for our efforts. It's very important that we succeed," Meya says. He also cites several other unique donors to the Lakota language, including the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Sioux Tools. Meya notes that the sports franchise, in particular, "is committed to helping the Lakota language and is a very proud supporter of our cause." Meya explains that individual donors have also played a significant role in helping language rescue efforts. One such donor, Jim Brown of Bemidji, Minnesota, is ardent about the need to support Lakota. He emphasizes, "it is my duty to do whatever I can to help Native American cultures survive. I'm very pleased to be part of this effort to keep the Lakota language alive and available to all of us." The remaining Lakota speakers are acutely aware of the high cost of the potential loss of their language. Elmer Bear Eagle, a resident of Wounded Knee, remembers with fondness when most people still spoke Lakota and laments the current state of the language. As an extra in "Dances with Wolves," he was very glad to be able to speak Lakota in the film but observes that, "if we can't save our language soon, all of our children will need to read the subtitles in the movie, just like everybody else, to understand what it being said in Lakota. Then, we will have truly lost our uniqueness as Lakota people." More details on the Lakota Language Consortium are available at: http://www.lakhota.org - - - - CONTACT: Wilhelm K. Meya, Lakota Language Consortium, 812-340-3517, fax 812-857-4482, meya at lakhota.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 4 18:23:12 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 11:23:12 -0700 Subject: 300 hear director of huge DNA study (fwd) Message-ID: Published: 04.04.2006 300 hear director of huge DNA study By Jane Erikson ARIZONA DAILY STAR http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/123049 With 6.5 billion people alive in the world today, it may be hard to think of humans as an endangered species. We may not be — but the incredible diversity of the human race is melting away, said the head of a landmark effort to trace the genetic history of modern humans back 60,000 years. "We are going through a process of mass cultural extinction," Spencer Wells, director of the National Geographic Society's $40 million Genographic Project, said here Monday. Wells, a geneticist and anthropologist, was visiting the University of Arizona's Human Origins Genographic Laboratory, a partner in the Genographic Project. Its goal is to collect 100,000 DNA samples from isolated groups of people around the world to create, as Wells described it, "the largest picture of human variation ever created." That variation is illustrated by the fact that more than 6,000 languages are spoken across the world, Wells said. But half of those languages will be extinct by the end of this century, he said. "We are losing a language every two weeks," he said. If Wells cannot stop that cultural hemorrhage, he intends at least to document the genetic identities of different groups of indigenous people in places like the Arctic Circle, the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia, and the central African country of Chad. >From those DNA profiles he expects to trace peoples' ancestry back to one man and one woman — whom scientists call Adam and Eve — who lived in Africa between 60,000 and perhaps 200,000 years ago. "My goal as a scientist is to explain the patterns of human diversity," Wells told his audience of more than 300 people. "We all seem to be so different — but how different are we?" The Genographic Project — funded in part by IBM and the Waitt Family Foundation — is working with 10 laboratories around the world, each of which will process 10,000 DNA samples from these isolated groups of people over the next five years. The samples are easily obtained by swabbing the inside of a person's mouth for saliva that contains all the DNA researchers need. Members of the public also can participate in the study, by ordering kits from the National Geographic Society, collecting their own DNA samples and mailing them back. All samples from the public are processed through the UA Human Origins lab, headed by geneticist Mike Hammer. Results, available in six to eight weeks, trace a person's ancestry back thousands of years to specific regions of the world, and the specific groups who inhabited those regions. "Oh yes," audience member Jeanine Dunn said when asked if she planned to order a genotyping kit. "I've been a genealogist for over 30 years," she said. "I'm just tremendously impressed with what I've heard here today." As of Monday, the Genographic Project had sold more than 135,000 "genotyping" kits through its Web site — www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic — to raise $3.5 million for the project's Legacy Fund. That money will be used to fund additional research and provide resources for the indigenous groups who participate in the study, Wells said. The first of those projects will be announced at the Genographic Project's world conference next month in South Africa, he said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Wed Apr 5 15:49:08 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 08:49:08 -0700 Subject: Balanced Message-ID: School picks eight as name By _DENNIS YUSKO_ (http://www.timesunion.com/TUNews/author/AuthorPage.aspx? AuthorNum=134) , Staff writer First published: Wednesday, April 5, 2006 CLIFTON PARK -- Shenendehowa elementary school students voted Tuesday for Shatekon -- meaning eight -- as the name for the district's eighth elementary school. All 12 of the Shenendehowa school names are based on the language of Mohawk Indians, who originally lived in the area. Shatekon represents a balanced life in Native American culture. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:35:27 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:35:27 -0700 Subject: Saving indigenous languages (fwd) Message-ID: SAVING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Wednesday, 5 April 2006 West Coast Sentinel (Australia) [photo inset - WORDS ON CD: University of Adelaide language researcher Paul Monaghan with the Wirangu Picture Dictionary aimed at helping save a disappearing language.] Language experts are working with local elders to preserve the fast disappearing indigenous languages and culture of the West Coast peoples. Time is running is out as is the case with the Wirangu language, which is now only spoken by Scottdesco woman Gladys Miller and to a lesser extent her sister. University of Adelaide language researcher Paul Monaghan has worked with Mrs Miller to develop a talking picture dictionary, featuring around 200 common Wirangu words. Aboriginal children and older people wanting to get in touch with their roots can look up words on the dictionary Compact Disc using a computer and hear the correct pronounciation and sentence structure for the language. Mr Monaghan travelled over to Koonibba and Ceduna this week to help launch the Wirangu dictionary and other language programs now underway in the district. In addition to the Wirangu dictionary developed after long hours of sitting down with Mrs Miller, linguists have also developed language cards for another West Coast language known as Gugada. The Gugada Language Cards were launched at the Koonibba School yesterday, while the Wirangu Picture Dictionary will be launched today at 11am at the Ceduna Arts and Culture Centre. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:38:09 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:38:09 -0700 Subject: Language restoration a top priority at Mashantucket conference (fwd) Message-ID: Language restoration a top priority at Mashantucket conference © Indian Country Today April 05, 2006. All Rights Reserved Posted: April 05, 2006 by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412778 MASHANTUCKET, Conn. - Buffy Sainte-Marie, an entertainment icon both within and outside Indian country, expressed the overarching theme of the recent Mashantucket language conference - that language is not a part of a people's culture; it is a people's culture. Sainte-Marie, who was born at Piapot (Cree) Reserve in Saskatchewan and raised in Maine and Massachusetts, was the keynote speaker on the second day of the conference, which took place Feb. 22 - 24 at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. ''The Mashantucket Language Conference: Preservation and Reclamation of Indigenous Languages'' was the third biennial event exploring the academic and cultural uses of aboriginal languages. More than 150 people from all over the United States and Canada attended the conference where 30 presenters, including linguists, artists, students, musicians, poets and storytellers, described their wide-ranging scholarly research, language restoration projects, pedagogy and art. Sainte-Marie spoke for more than an hour and a half to a captivated audience about her work in language education, sometimes gliding across the auditorium floor or punctuating a point by stamping her foot. ''Language and culture cannot be separated. Language is vital to understanding our unique cultural perspectives. Language is a tool that is used to explore and experience our cultures and the perspectives that are embedded in our cultures,'' Sainte-Marie said. Famous as an Academy Award-winning singer/songwriter, Sainte-Marie has a teaching degree, a degree in oriental philosophy and a doctorate in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts. In 1968, she founded the Nihewan Foundation for American Indian Education and helped develop the Cradleboard Teaching Project, an ever-evolving interactive multimedia CD-ROM teaching tool that presents curricula, including aboriginal language, in culturally meaningful ways for Indian children. This new way of learning gets rid of the old stereotypes of ''dead text about dead Indians,'' Sainte-Marie said. ''What we're looking for is effectiveness in revitalizing our languages, in saving the cultures of our communities, and in building the self-esteem of people in those communities and passing into the future generation the yet-evolving wisdom and skills of Native American cultures,'' said Sainte-Marie. Toward the end of her presentation, an audience member asked for a song, and Sainte-Marie obliged. Using her microphone as a drum, she sang ''Relocation Blues,'' a plangent song about the former government practice both in the United States and Canada of removing children from their homes and placing them in boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their native languages. Among the other presenters that day was Drew Haden Taylor, an award-winning playwright, author, filmmaker and humorist who recently published his 17th book, ''Me Funny,'' about Native humor. Hayden Taylor described himself as half-Ojibway and half-Caucasian. ''That makes me an 'occasion' - either a special occasion or, at the very least, a memorable occasion,'' Hayden Taylor said, cracking up the audience. Hayden Taylor grew up on the Curve Lake Reserve in Ontario, where he would fall asleep to the sound of family members talking and laughing under a tree in the yard. Starting out as a writer, he noticed that most of the work by Native writers was ''dark, angry, depressing, bleak and sad; and I began to think, is this the kind of writing I have to do?'' Humor, he realized, was the ''shield and sense of sanity'' that allowed Native people to survive 500 years of oppression. ''I wanted to explore the Native funny bone,'' Hayden Taylor said. Native people like to tease a lot and Native humor is often self-deprecatory, he said, but it doesn't reinvent the wheel. What makes Native people laugh also makes non-Native people laugh, Hayden Taylor said. Klewetua, aka Rodney Sayers, gave a presentation called ''Water Was Our Highway,'' reflecting the rivers and ocean-based landscape of Ahswinnis, an area now known as Port Alberni, British Columbia, where the Hupacasath First Nation artist lives and works. Sayers is a ''student of language'' who inherited his tribe's language program by default - no one else applied for the job, he said. In addition to his work in the language revitalization project, Sayers is a river guide with his tribe's tours; and both the language and river work shape his production as an artist, he said. A PowerPoint presentation showed, among other things, an image of mountain range that marked the easternmost boundary of the tribe's territory. The mountain range is called ''Jagged Peaks Pointing Upwards,'' Sayers said. ''We have restored as many place-names of our territories as possible, and we don't name places or things after living people or people at all because when you move on you don't want things attached to you in this world,'' he explained. Many of the tribes' elders - who were fluent speakers and, therefore, culture-keepers - have passed on, which makes the work difficult, Sayers said. The language, called the Nuu Chah Nulth Barkely dialect, originated around the activities of the tribe's ancestors, many of which centered on fishing and river activities. ''A lot of those activities are gone or have few participants so the language has become obscure and hard to apply to everyday life and difficult to translate into English for learning purposes,'' Sayers said. The language project has compiled a phonetic alphabet with some icons not present in the English language and is about to publish its third language book. ''Really, what we need to do is get people talking our language in our homes. My mother was a fluent speaker with a huge amount of knowledge of our history, but she never taught me. She went to residential schools as a child, so I'm not sure if they took the spirit out of her, but she's gone now and I'll never know,'' Sayers said. '''The Water Was Our Highway' is the name of my presentation, but we've got to get rid of the past tense. The water is our highway and it's the way we're going to travel and it's a matter of understanding our language and applying it, rather than just thinking of it as a thing that we have to achieve,'' Sayers said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:43:22 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:43:22 -0700 Subject: 10:21 am: Memo to recognize teaching of Keres language (fwd) Message-ID: 10:21 am: Memo to recognize teaching of Keres language By ASSOCIATED PRESS April 5, 2006 http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/41852.html# SANTA FE (AP) - The state Department of Public Education and Laguna Pueblo are to sign an agreement Friday that will recognize the pueblo's authority to decide who teaches the pueblo's children the Keres language of Laguna. The memorandum of understanding will make sure the pueblo's language will be supported by the Grants-Cibola County Public Schools, Public Education Secretary Veronica Garcia said. Garcia and Laguna Pueblo Gov. Roland Johnson are to sign the agreement at the pueblo's Route 66 Casino. A child's first language is critical to identity and helps children value their culture and heritage, Garcia said. "When the native language is not maintained, important links to a student's family and other community members may be lost," she said. The agreement will give the pueblo the responsibility for establishing the process to certify people for licenses to teach the Keres language, history and culture. The education department will issue licenses in accordance with that process. The 2002 state Legislature approved the Native Language and Culture Act, which provides for such memorandums. To date, the Public Education Department's licensure bureau has issued 69 native language and culture certifications. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:45:14 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:45:14 -0700 Subject: Cherokee language soars with new CD (fwd) Message-ID: Cherokee language soars with new CD SMN http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/04_06/04_05_06/art_cherokee_CD.html The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribe is using original music and song to help preserve the Cherokee native language with a new CD now on sale. Project Song Bird, designed to motivate people to learn the Cherokee language, is a collaborative effort between the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Kituwah Preservation & Education Department and songwriter Paula Maney Nelson. “Songwriting has been a hobby of mine since my teens. When I was approached by the Kituwah Preservation & Education Program to submit a proposal for this project, I was a bit intimidated but decided to go for it,” Nelson said. The project is designed to be implemented in four phases and will address the needs of different age groups. The five-song sampler is the first phase and serves as an introduction to the project and to serve as a model for future collaborations. Project Songbird is available through the Museum of the Cherokee Indian by calling toll free 866.665.7249 or through the Web at www.cherokeemuseum.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 20:28:13 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:28:13 -0700 Subject: Keeping Salish Alive (fwd) Message-ID: KEEPING SALISH ALIVE Photo credit: Adam Sings In The Timber Writing in the Salish language, Maii Pete, 10, makes a list of what she was thankful for this past year as elder Sophie Mays works with other children at Nkwsum school. By Jasa Santos ARLEE, Mont.—More than a dozen children are crammed into the small entryway of a school on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. An elderly man with salt and pepper braids is ushering coats and backpacks to each one, speaking quietly in Salish. The children answer confidently and chatter excitedly with each other, alternating between English and Salish. Soon, the entryway is quiet, and another day has ended at Nkwsum, the Salish immersion school on the reservation. “It’s just like any other school,” said Director Tachini Pete, “except for the focus on language and culture.” Nkwsum was started four years ago, with the idea of bringing the Salish language back to the people. At the time, nearly 100 people spoke fluent Salish on the reservation, but only 58 speakers remain. Nkswum (pronounced in-KOO-sum) means “family” in Salish and is derived from the Salish word meaning “one fire.” Photo credit: Adam Sings In The Timber Tana Stevens, 5, writes Salish words during a class. Pete said the school enrolled only four students its first year. Now, nearly 30 students are enrolled in preschool through second grade. The lone classroom contains only two rows of desks, all of which were donated by other schools. An English alphabet poster tops the marker board with the Salish alphabet underneath. “We made everything in here just about,” Pete said, looking around the room. Nkwsum is only one of two Native language immersion schools in Montana. Browning is home to the other, which focuses on the Blackfeet language. No Salish curriculum is available to Pete and the teachers at Nkwsum. “We’ve proposed to the tribe to create a curriculum department,” Pete said. “We’re at the point where we can’t keep up. The kids are learning so fast.” THE MAIN DIFFERENCE That is the main difference between a public school and Nkswum, Pete said. A public school can buy everything needed to teach students math or science. Nkwsum can’t. “Everything has to be translated and redone, so it fits our language and our culture,” Pete said. “We want our kids to get all the education they can, if not more than a public school can [give].” Photo credit: Adam Sings In The Timber D'anja Charlo, 4, and Dorissa Garza, 7, listen to elder Stephen Small Salmon as he instructs them in Salish. As newly appointed curriculum director, Arleen Adams knows that Nkwsum faces more hard work. “We have no McGraw-Hill,” Adams said with a laugh. “We are McGraw-Hill.” Adams said the Nkswum’s goal is create a curriculum and to “make it Indian, to make it Salish.” “That’s what needs to be expressed to our children,” she said. “They don’t get that from a public school.” The current curriculum isn’t based on lesson plans, Adams said. The group works in a casual manner, tracking months and seasons important to Salish culture. The result is what Adams calls a “seasonal curriculum.” For example, October is “hunting month” in the Salish culture, Adams said. The teachers focus on the traditional animals, weapons and locations important to the culture. “We rely wholly on our three teachers here to help us,” Adams said. “It’s about teaching the kids who they are and where they came from.” Adams also consults a culture committee and elders to make sure that students are learning the full Salish language. With the dialect changing from places such as Arlee to Polson—everyone on the reservation knows a different way of speaking Salish—Adams wants to ensure that students are not learning “half-words.” “We rely on our elders to be that foundation for us,” she said. “In a week’s time, [the students] are spitting out all kinds of Salish.” Often, Salish elders visit for have storytelling time with students. Everyone works to reinforce the elder’s story and how it is important to the Salish culture. “It would be nice to call up McGraw-Hill and say, ‘Hey, could we have a Salish curriculum for the fifth grade?’ ” Adams said. “But we create the curriculum as we go. It’s the only way.” Reporter Jasa Santos, Salish, and photographer Adam Sings In The Timber, Crow, attend the University of Montana in Missoula. They are both graduates of the Freedom Forum's 2005 American Indian Journalism Institute. ARTICLE LINK: http://www.reznetnews.org/student/060202_language/[1] ------------------------- Copyright © 2006 Reznet. Reznet is a project of The University of Montana School of Journalism and the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Links: ------ [1] http://www.reznetnews.org/student/060202_language/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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All Rights Reserved Posted: April 05, 2006 by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today  MASHANTUCKET, Conn. - Buffy Sainte-Marie, an entertainment icon both within and outside Indian country, expressed the overarching theme of the recent Mashantucket language conference - that language is not a part of a people's culture; it is a people's culture. Sainte-Marie, who was born at Piapot (Cree) Reserve in Saskatchewan and raised in Maine and Massachusetts, was the keynote speaker on the second day of the conference, which took place Feb. 22 - 24 at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. ''The Mashantucket Language Conference: Preservation and Reclamation of Indigenous Languages'' was the third biennial event exploring the academic and cultural uses of aboriginal languages. More than 150 people from all over the United States and Canada attended the conference where 30 presenters, including linguists, artists, students, musicians, poets and storytellers, described their wide-ranging scholarly research, language restoration projects, pedagogy and art. Sainte-Marie spoke for more than an hour and a half to a captivated audience about her work in language education, sometimes gliding across the auditorium floor or punctuating a point by stamping her foot. ''Language and culture cannot be separated. Language is vital to understanding our unique cultural perspectives. Language is a tool that is used to explore and experience our cultures and the perspectives that are embedded in our cultures,'' Sainte-Marie said. Famous as an Academy Award-winning singer/songwriter, Sainte-Marie has a teaching degree, a degree in oriental philosophy and a doctorate in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts. In 1968, she founded the Nihewan Foundation for American Indian Education and helped develop the Cradleboard Teaching Project, an ever-evolving interactive multimedia CD-ROM teaching tool that presents curricula, including aboriginal language, in culturally meaningful ways for Indian children. This new way of learning gets rid of the old stereotypes of ''dead text about dead Indians,'' Sainte-Marie said. ''What we're looking for is effectiveness in revitalizing our languages, in saving the cultures of our communities, and in building the self-esteem of people in those communities and passing into the future generation the yet-evolving wisdom and skills of Native American cultures,'' said Sainte-Marie. Toward the end of her presentation, an audience member asked for a song, and Sainte-Marie obliged. Using her microphone as a drum, she sang ''Relocation Blues,'' a plangent song about the former government practice both in the United States and Canada of removing children from their homes and placing them in boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their native languages. Among the other presenters that day was Drew Haden Taylor, an award- winning playwright, author, filmmaker and humorist who recently published his 17th book, ''Me Funny,'' about Native humor. Hayden Taylor described himself as half-Ojibway and half-Caucasian. ''That makes me an 'occasion' - either a special occasion or, at the very least, a memorable occasion,'' Hayden Taylor said, cracking up the audience. Hayden Taylor grew up on the Curve Lake Reserve in Ontario, where he would fall asleep to the sound of family members talking and laughing under a tree in the yard. Starting out as a writer, he noticed that most of the work by Native writers was ''dark, angry, depressing, bleak and sad; and I began to think, is this the kind of writing I have to do?'' Humor, he realized, was the ''shield and sense of sanity'' that allowed Native people to survive 500 years of oppression. ''I wanted to explore the Native funny bone,'' Hayden Taylor said. Native people like to tease a lot and Native humor is often self- deprecatory, he said, but it doesn't reinvent the wheel. What makes Native people laugh also makes non-Native people laugh, Hayden Taylor said. Klewetua, aka Rodney Sayers, gave a presentation called ''Water Was Our Highway,'' reflecting the rivers and ocean-based landscape of Ahswinnis, an area now known as Port Alberni, British Columbia, where the Hupacasath First Nation artist lives and works. Sayers is a ''student of language'' who inherited his tribe's language program by default - no one else applied for the job, he said. In addition to his work in the language revitalization project, Sayers is a river guide with his tribe's tours; and both the language and river work shape his production as an artist, he said. A PowerPoint presentation showed, among other things, an image of mountain range that marked the easternmost boundary of the tribe's territory. The mountain range is called ''Jagged Peaks Pointing Upwards,'' Sayers said. ''We have restored as many place-names of our territories as possible, and we don't name places or things after living people or people at all because when you move on you don't want things attached to you in this world,'' he explained. Many of the tribes' elders - who were fluent speakers and, therefore, culture-keepers - have passed on, which makes the work difficult, Sayers said. The language, called the Nuu Chah Nulth Barkely dialect, originated around the activities of the tribe's ancestors, many of which centered on fishing and river activities. ''A lot of those activities are gone or have few participants so the language has become obscure and hard to apply to everyday life and difficult to translate into English for learning purposes,'' Sayers said. The language project has compiled a phonetic alphabet with some icons not present in the English language and is about to publish its third language book. ''Really, what we need to do is get people talking our language in our homes. My mother was a fluent speaker with a huge amount of knowledge of our history, but she never taught me. She went to residential schools as a child, so I'm not sure if they took the spirit out of her, but she's gone now and I'll never know,'' Sayers said. '''The Water Was Our Highway' is the name of my presentation, but we've got to get rid of the past tense. The water is our highway and it's the way we're going to travel and it's a matter of understanding our language and applying it, rather than just thinking of it as a thing that we have to achieve,'' Sayers said. .:. André Cramblit: andre.p.cramblit.86 at alum.dartmouth.org is the Operations Director Northern California Indian Development Council NCIDC (http://www.ncidc.org) is a non-profit that meets the development needs of American Indians To subscribe to a news letter of interest to Natives send an email to: IndigenousNewsNetwork-subscribe at topica.com or go to: http:// www.topica.com/lists/IndigenousNewsNetwork/subscribe/?location=listinfo -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: spacer.gif Type: image/gif Size: 49 bytes Desc: not available URL: From lanz at RICE.EDU Sun Apr 9 18:27:49 2006 From: lanz at RICE.EDU (Linda Lanz) Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 13:27:49 -0500 Subject: Natives want their dying language taught Message-ID: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/7611812p-7522874c.html Natives want their dying language taught NANWALEK: Village asks Kenai School District to make Sugt'stun part of curriculum. By TOM KIZZIA Anchorage Daily News Published: April 9, 2006 Last Modified: April 9, 2006 at 02:48 AM HOMER -- Two generations ago, students in Nanwalek had to lick the schoolhouse floor when they spoke Sugt'stun like their parents. Now the village's last fluent speakers are asking the school's help to save their dying Native language. Nanwalek parents and elders want the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District to make Sugt'stun part of their core curriculum, with academic credit for a high school course. Nanwalek even has a certified teacher eager to teach the language, which is spoken statewide by fewer than 100 people, most of them elderly. "Kenai Peninsula is the Sugpiaq homeland. We are the last band of survivors of the Sugpiaq people," former bilingual aide Sally Ash told the School Board last week. "We consider it an insult that we have no say about how our village school is run." But school officials -- citing budget cuts, new federal rules and Nanwalek's low achievement test scores -- say they have to concentrate on basic offerings like English and math. Earlier this winter, they suggested Nanwalek's students who want a language credit take an online Spanish course instead. A dozen parents flew out of the village of 230 and then drove to Soldotna last Monday to make their pitch to the Kenai Peninsula School Board. They were joined at the podium by parents from the Russian Old Believer village of Kachemak Selo, who were seeking a similar step-up of support for Russian language instruction in their local school. School officials couldn't promise much more than adjustments in the bilingual aide program for younger students. But the School Board scheduled an April 17 work session to discuss the village requests. The Kenai Peninsula's language dilemma provides a stark example of how Alaska school districts are being forced to concentrate on meeting national testing standards, often with little left over to address unique local needs. LEARN SPANISH INSTEAD? The problem in the Old Believer village is somewhat different. Unlike Nanwalek, where children now grow up speaking English, those entering school in Kachemak Selo speak mostly Russian. Kachemak Selo parents were roused to seek help after the School District moved to scale back the bilingual aide program. They also want to see a high school Russian class, pointing out that their school of 90 students offers no gym, theater or other non-core activities. "We don't want them to lose it," said Polly Reutov, the mother of six students. "If they're completely immersed in English, they will lose it." Reutov said her son had been asked this year if he'd be interested in taking high school Spanish instead. In his case, distance delivery wouldn't mean an online program -- Kachemak Selo still holds to the Old Believer stricture against use of computers, Reutov said. District officials say they are pushing Kachemak Selo to run its bilingual program more like the nearby Old Believer village of Voznesenka, several miles of switchbacking trail away. The school there has met federal standards for yearly progress on test scores and the Russian language program is more successful, district officials say. Instead of teaching language, aides in Voznesenka have concentrated on using Russian to pre-teach concepts in, say, math, so that English- language instruction will be easier for children to follow, said Norma Holmgaard, the district's director of federal programs and small schools. Voznesenka also offers Russian for high school students. That's largely a matter of luck, Holmgaard said. Federal rules require teacher certification and expertise, and Voznesenka has a certified Old Believer teacher able to leave his elementary class every day to teach a high school course. District officials suggested Kachemak Selo send someone away to become certified as a teacher and return to teach the classes they want. CURRICULUM OBSTACLE In Nanwalek, however, just having a certified teacher isn't enough. Nanwalek boasts a village son back from Fairbanks with a master's degree in education with a Native language specialty. He's now working as an aide with younger students, and covertly teaching Sugt'stun to high school students during an elective period set aside for art. "The kids are using it at home, they're so eager and anxious to show off," said a parent, Nancy Yeaton. But other obstacles remain, district officials say. There's no approved curriculum for Sugt'stun, as there are for more widely spoken Native languages such as Yup'ik. (Chugachmiut, the regional Native nonprofit, hopes to have one developed by 2008.) And for a school that has not met achievement scores and progress goals required under federal law, there's no money for extras like language, Holmgaard said. "If we add something somewhere, we have to cut somewhere else," she said. "All they have right now is the core." But Nanwalek parents are increasingly indignant. When they learned that seven students had signed up for Spanish, six pulled their children out of the program. Parents want some influence over the curriculum in their village, and say they are tired of having to beg for favors. They haven't spoken up like this in the past, they say, because of a legacy of cringing shame about being Native, inculcated in the schools of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. LANGUAGE ON THE BRINK At a recent meeting in the village, Ash said, older residents recalled being mocked or smacked by teachers for speaking Sugt'stun. One told how he was forced to go outdoors and hold the school flag pole for an hour in a snowstorm. "How does the saying go? You broke it, you own it, you fix it," Ash told the School Board. At 48, she is one of the youngest fluent speakers. "You are not responsible for the past crimes, but you are for the one that is occurring right now." Today, Nanwalek has about 20 fluent speakers, more than any other community. If they fail, villagers say, the consequence won't just be undermining their children's sense of culture. The Sugt'stun language will disappear off the face of the Earth. School officials responded sympathetically, but they made no promises. "Personally, I think it's really important," said Holmgaard. "But professionally, I can say, is it the responsibility of the School District, or is it the responsibility of Nanwalek and Chugachmiut?" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 10 20:48:45 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:48:45 -0700 Subject: APS Sees Cultural, Language Programs as Way to Help Indian Students (fwd) Message-ID: Sunday, April 9, 2006 APS Sees Cultural, Language Programs as Way to Help Indian Students By Amy Miller[2] Journal Staff Writer http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/450092metro04-09-06.htm Many small hands wave in the air when Shirley Gee asks her Navajo students if they speak their native language. Gee smiles, saying they are likely showing off for visitors. In reality, only a few students in her Navajo language classes at Painted Sky Elementary School speak Navajo fluently, although many know a few words. "Most (students) say they want to learn Navajo so they can talk with their grandparents," Gee said. "It makes them unique. It makes them feel special." But teaching Navajo does more than help students communicate with their elders, says Gee and other educators. It gives them a sense of belonging and confidence about learning other subjects and making better grades. The class "makes me feel good and want to learn more about Navajo culture," said 10-year-old Tracy Martinez. "It makes me want to read more." The problem, say educators, is that there are not enough classes like this for Native American students. To improve lagging test scores and low graduation rates, all of the nearly 6,000 Native American students in Albuquerque Public Schools need access to Native American cultural and language programs— from pre-school to graduation, said Nancy Martine-Alonzo, director of Indian education for APS. But money and resources from the state, federal government and private sources are limited. APS has a $1.5 million budget specifically for Native American education that pays for programs at only 20 schools and serves fewer than 600 students, she said. Money could be even tighter next year. APS stands to lose more than $200,000 if Congress approves the federal education budget. That will mean fewer extras, such as classroom supplies or field trips. A summer school program for Native American students may be canceled, Martine-Alonzo said. "Native American students (in APS) by far have the largest achievement gap," she said. "What has the district done differently to serve these students? That's the question we need to ask ourselves." It's not just a problem in Albuquerque. The state's Legislative Finance Committee issued a report on March 28 saying the state is not doing enough to improve the education of Native American children, despite a 2003 state law requiring schools to hire more Native American teachers and provide culturally relevant learning experiences. But state Education Secretary Veronica Garcia said that the report did not take into account other programs that work to narrow the achievement gap for all minority students. LITTLE MONEY, BIG CHALLENGES Any budget cuts, however small, hurt students, Martine-Alonzo said. Albuquerque's Native American students come from 160 tribes and pueblos, and they struggle with many different social, financial and emotional needs. Those barriers to learning become all too evident when looking at graduation and dropout rates, as well as test scores, educators said. About one in three Native American students in the class of 2004 graduated in four years, the lowest graduation rate of any ethnic or racial group. They also earn some of the lowest scores on standardized tests. In 2004, 27 percent of ninth-grade Native American students tested proficient in math, while 64 percent of Anglo students and 63 percent of Asian students did. Many principals try to address the problem by paying for Native American programs and classes from their school budgets, grants or through other departments outside the Indian education division. Pat Woodard, principal at Painted Sky Elementary, gets money from the APS bilingual education department to pay for her Navajo language classes, and it's been well worth the effort, she said. She's seen Navajo students' reading scores jump dramatically. In the 2003-04 school year, 17 percent tested proficient in reading. The next year, 34 percent did. "I wouldn't say the class is the only reason," Woodard said. "But I do think it's played a big part." Finding qualified teachers certified by the tribe to teach the school's Navajo language classes is hard, said Holly Beiler, assistant principal at West Mesa High School. West Mesa— which has 189 Native American students, the third-highest population in APS— went without a teacher for three months last year. \'FLY LIKE A NEW BIRD\' Keith Franklin, a member of the APS Native American Task Force, has written a plan to reform Indian education by creating language and cultural programs for all Native American students, from kindergarten to high school. Until then, Franklin and others hope that a Native American charter school opening this fall is a step in the right direction. "It's going to fly like a new bird," Franklin said. There are about 55 such schools in 11 states, including two in New Mexico, said Mary Jiron Belgarde, an associate education professor at the University of New Mexico. Some are run by a single tribe, and others are in cities with students from many tribes. "Students perform better at these schools because they get the kind of attention they don't receive in a regular public school," Belgarde said. Classes at the APS Native American Community Academy will be small and will focus on history and cultural traditions, said director Kara Bobroff, who worked with educators and tribal leaders to develop the curriculum. So far, 92 middle school students have enrolled. Eventually, the academy will cover grades six to 12. Bobroff does not know if all enrolled are Native American, and that's all right, she said. Any student, regardless of race or ethnicity, benefits from a focused curriculum. While the school is open to any student from any background, Bobroff does wants the school to be a "community" for Native American families so parents feel comfortable taking part. Links: ------ [1] http://www.albuquerquejournal.com [2] http://www.abqjournal.com/cgi-bin/email_reporter.pl -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 11 19:08:34 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 12:08:34 -0700 Subject: Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive (fwd) In-Reply-To: <20060411114947.430zwos4w8kkwcsk@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Dear ILAT, This news already reached the list but it seems that this particular article was not yet posted.   Note that Dakota is identified as having only 125 speakers left.  Have a good day, Phil Cash Cash ilat list mng -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 11 18:49:47 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:49:47 -0700 Subject: Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive (fwd) Message-ID: Posted on Tue, Apr. 11, 2006 Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive BY TOM BERG THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/14315663.htm Sure, you can buy Icelandic Scrabble, Croatian Scrabble, even Slovenian Scrabble - if you look hard enough. After all, those languages have entire nations of speakers. But who'd want Scrabble for a dying language of a few hundred speakers? A language where the simple word for "bat" requires 18 letters? Tammy DeCoteau, for one. And game-making giant Hasbro, for another. They teamed up two weeks ago to launch the first Scrabble game in the Sioux Indian language known as Dakota. For the record, hupahuwakinhdakena - meaning "the bird that sees its wings when it's flying," or bat - was not even remotely considered during the tournament. In fact, the first word played was two letters long. The next added two letters to the first. We're talking baby steps. Yet from these humble beginnings, DeCoteau hopes to save an entire language. Why? "In language is intertwined the culture," she says. By that standard, the Dakota culture is in stark danger of extinction. Just 27 people in all of Minnesota, original home of the Dakota Sioux, speak Dakota, DeCoteau says. About 100 speak it on the Lake Traverse Reservation of South Dakota where DeCoteau held the recent tournament. When those elders die, the language could die, too. That, DeCoteau hopes, is about to change, thanks to the game first called Lexico, then Criss Cross Words - a game found in one of every three American homes and whose annual tournament is now televised on ESPN: Scrabble. Well-known names in Sioux history include Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and even Lt. Col. George Custer. Less known is that the Sioux were divided among three tribes: the Dakota, Nakota and Lakota. The Dakota were the first to be pushed from their homeland by white settlers in the mid-1800s. When in 1862 they revolted, 38 were hanged in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. When in 1876 they defeated Custer, his last stand became their own. Soon the Sioux were confined to even smaller reservations. Today, the U.S. is home to some 170,000 Sioux or part-Sioux, according to the U.S. Census. Most are spread out. DeCoteau estimates that 4,000 live on her reservation. Of those, maybe 600 are elders. And of those, maybe 100 speak the old tongue. It is, as some say, a generation from extinction. So how does news from the reservation hit California? Call it motherly pride. "I'm just proud of her compassion and thoughtfulness," says DeCoteau's mom, Lois Formes of Fullerton, who is of Danish descent and now remarried. "It's kind of funny. We're pushing people to learn the Sioux language, yet here we're wishing people would quit speaking Spanish." Here's an example of how rare the Dakota language has become: DeCoteau herself, the director of the Native Language Program for the Association on American Indian Affairs, cannot speak it fluently. "If I spoke, I'd sound like child who just learned English," she says. "I'd be speaking broken Dakota." Which might explain her strategy. DeCoteau's effort to save her language didn't start with adults putting down Scrabble tiles. It started with kids picking up toys. Three years ago, DeCoteau organized a day-care center for children of American Indian students at Sisseton-Wahpeton College in Agency Village, S.D. As a language director, she wanted to immerse the 6-month- to 4-year-olds in their native language. But she couldn't. For one thing, the children had no books, music or videos in Dakota. For another, none of her staff members could speak it. So she recruited a few tribal elders. One was Orsen Bernard, 70, who lived on the reservation about 20 miles away. "This one lady was singing, `This is the way we pick up our toys,' to a 2-year-old," he says. "I thought, `I can translate that.'" From there, the former U.S. Army medic translated "Goldilocks." Then other books and songs. Then the Pledge of Allegiance. He's happy to revive the language his parents were punished for speaking at the turn of the last century. "It's a long story," he says. "But way back when, in my mother's and dad's age, they were forbidden to talk the language. They were punished not only for that, but for their dancing and spiritual stuff. At the time, it was looked at as savagery - heathen stuff." Thus began the slow decline of Dakota. Each succeeding generation spoke less and less, erasing a language that speakers say has an imagery not found in English. Take the word kiyuspepicasni, which means "indivisible" from the Pledge of Allegiance. In English it means, "incapable of undergoing division." In Dakota, it means something you cannot break apart, you cannot even chip it, you cannot even take apart the pieces. "The Dakota words are so meaningful," Bernard says. "Even the praying and everything else is so connected to Mother Earth. I think it grabs you at the heart level." Eventually about 50 tribal members joined DeCoteau's team, writing children's songs and stories, translating videos, helping to restore the language. Someone even persuaded the local convenience store to label the candy aisle in Dakota. "We started thinking, `Where else can we put the language where it isn't already at?'" she says. "Someone said, `Oh, games.'" Quick strategy lesson: The T-with-a-dot and the P-with-a-dot - you want to grab these out of your Dakota Scrabble tile bag. They're the equivalent of our 10-point Zs and Qs. Most common? A and K. There are more of these 1-pointers than Es. The Dakota language has no F, L, Q, R or V, but it has six dotted letters and one N-with-a-tail, resulting in 28 letters, or two more than English. The game uses 100 tiles, same as traditional Scrabble, but players draw 10 tiles instead of seven. When tribal elders gathered in DeCoteau's office last summer, they hoped to write a 500-word Scrabble Dictionary. They ended up with 2,500 words - a far cry from the 180,000 in the National Scrabble Association's official word list, but plenty for a generation that barely knows any. DeCoteau collected enough money to make 30 games. She distributed these to schools, who played the first tournament two weeks ago. Now she's trying to make 500 home-edition games. Production costs likely will set the price at $75 despite her efforts to pitch in. She just ordered metal stamps to practice punching the letters onto the tiles. "I can take a hammer and stamp it onto a piece of wood, and see how hard it's going to be to do," she says. "Then I'll have an idea of what I have to pay somebody to do it." She knows. Sometimes it takes a hammer to change things. And sometimes it just takes a word or two. © 2006 KRT Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.fortwayne.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phonosemantics at earthlink.net Tue Apr 11 19:47:47 2006 From: phonosemantics at earthlink.net (jess tauber) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:47 -0400 Subject: Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive (fwd) Message-ID: So do you think this may ultimately lead to a new tradition of 'Scrabble giving'? Actually after I read about this a few weeks ago I started thinking about how this and other word games might be utilized in Yahgan. Some Yahgan words were really long- like in Yupik, Inuktitut, etc. One might want to expand the playing surface a little to accommodate longish synthetic words. Of course do you allow just stems or entire inflected words, especially where inflections are obligatory? And in the opposite direction, what does one do about monosyllabic words, or tones, register, etc. in games like Scrabble? Or spelling, when orthography isn't standardized? Lots of possible issues. Jess Tauber From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Wed Apr 12 16:08:45 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:08:45 -0700 Subject: Rassias Message-ID: I worked with this method while in college to learn spanish, anyone used it for native Languages http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rassias/ 27 eager ESL teachers from the Central SABES region came together at Quinsigamond Community College for a two-day workshop on The Rassias Method® of language learning last weekend. It was hosted by Central SABES and run by Helene Rassias, daughter of world renowned ESL guru John Rassias.http://www.vspl.netfirms.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 12 16:40:24 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:40:24 -0700 Subject: Meya letter Message-ID: Some of you may have read this in the recent SSILA bulletin, so sorry for the double exposure. It is a quite articulate and concise call for the preservation of endangered languages and may be of interest to many. * The bald eagle may be safe but languages are still in danger ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [The following letter from one of the recipients of SSILA's Ken Hale Prize for 2005 was published in the Financial Times (UK) on March 11.] Sir, It was truly wonderful to read that America's national symbol, the bald eagle, is back in such strength that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is considering its removal from the endangered species list. In a way, the eagle's rescue symbolizes our own redemption. Nevertheless, there is a crisis today even greater than that recently averted danger by the bald eagle--that of our indigenous Native American languages, which are on the leading edge of a global wave of linguistic extinctions with 90 per cent of remaining languages expected to disappear within less than 100 years. In the same ways that a healthy planet requires biological diversity, a healthy cultural world requires linguistic diversity. Yet, language is also an elaborate phenomenon tied to real people and cultures. Language loss threatens a fundamental human right--that of expression of the life and life ways of a people. Each language relates ideas that can be expressed in that language and no other. Thus, when an indigenous community is no longer allowed to pray, sing, or tell stories in its language, it is denied a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, linguistic rights have been seriously abused for hundreds of years by banning specific languages and indirectly by assaulting language-support structures such as land, economies and religions. Tragically, the denial of linguistic rights continues in the US in the form of regulatory obstruction, fiscal neglect and racism. Even today, Native American schools are often forced to choose between basic funding and Native American language preservation. It is the modern continuation of the colonialism and abuse that originally denied the land to this country's original inhabitants. Yet deliverance is not out of reach on this issue either. Consider for a moment that in the early 1960s, few Americans knew or cared that the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction in the lower 48 states. It took a few non-profit organizations and a massive direct mail campaign to inform the public about the plight. Fortunately, the national response was immediate and effective. Within several years, new regulations like the Endangered Species Act were in place and financial resources were directed towards solving the problem. The eagles were on the road to recovery. But our success was long in coming. We cannot, however, be satisfied with this single victory. Languages today are the next frontier in setting the country into moral and environmental symmetry. We cannot simply save the eagle while neglecting our other important national symbols. --Wilhelm K. Meya Executive Director, Lakota Language Consortium The Language Conservancy Bloomington, IN 47408 (meya at lakhota.org) __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 12 17:15:55 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:15:55 -0700 Subject: "Message of Hope" Message-ID: The Nature Conservatory is currently accepting ?letters of hope? for their celebration of Earth Day. This is an excellent opportunity for people to express their ?hope? that endangered languages will become the focus of larger conservation efforts such as the Nature Conservatory?s own mission ?to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth?. You can post your own ?Earth Day message of hope? by going to the Nature Conservatory?s website at http://www.nature.org/ and clicking ?Share your message of hope?. __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 14 19:07:27 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 12:07:27 -0700 Subject: First Nations vie to save voices (fwd) Message-ID: FIRST NATIONS VIE TO SAVE VOICES By brian lynch Publish Date: 13-Apr-2006 http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=17148 The provincial government recently announced its plans to turn over $1 million to the FIRST PEOPLES’ HERITAGE, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE COUNCIL to help preserve (and, in some cases, possibly even revive) the many aboriginal languages in B.C. now in serious danger of vanishing for good. That amount may seem small, given the scale of the task at hand. But TRACEY HERBERT, the council’s executive director, points out that legions of dedicated volunteers have long been used to doing a lot with very little—especially while the federal government’s gears continue to turn slowly on big promises made years ago about more money for the problem. “It’s incredible what people have been able to do with just scraps of funding,” Herbert said, mentioning how volunteers working on projects that have a mere $10,000 each behind them have managed to produce reams of language resources and digital recordings. The new money, she explained, will help fund a total of $1.2 million that the council plans to hand out this year as grants, in response to the roughly $10 million worth of funding requests that will likely be made for language-preservation projects such as immersion programs, language classes, and documentation. (Check out some of the work that’s been done to record B.C.’s aboriginal languages at www.firstvoices.com/[1].) “In the healthier languages we have between 500 and 1,500 fluent speakers, but in some cases it’s down to one or two fluent speakers left,” Herbert said. In the meantime, the council continues to wait for the Department of Canadian Heritage to make good on a 2002 pledge of $172.5 million (spread out over 10 or 11 years) for a nationwide language-rescue mission. Virtually nothing has come of this but reports, Herbert said, and things have only become more uncertain now that the Tories have taken power. “When a government drags its feet, it’s very frustrating for organizations like ours,” she notes. “This is a time-sensitive issue, simply because we’re losing so many elders.” ANNIE CARRUTHERS, Canadian Heritage’s director of aboriginal-language programs, agreed that the process “is moving slightly slowly”, but points to progress made in face of a vastly complex issue. The main accomplishment so far has indeed come in the form of a report (at www.aboriginallanguagestaskforce.ca/[2]), but it’s a document that Carruthers insists is “groundbreaking”. “I wouldn’t underestimate its importance,” she told the Straight, arguing that the report’s 25 main recommendations are the work of an unprecedented task force comprised of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis representatives. These recommendations, she explained, are now being confirmed in consultations with aboriginal people. Then, she said, “it’s our intention to respond with action.” Links: ------ [1] http://www.firstvoices.com/ [2] http://www.aboriginallanguagestaskforce.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 14 19:17:17 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 12:17:17 -0700 Subject: Indigenous Languages in Final Throes (fwd) Message-ID: Indigenous Languages in Final Throes Diego Cevallos* http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32884 MEXICO CITY, APR 13 (TIERRAMéRICA) - HUNDREDS OF LANGUAGES DISAPPEARED FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN OVER THE PAST 500 YEARS, AND MANY OF THE MORE THAN 600 THAT HAVE SURVIVED COULD FACE THE SAME FATE IN THE NOT-SO-DISTANT FUTURE. United Nations agencies and many experts maintain that it is an avoidable tragedy, but there are those who see it as the inherent fate of all but a few languages. Faced with Western culture and the dominant presence of Spanish, Portuguese and English in the Americas, indigenous languages like Kiliwua in Mexico, Ona and Puelche in Argentina, Amanayé in Brazil, Záparo in Ecuador and Mashco-Piro in Peru, are just barely surviving, the result of their continued use by small groups of people -- most of whom are elderly. But there are others like Quichua, Aymara, Guaraní, Maya and Náhuatl whose future looks a bit rosier, because overall these languages are spoken by more than 10 million people and governments support their survival through various educational, cultural and social programmes. Around the globe there are some 7,000 languages in use, but each year 20 disappear. Furthermore, half of the existing languages are threatened, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). This agency, which promotes the preservation and diversity of the world's languages, maintains that the disappearance of even one language is a tragedy, because with it go a unique culture and cosmovision. But not everyone sees it that way. "The extinction of languages is a phenomenon inherent in their very existence, and it has been happening since humans emitted their first sound with a linguistic meaning," José Luis Moure, a University of Buenos Aires philologist and member of the Argentine Academy of Letters, told Tierramérica. In contrast, Gustavo Solís, a Peruvian linguist with expertise in vernacular and author of language studies of the Amazon region, says "there is nothing in the languages that says one should disappear and another should continue." "Every disappearance of language and culture is a great tragedy to humanity. When it occurs, a unique and irreplaceable human experience is extinguished," Solís said in a conversation with Tierramérica. There are cases, says this expert, that show it is possible to plan the revitalisation of languages so they won't die, but such efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean fall short. When the Europeans arrived in the Americas in the 15th century, there were 600 to 800 languages in South America alone, but with the colonisation process "the vast majority disappeared. Today there are languages on their way to extinction because of the unequal contact between Western society and some indigenous societies," Solís said. Fernando Nava, director of Mexico's National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI), said languages disappear through natural evolution, which is understandable, or through cultural pressure and discrimination against its speakers, which is preventable.. It is the second cause that many governments, international agencies and academics are fighting, because it is considered an unacceptable phenomenon, Nava told Tierramérica. In this area, Latin America and the Caribbean are just in the stage of raising awareness, he added. According to UNESCO, half of the languages existing in the world today could be lost within "a few generations", due to their marginalisation from the Internet, cultural and economic pressures, and the development of new technologies that favour homogeneity. In May, the UN agency will publish an extensive study about the languages of the Amazon region, many of them spoken by very few individuals. The study is a bid to draw international attention to their plight. Surviving in the Amazon jungles are isolated indigenous groups, who refuse to have contact with the Western world and its "progress". They total around 5,000 people belonging to various groups of the Amazon Basin, among them the Tagaeri in Ecuador, Ayoreo in Paraguay, Korubo in Brazil and the Mashco-Piro and Ashaninka in Peru. According to Rodolfo Stavenhagen, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights and basic freedoms of indigenous peoples, these groups are facing "a true cultural genocide". "I fear that under current circumstances it will be difficult for them to survive many more years, because so-called development denies the right of these peoples to continue being peoples," he said. Although the list of languages and dialects in use worldwide is very long, the vast majority of the population speaks only a handful of languages, like English, Chinese, and Spanish. To ensure that linguistic diversity is maintained, the international community agreed in recent years on a series of legal instruments, and experts hold regular meetings to discuss the issues. One such meet took place Mar. 31 to Apr. 2 in the western U.S. state of Utah, where officials and academics from across the Americas studied ways to prevent the disappearance of dozens of languages in this hemisphere. Since 1999, through a UNESCO initiative, Feb. 21 is celebrated as International Mother Language Day. There are also agreements in the UN system, like the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and its Action Plan, from 2001, and the Convention on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, signed in 2003. Also dating from 2003 is the Recommendation on the Promotion and Use of Multingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace, and from 2005 the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The Argentine expert Moure says it is important to work towards preserving languages, even when the number of speakers is small, because "they are markers of identity that merit maximum respect and scientific attention." But "I am not so sure that the death of a language necessarily means the disappearance of the associated cosmovision, because its speakers never stop talking (unless they themselves disappear through disease or genocide), but rather, after a period of bilingualism, they adopt another language that is more useful to them because of its greater insertion in the world," he said "This a fact of reality, and I believe it should be recognised without turning to excessive conspiracy theories," said Moure. (*Diego Cevallos is an IPS correspondent. Originally published Apr. 8 by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.) (END/2006) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 16 13:04:04 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 06:04:04 -0700 Subject: Language Survival Message-ID: Nearly half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world are in danger of extinction. And leading the world's epidemic of disappearing dialects is the U.S. state of California. This weekend, members of 40 tribes from around the state met with linguists to discuss the challenges of saving those endangered languages More than half of the over one hundred native California tongues have disappeared. Many others have only a few, aging speakers. When this last fluent generation dies, languages spoken by Californians over centuries, will also die. At a recent gathering of some 200 Native Americans struggling to maintain their dialects, Robert Geary remembered driving in his car, listening to a tape of his long- deceased great uncle speaking the native Elém Pomo language. "I was so lost hearing my language that I was doing 80 [mph] and I didn't even know it. I got a [speeding] ticket, yeah, I got a ticket." Click to read the rest of the article, use your back button to return to this page: http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2006-03-30-voa46.cfm From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Mon Apr 17 13:33:41 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:33:41 -0700 Subject: Issues in Indian Education and Standardized Tests Message-ID: Questions about Indigenous languages should also be added !! ** Educators say standardized tests should have questions on Indians Posted on April 16 *By the Associated Press* http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/04/17/breaker/doc44425b8f57623946216396.txt BOZEMAN - If Montana schools truly plan to teach students about the state's American Indians, their standardized tests should include questions about Indians, an official with the state Office of Public Instruction and others said Saturday. "Testing is driving our system," Mike Jetty, Indian education specialist with the OPI, said during a daylong Native Nexus conference at Montana State University. Standardized math and reading tests that are specially tailored to Montana schools are administered to all students in fourth, eighth and 10th grades. A third test, on science, is being developed. [image: *] The science test should contain at least one question that relates to American Indians, said Robin Arnold, a seventh-grade science teacher at Sacajawea Middle School in Bozeman. The question could be on native versus invasive plants or water and land resources, Arnold said. Jetty urged educators to send such comments to the OPI, which is still considering the new science standards. He added that the OPI is working to implement Indian Education for All, a 1999 legislative mandate, on three fronts: developing sample lessons, creating training for teachers and investigating ways to close the achievement gap between Indian and white students. Indian Education for All requires that all public school students _ not just American Indians _ be taught about the cultural heritage of the state's Indian tribes. "No Child Left Behind is a worthy concept," Jetty said. "In Montana, who's consistently left behind? Indian students." He quoted another Indian educator, saying, "In regards to Indian education, there's been much thunder, little rain." -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Department of English Affiliate faculty: Department of Linguistics and the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Program American Indian Language Development Institute Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 17 18:40:25 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:40:25 -0700 Subject: Indigenous People Demand More Over Medicinal Plants (fwd) Message-ID: [APRIL 16, 2006] INDIGENOUS PEOPLE DEMAND MORE OVER MEDICINAL PLANTS http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/04/16/1576183.htm (The Monitor (Uganda) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Indigenous peoples and peasant farmers who have helped develop the world's plant genetic resources through their traditional knowledge say negotiations aimed at the commercial exploitation of plants must involve them from the very start. But their demands have turned into a long-running dispute over sovereignty, national boundaries and ownership of knowledge. As the Curitiba meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) drew to a close in Curitiba recently, the men and women who nurture the world's biodiversity struggled to make their voices heard. Although the Convention itself was supportive of traditional knowledge and so-called benefit sharing, many government delegations did not include members of indigenous populations. And those indigenous peoples who were able to make it to Curitiba want to maintain an independent voice that recognises their special position. "There is a proposal to include indigenous people as part of country delegations. But there is a problem: in the Philippines there are 110 indigenous peoples groups but the government would only allow one or two onto the delegation," said Victorino Saway, a representative of the Panagtagbo people who live on Mindanao Island. He added: "When you are part of a delegation, you speak their language. You will be controlled - your language will be controlled." At the CBD negotiations, the issue was termed Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), but the official title masked potentially difficult aspects relating to economics, politics and culture. Indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers, through their traditional knowledge, innovation and practices have over centuries developed and nurtured plant species for agricultural and medicinal use, contributing not only to 'development' but also to cultural and biological diversity. But now companies are developing medicines and crops that take advantage of these plant genetic resources. Keen to protect their financial interests - and recoup the investment made into research and development - companies usually protect their products with patents. This means that from time to time, a new product comes on the market and reaps massive profits for the company. Indigenous people and some developing countries with high levels of biodiversity are now demanding ownership over what they claim are their genetic resources. And they want to be part of negotiations about how these resources are used, by whom, and on what terms. A central issue is the concept of Prior Informed Consent (PIC) - an approach supported by the CBD. "The prior informed consent of knowledge-holders must be attained before their knowledge can be used by others," the CBD says. Saway agrees: "If prior informed consent is ignored, there will be no basis for negotiations. It provides a basis for saying yes or no to access." Perhaps the most contentious issue surrounding ABS is that of national sovereignty. As with other international agreements signed by governments on behalf of their peoples, national sovereignty forms the very basis of the CBD. So when an indigenous group claims knowledge of a plant, or demands to be involved in negotiations, their government can say that the knowledge belongs to the country as a whole, and will therefore be negotiated by the national government. Sylvester Rogers from Senegal, who works for the Community Biodiversity Development Conservation Network, told the meeting: "We believe that recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous and local communities with regard to agro-biodiversity and their traditional knowledge is non-negotiable and integral to any strategies and efforts towards the sustainable management and use of biodiversity." Without that recognition and protection, he said, the utilisation of biodiversity will be nothing more than economic and commercial transactions, reducing indigenous people and local communities to "mere vendors of biological resources without respect to deeply held spiritual, cultural and socio-economic connections to the earth and biodiversity." Indigenous people have a powerful backer in Tewolde Egziabher, an Ethiopian environmentalist and scientist who heads the African Group at CBD negotiations. He supports an international regime which includes PIC and certificates of origin of knowledge. Such a regime, some campaigners say, would not only lead to fair and equitable sharing of the world's biological wealth, but also result in fewer patent disputes, some of which have grabbed headlines in recent years. One such case involved the Hoodia plant, which pitted the San population of southern Africa - supported by a coalition of NGOs - against western and other pharmaceutical firms. The Hoodia is a succulent plant - found in the Kalahari Desert - that can suppress appetite, and could potentially be used as an anti-obesity drug. The plant's active ingredient was patented by a South African research institute in the late 1990s. It gave a license to a British company, which in turn sold additional development and marketing licenses to Pfizer, the multinational drug company, and the food giant Unilever. After a protracted dispute, a deal was struck with the South African research institute in 2003 whereby the San people of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Angola would receive a percentage of the royalties from the sales of any future drugs produced from their knowledge of the Hoodia plant. The San based their claims on a CBD provision, which says should get a share of benefits resulting from the commercial use of local genetic resources and traditional knowledge. But there are countless examples where indigenous populations have lost out, as Ujalla Masdik, an Indian campaigner, reminded the conference. She referred to a case involving an energy-giving plant used by Kani tribal people in the southern Indian state of Kerala. "Discovered" accidentally by members of an Indian scientific expedition in the early 1990s, the plant, known by the Kani as arogyapacha, was tested by a local research institute. The institute then obtained a license from the Kerala Drug Control Department to produce and market a tonic based on the plant. It was named Jeevani (derived from the Sanskrit word meaning 'life'). The product was patented in 1996, following which the research institute transferred the production license to a local drug manufacturer. Although the Kani Trust received half the license fee and royalty, they were not involved in the negotiations. "Some countries have made local or national laws about indigenous people, but others don't recognise them, or say 'we are all indigenous people'," said Saway of the Philippines. Saway and his colleagues, working in the Mount Kitanglad region of the Philippines, have drawn up an inventory of plants based on their traditional knowledge, which the community "claims as our own". As a precaution, the inventory has been written in the community's language and the plants' uses have not been explained. "We also have our cultural guards who will apprehend anyone taking our customary rights without our consent," he added. The biotechnology industry, the usual target of attacks by NGOs and activists working on biodiversity issues, backs an access and benefit sharing system that is workable and provides value for use of genetic resources. Alwin Kopse, a spokesman for the biotech corporation, Syngenta, said he supported national regimes that were "practical and transparent". Certificates of origin, he said, might be easier to obtain for products derived directly from plants, rather than those that were indirectly derived. Another problem with issuing certificates of origin, Kopse said, was that certain genetic resources are shared across different countries or indigenous peoples. "What we want is a workable benefits access regime" - one that is not loaded with technocratic stamps, which, he argued "may turn out to be costly". He accepted that the industry should now be prepared to pay for access to genetic resources but said Syngenta prefers to offer "other benefits" rather than hard cash. If the CBD protocol on access and benefit sharing is to work, Kopse pointed out, it would be important to define the nature of benefits and who should receive them - a complex set of issues in his view. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 17 18:45:40 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:45:40 -0700 Subject: IPods, iBook laptops help students learn critical languages (fwd) Message-ID: IPODS, IBOOK LAPTOPS HELP STUDENTS LEARN CRITICAL LANGUAGES BY CINDY WEISS - APRIL 17, 2006 http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2006/060417/06041711.htm Michael Crutchfield, a senior majoring in political science and sociology, decided this year to add Mandarin Chinese to his course load so he can teach English in China after graduation. His tools include a textbook, web-based resources, and an iPod. Maxwell Gigle, a sophomore majoring in political science and international relations, uses a podcast and a computer learning program as part of his study of the Arabic language. Photo by Jordan Bender When you’re trying to learn a language, “you need as many resources as you can get,” says Crutchfield. “The iPod makes it easier.” Starting this semester, students studying Chinese and Arabic have been issued iPods – those ubiquitous portable players – to allow them more frequent exposure to the language they are trying to learn. The iPods are loaded with language files that reinforce and expand what the students learn in weekly instruction with a native-speaking conversation partner. “It frees them up physically to listen more often,” says Barbara Lindsey, director of the Multimedia Language Center in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. Arabic and Chinese are considered “level 4” languages: they take a native English speaker three to four times longer to learn than, say, French or Spanish. Besides listening, the students use iTalk, an iPod plug-in voice recorder. They record conversations with other Arabic or Chinese language students at Tufts or the University of Pittsburgh – schools that have language learning partnerships with UConn – and later with native speakers around UConn. “We want them to realize that Arabic is spoken in many parts of the world, including the United States,” says Lindsey. The students’ self-instruction is bolstered by resources that include two Apple computer labs in the Arjona Building, wireless iBook laptops, digital cameras, web-based language programs, and iChat instant messaging. They must also record and publish their own podcast – an Internet-based digital broadcast – to demonstrate their language proficiency. The goal is to get up to speed quickly in languages that traditionally have not been part of a college curriculum. The technological trappings have been made possible by a $475,000 grant from DARPA, the research and development arm of the Department of Defense, which is trying to promote learning the languages of areas where the U.S. has strategic interests. Maxwell Gigle, a sophomore majoring in political science and international relations, is in his second semester of Arabic. DVDs and a laptop computer issued during the course allow him to see the facial expressions of Arabic-speakers and to pick up their hand movements, which are part of the Arabic communication culture, he says. The iPod provides audio practice, allowing him to focus on distinctions in pronunciation. “In Arabic, the emphasis is on where in the throat you pronounce the words,” he says. Manuela Wagner, director of the Critical Languages Program, says “critical languages” are those that have not been taught as full-blown, academic programs in which a student can major. Students currently can take Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, or Russian, but instruction is available only for four semesters. Contact hours with a teacher – called a conversation partner – are limited, so self-instruction is essential. When at least four students request a particular language, it can be added to the program, says Wagner. In the past, the choices have included French Creole, Gaelic, Vietnamese, and Wolof, an African language. So far, the semester-long loans of iPods and laptops are only for students of Arabic and Chinese, the DARPA-promoted languages. More traditional language courses such as Spanish are using podcasts, which can be accessed via computer or downloaded to an MP3 player or an iPod. The use of technology in critical languages may be increasing class retention rates, says Lindsey. Arabic and Chinese are often dropped after the first semester, but this year, 12 students out of 15 who began Arabic in the fall continued for the second semester. Those who did not continue had scheduling conflicts or illness. Before the new technology was introduced in the critical languages program, the curriculum was revised, with input from student surveys and interviews with instructors and outside examiners. The high-tech approach that resulted will allow instructors to hear students’ progress with the language more easily and remediate problems during the semester, Lindsey says. “Our main focus was to make students autonomous,” she adds, “but also lifelong learners.” -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 19356 bytes Desc: not available URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 05:29:19 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 22:29:19 -0700 Subject: SILS Message-ID: Education 13th Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium 05/18 - 05/21 BUFFALO NY 2006 SILS Conference Theme "And Together Our Minds Are One" To be held at Buffalo State College State University of New York 1300 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, New York USA May 18-21, 2006 Hosted by BSC School of Education Co-Sponsored by the Seneca Nation of Indians Call for Presentations "And Together Our Minds Are One" 13th Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium Buffalo State College, Buffalo, New York USA The Planning Committee for the 13th Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium invites interested individuals and groups to present their work in Buffalo, New York, on May 18-21, 2006. Preference will be given to presentations that describe innovative, holistic approaches to the revitalization, stabilization and maintenance of indigenous languages. Presentations can take the following format: -20-minute talk (+ 10 min. Q&A) -30-minute AV/multimedia presentation - 1 1/2 hour workshop - Panelist in a choice of topics. Suggested topics for talks, workshops and panels include: - Language and Culture Programs - Language Immersion Programs - Revitalizing Languages without Speakers - Repatriation of Language Recordings - Community Language Initiatives - Using Technology to Facilitate Language Instruction - Research in Indigenous Language Revitalization - Other: (please feel free to suggest a topic) To submit a presentation, please fill out the PRESENTATION APPLICATION (word). Submit the PRESENTATION APPLICATION with your SILS 2006 REGISTRATION FORM and payment by March 30, 2006, to: SILS 2006 Planning Committee Attention: Dr. Lori Quigley Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Avenue, BAC 302 Buffalo, New York 14222 USA Email: quiglelv at buffalostate.edu FAX: 716-878-6033 (If you wish to do more than one presentation, please fill out a separate sheet for each.) 2006 SILS Contact Information: SILS 2006 Planning Committee Attention: Dr. Lori Quigley, Conference Chair Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Avenue, BAC 302 Buffalo, New York 14222 USA quiglelv @ buffalostate.edu (take out spaces) 716-878-5622 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 06:17:11 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 23:17:11 -0700 Subject: AB 2665 Hearings Message-ID: Hearings for AB 2665 The California American Indian Education Commission have been changed to next week 4/26/06. See the Bill @: http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/bills/AB_2665/ To submit information please contact: California State Assembly Committee on Education (916) 319-2087 1020 N Street Room 159 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax # (916) 319-2187 The consultant to contact about AB 2665 is Misty Padilla: misty.padilla at asm.ca.gov To comment electronically go to: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/ acsframeset2text.htm Type in Bill Number 2665 and it will walk you through the process. Committee Members: Jackie Goldberg, Chair (916) 319-2045 Assemblymember.Goldberg at assembly.ca.gov Mark Wyland, Vice Chair (916) 319-2074 Assemblymember.Wyland at assembly.ca.gov Juan Arambula Dem-31 (916) 319-2031 Joe Coto (916) 319-2023 assemblymember.coto at assembly.ca.gov Loni Hancock (916) 319-2014 Assemblymember.hancock at assembly.ca.gov Bob Huff Phone: (916) 319-2060 assemblymember.huff at assembly.ca.gov Carol Liu (916) 319-2044 assemblymember.liu at assembly.ca.gov Gene Mullin (916) 319-2019 Assemblymember.mullin at assembly.ca.gov Fran Pavley (916) 319-2041 Assemblymember.Pavley at assembly.ca.gov Keith Richman (916) 319-2038 Assemblymember.Richman at assembly.ca.gov Tom Umberg (916) 319-2069 My response: Here is my own personal response to the Goldberg (California AB 2665) Indian Education Commission Bill. The Bill can be found @: http:// www.aroundthecapitol.com/bills/AB_2665/ I encourage you to look at this Bill carefully. All in all it is a good initial concept, but I think it is being submitted far too early and with out enough clarity to ensure adequate controls, community discussion or steady funding for long-term stability. I am concerned how much power it puts into an independent agency. I am not implying that Natives do not have the capability to administer programs in our own best interests; in fact I am a staunch supporter of Tribal Sovereignty. This Bill puts Indian Education in California in the hands of 13 individuals with unknown personal and political agendas. The way the Commission is proposed leaves several issues unanswered for me: • Why do we need the state to authorize and fund what is basically a Private Foundation or non-profit corporation to go out and seek funds? What other Foundation is authorized and financed by the State? If Natives in California need a foundation then they should form one (with a fair contribution coming from CNIGA). • Why should the California Department of Education (CDE) and other appropriate agencies not maintain administrative oversight of programs supported by the Tax Payer? • This Bill makes no clear provision for representing the Urban Native population. There are five representatives to the Commission appointed by Tribes and one each representing an accredited Tribal College (of which there are none now), CSU, UC, Community Colleges, CDE AIEC, BIA, and Title VII. This could well serve to disenfranchise the majority of Natives who come from tribes outside of California. The Bill cites the statistic that California has the largest population of American Indians in the Nation, many of them are here as a result of reallocation policies of the Federal Government. • The Bill does not even mention the large number of non-federally recognized Natives in California. • If an “Advisory Council on Indian Education was established within the CDE for the purpose of providing educational recommendations, but is no longer functioning” why do we not just revive it? That would be much simpler, less costly and wouldn’t even need an assembly bill. • The Bill states, “American Indian pupils deserve additional and appropriate support to meet the challenges of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.) in a manner consistent with tribal traditions, languages, and cultures.” I agree, but it is the Feds that implemented and under funded NCLB. How is a California Commission going to impact this? And what will be the purpose when NCLB is gone in a few years? • The bill enables the Commission to “Formalize the government-to- government relationship between the state and California's tribes and expand the relationships with any entities that serve American Indian pupils.” I believe this should be left to the Tribal governments not a Commission. This will be a detriment to true government-to- government relationships by putting in place an intermediary body between the Governor’s Office and the duly elected Tribal Council. 13 Commissioners cannot, nor should not, try to represent the 109 Federally recognized tribes in California. • One of the Commission members is “A representative of the department, whose background includes vocational and early childhood education and who is appointed by the Superintendent.” Why just those specific areas? Why not Higher Education, American Indian Education, Evaluation Design, Curriculum Development or any of the other fields that are also critical for Native student success. • The Bill mentions Public Hearings but has held none so far in regard to the creation of this Commission. It has not been done in consultation with Tribes, or Native Organizations as far as I am aware. What is the rush? Take it to the people for input to make sure this is the best approach available. • The Bill discusses the importance of Tribal Languages, but has no specifics about approaches, funding sources or curriculum to support languages. There are no linguists that are associated with advising the board. As there are over 100 Native languages spoken in California this could be an issue that consumes many resources. I agree with many of the tenets outlined within the Bill. I just do not see how a Commission is the most efficient way of accomplishing that. The Commission, as proposed, is too vaguely defined and given far too broad of authority to oversee what it sounds like can be just about anything they choose to define as being related to Indian Education. We do not need another state boondoggle*, we need to effectively use the resources currently available and hold the state and federal government accountable to their treaty, trust and moral obligations to Native Americans. The money that would be used in creating, staffing and operating this Commission could be best put into funding existing programs and services to make a more direct, immediate, impact on Native students. Another bureaucratic and potentially overt political body is not the panacea for the educational issues in the Native Community. I welcome your replies or comments. André P. Cramblit andre.p.cramblit.86 at alum.dartmouth.org * From The Oxford English Dictionary: boondoggle : noun 1) work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value : writing off the cold fusion phenomenon as a boondoggle best buried in literature. 2) a public project of questionable merit that typically involves political patronage and graft: they each drew $600,000 in the final months of the great boondoggle. verb [ intrans. ] waste money or time on such projects. ORIGIN 1930s: of unknown origin. From ehp.spec at KAWERAK.ORG Tue Apr 18 16:49:01 2006 From: ehp.spec at KAWERAK.ORG (Igluguq Dianne Okleasik) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:49:01 -0800 Subject: Nanwalek request to the KPBSD schhol board Message-ID: >This is a presentation to the school district by Sally Ash, founder of >their immersion school. It echoes many of the same sentiments that we as >Native people feel. ~Igluguq >Cama’i, ggui kuku. My name is Sally Ash. I’m a tribal member of >Nanwalek. As you can see there are a bunch of us that have come with >me. There would have been more of us but it’s too expensive to come >here just to attend a short meeting. Our chief is here. James Kvasnikoff > I’m sorry to say but we are here because we have something serious to > discuss. We read about the struggle the Russian villages are having in > the newspaper. I’m here to tell you we have the same problem. Our > native language is Sugt’stun. Sugt’stun is my first language. Our > school was built the same year I was born. I went to it as a child and I > taught in it as a bilingual teacher. They call it OUR school… but our > language and culture has never had a decent place in it for all these > years. When it first opened our kids mouths were washed out with soap if > they spoke Sugt’stun… we had a few token years of bilingual education > and now that’s pushed aside by this Leave No Child Behind program. We > are the first Alaskans. We are the indigenous people prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" > />Kenai Peninsula. Our forefathers > didn’t come from another country….There is no homeland to go back to > if we want to teach our children in our language, to celebrate our > events, eat our foods, to be taught by one of our own. Kenai Peninsula > is the Supiaq homeland. We are the last band of survivors of the Supiaq > people. We consider it an insult that we have no say about how our > village school is run. I don’t even think I should have to be here. We > do not meddle in your schools in Soldotna. Since 1971 we have managed > our land thanks to ANCSA. We manage our tribal government thanks to the > Indian Reorganization Act. Its crazy that we have nothing to say about > what is taught in our school, who teaches it or how the money is spent. > But we are peaceful people and we want our children to succeed. WE need > a balanced program Sugt’stun, English and Math. To get that balance > this is what needs to change. > § One quarter of the school day needs to be devoted to our > language and culture. > >§ WE want it to count for credit towards graduation. > >§ We want our teacher to be paid a certified wage and he will >need aides the same as the other teachers. > >§ We want it to start next fall. > >§ We want it legitimate, > >§ We do not want to have this fight every year. > >§ Its not filler, its not related to test scores, or what the >principal wants, or the latest education plan, or the budget. > >§ And we should not have to beg for this program. > > The way things are now… any school time devoted to our language and > culture is treated as if it is some big favor. > WE do not come as empty handed beggars. We have a program. Anyone that > has observed it comes away truly impressed. It’s a quality > program. If it needs the KPBSD stamp of approval… then get it > done. It should not matter, but we are fortunate to have a certified > teacher to teach it. He has a masters degree in education with a Native > Language endorsement. He could be teaching at the University > level. It’s a joke that he is not good enough in your eyes to be > teaching in our elementary and HS as a paid certified teacher. He is > from our village and we want him to stay here. The KPBSD educational > system played a very large part in destroying our language. How does the > saying go?… you broke it, you own it, you fix it. Sugt’stun is dying > although it seems like its not dying fast enough for some people. The > very least that can be done is to allow us to try to save what’s > left. It would be a sin to not allow us to do this. You, as individuals > not the school district, are not responsible for the past crimes but you > are for the one that is occurring right now. > What we don’t want to hear is… “Ok you guys have some good points > now what you need to do is this, this and this, and then check back with > us.” For example… the Russians are being told they need a certified > teacher. What if they get one? Then will they have to do something else > that will take a couple of years? No. We have done a lot. Now its time > for the KPBSD to do some of the heavy lifting. We need somebody in the > KPSDB office that will get the job done. If there is a barrier that > exists then we need someone to break down the barriers. If money is > short then we need letters of support on KPBSD letterhead in order to > apply for language grants. The fact that you may not have money now is > your fault because your staff refused to do this in the past. I am not > sure why that is the case? Your staff needs to do some soul > searching. Maybe they have instructions to be difficult. Maybe they > laugh at us, maybe some of you laugh at us. No more giving us > assignments like we are little school kids, no more working for free > unless the rest of the teachers do, we are not going to have our program > after school. Equal means equal. > The other villages will have to speak for themselves but I think they > have received the same treatment. If you represent us then you should > know how we feel without me telling you. The KPBSD employees working in > our school should have passed our concerns on to their bosses. But > whatever the case, you know now. You the school board have the power to > do something or do nothing. It may not sound like it but we are trying > to be nice. WE are trying to resolve this without hurting our kids, > without a big fight but you need to produce. I also want to say that we > are not here only because we are offended by our treatment in the past > but because we really do feel we have something good. Our kids will be > better for this education. > In closing I would like to thank all of you for your consideration and > time. If I have offended anyone here please forgive me but you are > looking at someone that has experienced many years of frustration with > this subject. Quyana -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 17:09:48 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:09:48 -0700 Subject: Nanwalek request to the KPBSD schhol board In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20060418083628.02763ef8@mail.kawerak.org> Message-ID: This looks great but the formating is wacked, can you send me a text file On Apr 18, 2006, at 9:49 AM, Igluguq Dianne Okleasik wrote: One quarter of the school day needs to be devoted to our language and culture. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 18:05:10 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 11:05:10 -0700 Subject: Nanwalek In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20060418091259.02760ff0@mail.kawerak.org> Message-ID: Contact the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District to support Tribal efforts to have their language and culture integrated into the district. Donna Peterson District Superintendent E-mail: dpeterson at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Debra Mullins, President 53630 Redoubt Dr. E-mail: dmullins at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Bill Hatch , Member E-mail: bhatch at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sammy Crawford, Vice President E-mail: scrawford at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Nels Anderson, Member E-mail: nanderson at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sandra Wassilie, Clerk E-mail: swassilie at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sunni Hilts, Member E-mail: ehilts at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Marty Anderson, Member E-mail: manderson at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Debbie Brown, Member E-mail: dhollebrown at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Liz Downing, Member E-mail: ldowning at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sally Tachick Administrative Secretary Email: stachick at kpbsd.k12.ak.us On Apr 18, 2006, at 10:19 AM, Igluguq Dianne Okleasik wrote: Camaâi, ggui kuku. My name is Sally Ash. I'm a tribal member of Nanwalek. As you can see there are a bunch of us that have come with me. There would have been more of us but it is too expensive to come here just to attend a short meeting. Our chief is here. James Kvasnikoff I'm sorry to say but we are here because we have something serious to discuss. We read about the struggle the Russian villages are having in the newspaper. Im here to tell you we have the same problem. Our native language is Sugtâstun. Sugtâstun is my first language. Our school was built the same year I was born. I went to it as a child and I taught in it as a bilingual teacher. They call it OUR school but our language and culture has never had a decent place in it for all these years. When it first opened our kids mouths were washed out with soap if they spoke Sugtâstun we had a few token years of bilingual education and now thats pushed aside by this Leave No Child Behind program. We are the first Alaskans. We are the indigenous people Kenai Peninsula. Our forefathers didnt come from another country.There is no homeland to go back to if we want to teach our children in our language, to celebrate our events, eat our foods, to be taught by one of our own. Kenai Peninsula is the Supiaq homeland. We are the last band of survivors of the Supiaq people. We consider it an insult that we have no say about how our village school is run. I dont even think I should have to be here. We do not meddle in your schools in Soldotna. Since 1971 we have managed our land thanks to ANCSA. We manage our tribal government thanks to the Indian Reorganization Act. Its crazy that we have nothing to say about what is taught in our school, who teaches it or how the money is spent. But we are peaceful people and we want our children to succeed. WE need a balanced program Sugtâstun , English and Math. To get that balance this is what needs to change. - One quarter of the school day needs to be devoted to our language and culture. - WE want it to count for credit towards graduation. - We want our teacher to be paid a certified wage and he will need aides the same as the other teachers. - We want it to start next fall. - We want it legitimate, - We do not want to have this fight every year. - Its not filler, its not related to test scores, or what the principal wants, or the latest education plan, or the budget. - And we should not have to beg for this program. The way things are now, any school time devoted to our language and culture is treated as if it is some big favor. WE do not come as empty handed beggars. We have a program. Anyone that has observed it comes away truly impressed. Its a quality program. If it needs the KPBSD stamp of approval then get it done. It should not matter, but we are fortunate to have a certified teacher to teach it. He has a masters degree in education with a Native Language endorsement. He could be teaching at the University level. Its a joke that he is not good enough in your eyes to be teaching in our elementary and HS as a paid certified teacher. He is from our village and we want him to stay here. The KPBSD educational system played a very large part in destroying our language. How does the saying go? If you broke it, you own it, you fix it. Sugtâstun is dying although it seems like its not dying fast enough for some people. The very least that can be done is to allow us to try to save what is left. It would be a sin to not allow us to do this. You, as individuals not the school district, are not responsible for the past crimes but you are for the one that is occurring right now. What we don't want to hear is: Ok you guys have some good points now what you need to do is this, this and this, and then check back with us. For example: the Russians are being told they need a certified teacher. What if they get one? Then will they have to do something else that will take a couple of years? No. We have done a lot. Now its time for the KPBSD to do some of the heavy lifting. We need somebody in the KPSDB office that will get the job done. If there is a barrier that exists then we need someone to break down the barriers. If money is short then we need letters of support on KPBSD letterhead in order to apply for language grants. The fact that you may not have money now is your fault because your staff refused to do this in the past. I am not sure why that is the case? Your staff needs to do some soul searching. Maybe they have instructions to be difficult. Maybe they laugh at us, maybe some of you laugh at us. No more giving us assignments like we are little school kids, no more working for free unless the rest of the teachers do, we are not going to have our program after school. Equal means equal. The other villages will have to speak for themselves but I think they have received the same treatment. If you represent us then you should know how we feel without me telling you. The KPBSD employees working in our school should have passed our concerns on to their bosses. But whatever the case, you know now. You the school board have the power to do something or do nothing. It may not sound like it but we are trying to be nice. WE are trying to resolve this without hurting our kids, without a big fight but you need to produce. I also want to say that we are not here only because we are offended by our treatment in the past but because we really do feel we have something good. Our kids will be better for this education. In closing I would like to thank all of you for your consideration and time. If I have offended anyone here please forgive me but you are looking at someone that has experienced many years of frustration with this subject. Quyana This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm Igluguq Dianne Okleasik Eskimo Heritage Program Specialist KAWERAK INC. ** Ph.: (907)-443-4387 PO Box 948 ** Fax: (907)-443-4445 Nome, AK 99762 ** Email: ehp.spec at kawerak.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Wed Apr 19 18:11:47 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 11:11:47 -0700 Subject: Breath Of Life Message-ID: Breath of Life Workshop for California Indian Languages June 4-10, 2006 Hosted by The Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival and The Survey of California and Other Indian Languages Department of Linguistics University of California at Berkeley on-line application form at The "Breath of Life - Silent no more" California Indian Language Restoration Workshop will be held this year on June 4-10, at the University of California at Berkeley. The participants are all California Indians whose languages have no speakers (or in some cases, just one or two very elderly speakers). The goal will be for the participants to access, understand, and do research on materials on their languages, and to use them for language revitalization. The participants will create language projects based on those materials that they will report on publicly at the end of the week. The aims of the Breath of Life workshop are: (a) to guide participants to the university resources available for their use; (b) to help the participants identify and locate the published and unpublished notes and audio recordings made by linguists and anthropologists on their languages; (c) for participants to learn the fundamentals of linguistic analysis, including how to read linguists' phonetic writing; (d) for participants to learn ways they can use linguistic materials and publications to create materials for language restoration. We can only take up to 50 participants, hopefully about half returning and half new. If you would like to apply to come to this workshop, please fill out the application form. Applications sent in after May 15 will not be considered. We will let you know in May if your application can be accepted. We hope to see you at Breath of Life! Leanne Hinton and L. Frank Manriquez, organizers Questions? Email us at or call Leanne at (510) 643-7621 or L. Frank at (707) 578-0307. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Thu Apr 20 07:11:34 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:11:34 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Language Is Life© André P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe  I recently attended the Language Is Life Conference LILC) at the Marin Headlands Institute. This was the 7th biannual symposium sponsored by the Advocates for Indigenous Language Survival (www.aicls.org). The Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival is an organization devoted to implementing and supporting the revitalization of indigenous California languages. Its mission is to assist California Indians in language maintenance and renewal. Members of Native Language Programs from throughout California (and one group from Vancouver BC) came to the LILC to learn about innovative renewal projects, share strategies for success, difficulties encountered, and gather with other American Indians who feel that language revitalization is the foundation of our cultural survival. Representatives from about 30 Tribal and community groups gathered to learn from one another. Many sessions were held to help explain what different people are doing in their own areas. One session I attended that particularly intrigued me was on a new gizmo called the Phrasealator® (www.ndnlanguage.com). These devices show a lot or promise for helping Tribes document and learn languages. It was initially developed for field use in enemy territory for the military. It has been adapted to record Elders saying phrases in their Tribal languages to be used on a portable device for individuals to access as needed. Some Tribes showed videos they have developed where youngsters have merged their skill with technology and traditional story telling techniques. Others acted out plays of situational conversations they have learned. Many talked about the importance of the Master- Apprentice program and how it has positively impacted the growth of language learning through one on one exposure. Sometimes the old technology is still the best. I did a presentation with the Karuk Language Programs that discussed our latest efforts at bringing language to the people. After recently completing a major revision of our Dictionary (http:// corpus.linguistics.berkeley.edu/~karuk/karuk-lexicon.html) the members of the Karuk language Restoration Committee (KLRC) searched for a way to make our curriculum and teaching approaches available to more Karuk people. At nearly 4000 members the Karuk Tribe is the second largest tribe in California, but many of our people live far away from our aboriginal territory. With a recently funded three year grant from the Administration for Native Americans the KLRC is embarking on a novel Distance Learning program. We are looking to combine Internet, video, and other hi-tech tools to assist us in teaching the language to more members. The LILC was great weekend full of laughter, learning and positive energy. The comments I heard mainly were that it was a rejuvenating shot in the arm to reenergize people as they went home to work on the daunting task of bringing back the language. I heard a quote once and cannot recall the author but the gist of it was: “if you no longer speak your language you are not a member of your tribe but rather a descendent of the people.” The LILC is one of the valuable tools in helping us maintain that link to our past and keep us all members. André Cramblit (andrekar at ncidc.org) is an enrolled member of the Karuk Tribe of California and is also of Tohono O'odham blood. His family are traditional dance owners and come from the center of the Karuk World at Katimíin. He is at present the Operations Director of the Northern California Indian Development Council (www.ncidc.org), a non-profit that meets the community development needs of American Indians throughout California. He is a founding member of the Karuk Language Restoration Committee and currently serves as Chairman. He lives with his wife Wendy and children Kyle and Leah in Northern California and dreams of winning the lottery so he can work on language restoration full time. http://www.ncidc.org/karuk/index.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image005.png Type: image/png Size: 1351 bytes Desc: not available URL: From iackerman at ROSETTASTONE.COM Thu Apr 20 15:27:43 2006 From: iackerman at ROSETTASTONE.COM (Ilse Ackerman) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 11:27:43 -0400 Subject: Mohawk software release Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Apr 20 20:12:33 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 13:12:33 -0700 Subject: Native language survives, and thrives, at Ridpath P.S. (fwd) Message-ID: Native language survives, and thrives, at Ridpath P.S. Lauren Gilchrist 04/19/06 05:00:00 http://www.mykawartha.com/ka/news/peterborough/story/3450655p-3988255c.html For Merritt Taylor, teaching the Native as a Second Language program at Ridpath Public School involves more than having his students recite verbs and nouns. A typical student in his class learns Anishinaabemwin, which means not only learning how to speak Ojibwe but also learning the songs, stories, culture, history and ceremonies. "You can't separate them," explains Mr. Taylor. "The language is the glue that holds them together. That's why it's so important we do it -- so that the language carries on. A lot of the language has disappeared. When we were going to school, we weren't allowed to speak the language, so it died off." Mr. Taylor is from Curve Lake and is part of the Otter Clan. Across Canada, there are 11 aboriginal language families, 53 languages and more than 200 dialects. "Out of all these languages, probably only three will survive," Mr. Taylor estimates. Ojibwe is one of the surviving languages. Mr. Taylor teaches Ojibwe, or Anishinaabemwin, not only at Ridpath Public School but also at Lakefield Intermediate and Lakefield High School. According to Bev Moore, superintendent of teaching and learning for the local public school board, there are only three elementary schools in the entire board that offer the Native as a Second Language (NSL) program. Ridpath is unique because it offers three languages -- French immersion, NSL and English. Students can begin taking NSL in Grade 1. Steve Girardi, principal of both Ridpath and Young's Point schools, says the NSL program teaches the students understanding, acceptance and the value of other cultures. The NSL program began at Ridpath in the late 1980s. Mr. Taylor says although most of his students are from Curve Lake, many are not. "My classes are getting bigger," notes Mr. Taylor. Grade 2 students Ryerson Whetung and Gabby Hoggarth enjoy Mr. Taylor's class. "I like learning the animal words," says Gabby. Ryerson says he now goes home and teaches his parents new words. Mr. Taylor says one of the differences between learning Anishinaabewmin and learning English is that the Anishinaabewmin language is 80 per cent verbs. "In our world view, everything is moving and changing all the time, it's not just there," he explains. Although his students may never speak the language fluently, Mr. Taylor says they will gain a greater appreciation for the culture. "The most important part to me is knowing I'm doing a little bit to make sure this language continues," he says. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Apr 20 20:16:53 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 13:16:53 -0700 Subject: Mohawk software release In-Reply-To: <4447A86F.2050401@rosettastone.com> Message-ID: That is exciting!  Thanks Ilse, Phil Quoting Ilse Ackerman : > > Hi all, > > Excuse the press release hype below, but I _am _excited about announcing the > release of Mohawk language-learning software! 'Thought you'd want to > know. It > will be available from Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa in > Kahnawake. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET Fri Apr 21 00:31:04 2006 From: pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 17:31:04 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of the same posted to ILAT. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > Language Is Life© > > André P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Apr 21 00:35:09 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 17:35:09 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <4F97BA50-7479-4E55-BDBE-134A4B9D3354@dakotacom.net> Message-ID: Darn there I go making people feel good. lol thanks On Apr 20, 2006, at 5:31 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of the same posted to ILAT. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > Language Is Life© > > André P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 14:33:01 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 08:33:01 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <11CB9BB3-9883-40E7-B8CB-02397F9853F2@ncidc.org> Message-ID: People don’t seem to realize that when you teach something, it really, really, really needs to relate to Something. I watch people try to teach mathematics in abstraction . . . as if the abstractions were born independent of the hundreds of years of stories and references that provided the objects-to-think-with. Of course it fails :-) It’s not funny that it fails, just that people who have gone through years of education to be teachers have somehow missed the fact that our “knowledge” relates to our worlds. Yes, multiple worlds. Gary Witherspoon writes wonderfully on this, not the topic of mathematics exactly, but on the topic of how information and knowledge makes sense within the culture where it is happening (like Diné and mathematics, for example) but not from the culture from which it is being observed. I wonder where he is now (he was at Rough Rock for a long time). Once upon a time, I asked if people had mathematical terms in their dictionaries. I got some responses, but it turns out that there is not much recorded. However, I have figured out how to go back into the culture and construct Indigenous mathematics. There is a tremendous amount of it, you know. There is math and science in sculpture, in sand paintings, in pottery, in art, in story, in home building and food preparation. There is math and science in calendricality, in architecture, in road building, in sailing, in astronomy, in dance . . . it’s all over. This is my dissertation :-) It’s working. :-) The important and interesting thing to my mind is to see how it looks in the culture, not to grab out a few pieces and say, See, Indigenous people have {this/these} concept(s) too. That destroys the picture of Indigenous math, and implies (again, and aren’t we tired of this yet [Oh dear I’ll never get a job with that kind of an attitude :-)]) that Western Mathematics is the ONLY Mathematics. Not. The Arab world and the Chinese worlds had zero, infinity, and probably even calculus long before western europe. Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 6:35 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Darn there I go making people feel good. lol thanks On Apr 20, 2006, at 5:31 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of the same posted to ILAT. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: Language Is Life© André P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rzs at TDS.NET Fri Apr 21 16:17:55 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:17:55 -0500 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Mia, thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with because even though the class sizes are way TOO big they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. When i asked the 2nd graders "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without help: "tëndi emë'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahshë' ashehk" (200 and 60 and 3) these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! richard Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 16:24:09 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:24:09 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <20060421161755.HJRH12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! I guess this is another "good news" item. You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you have done you would like to share . . . :-)? Best always, Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Mia, thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with because even though the class sizes are way TOO big they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. When i asked the 2nd graders "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without help: "tëndi emë'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahshë' ashehk" (200 and 60 and 3) these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! richard Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Fri Apr 21 17:16:04 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:16:04 -0400 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: A couple of basic math notions are built into sound symbolism at the segmental level. For instance graves tend to represent wider, acutes narrower things or processes. Within the graves diffuse labials tend to represent 3D ideas, but compact velars (or uvulars depending on system) 2D (from 3D). Within acutes the diffuse dental/alveolar sets tend to represent creation of 0D (from 1D), while compact palatals (etc.) a more 1D (from 2D) situation. No dimensionality is 'pure'-each feeds off into the others. Consonantal manner also seems to have geometric/topological significance often- in Salishan the fricatives represent local 2D surface to surface contact with motion (Gladys Reichard first noticed this in Coeur d'Alene almost 80 years ago). And part of the work on Vantage Theory done by the late Robert MacLaury involved similar ideas in one of the Mesoamerican languages he was working on. It has been widely recognized that reduplication also deals with numericity in a gross fashion- and it is interesting that it tends to interact very strongly with sound symbolic processes, especially augmentative/diminutive ones. So not just dimensionality but multiplicity and scale seem to be associated together strongly at this level. In some Chinook dialects augmentative/diminutive shifting operates along several different phonological dimensions- and its unlikely that each pair gives exactly the 'same' reading. But extinction means we'll never know now. It would have been interesting to know how such deep (pre?)-math encodings would color the more formal systems that arise on top of them- for instance is there any link to numeral classifiers (as there is with shape classifying terms such as found in Mayan languages which, like expressive verbs, tend to be very transparent phonosemantically)? Formal math systems would fall into the grammatical side of the equation, whereas the much less tangible (but maybe more deeply felt?) sound symbolisms would be, in my model, 'antigrammatical'- that is, standing in processual opposition. Jess Tauber From rzs at TDS.NET Fri Apr 21 17:20:39 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:20:39 -0500 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Hi Mia, hey that sounds exciting what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? sure, lets talk about creating something special When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery (see below) http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 I met some native film makers doing some creative things also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday what an inspiring man! so many possibilitites...the future is wide open Richard > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you have > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > Best always, > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Mia, > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > When i asked the 2nd graders > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > help: > "tëndi emë'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahshë' ashehk" > (200 and 60 and 3) > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > richard > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 17:29:30 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:29:30 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <20060421172039.IGVQ12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Ideally, video or Flash movie with sound and motion. Practically: anything from PowerPoint with voice over on up. What a wonderful event. Is that you with the beautiful pot? The caption didn't identify the person, only the 2nd pot. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 11:21 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Hi Mia, hey that sounds exciting what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? sure, lets talk about creating something special When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery (see below) http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 I met some native film makers doing some creative things also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday what an inspiring man! so many possibilitites...the future is wide open Richard > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you have > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > Best always, > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Mia, > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > When i asked the 2nd graders > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > help: > "tëndi emë'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahshë' ashehk" > (200 and 60 and 3) > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > richard > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From rzs at TDS.NET Fri Apr 21 19:24:14 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 14:24:14 -0500 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Mia, I'll bring up the idea with our Culture Committee I think they'll love the idea Yep,thats me with the John Deere cap with my pots.... made from good ol oklahoma clay from Vinita area. which reminds me....i need to get back rolling coils! rzs > > From: Mia Kalish > > Ideally, video or Flash movie with sound and motion. Practically: anything > from PowerPoint with voice over on up. > > What a wonderful event. Is that you with the beautiful pot? The caption > didn't identify the person, only the 2nd pot. > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 11:21 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Hi Mia, > hey that sounds exciting > what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? > sure, lets talk about creating something special > When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery > (see below) > http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 > I met some native film makers doing some creative things > also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday > what an inspiring man! > so many possibilitites...the future is wide open > Richard > > > > From: Mia Kalish > > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you > have > > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > > > Best always, > > Mia > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Mia, > > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > > When i asked the 2nd graders > > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > > help: > > "tëndi emë'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahshë' ashehk" > > (200 and 60 and 3) > > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a > week) > > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > > > richard > > > > > > Richard Zane Smith > > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > > Wyandotte Oklahoma > > 74370 > > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 19:29:47 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:29:47 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <20060421192414.NPSI31057.outaamta01.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Verrrry Nice :-) Give my best to your culture committee -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 1:24 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Mia, I'll bring up the idea with our Culture Committee I think they'll love the idea Yep,thats me with the John Deere cap with my pots.... made from good ol oklahoma clay from Vinita area. which reminds me....i need to get back rolling coils! rzs > > From: Mia Kalish > > Ideally, video or Flash movie with sound and motion. Practically: anything > from PowerPoint with voice over on up. > > What a wonderful event. Is that you with the beautiful pot? The caption > didn't identify the person, only the 2nd pot. > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 11:21 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Hi Mia, > hey that sounds exciting > what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? > sure, lets talk about creating something special > When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery > (see below) > http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 > I met some native film makers doing some creative things > also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday > what an inspiring man! > so many possibilitites...the future is wide open > Richard > > > > From: Mia Kalish > > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you > have > > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > > > Best always, > > Mia > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Mia, > > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > > When i asked the 2nd graders > > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > > help: > > "tëndi emë'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahshë' ashehk" > > (200 and 60 and 3) > > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a > week) > > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > > > richard > > > > > > Richard Zane Smith > > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > > Wyandotte Oklahoma > > 74370 > > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 21 19:43:48 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:43:48 -0700 Subject: Saving Sencoten (fwd) Message-ID: SAVING SENCOTEN [1] Brennan Clarke/Victoria News JOHN ELLIOTT IS CONTINUING HIS FATHER\'S EFFORTS TO PRESERVE THE SENCOTEN LANGUAGE, ONCE WIDELY SPOKEN AMONG ALL THE COAST SALISH PEOPLES.   By Brennan Clarke Victoria News _Apr 21 2006_ Central Saanich teacher leading charge to save local indigenous language from extinction. To many people, language is little more than the words we use to communicate thoughts. For John Elliott, it's a lifeline to preserving 10,000 years of aboriginal culture. "The language is the voice of the land. It's about our whole environment and how we interact with nature," he said. "The language is all about your beliefs and your whole world view." Elliott, a teacher at Lau'Welnew tribal school, has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to preserving Sencoten, an indigenous language spoken by Coast Salish First Nations on both sides of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with the Saanich Peninsula at the heart of the ancient culture. Elliott's crusade to save the language is a continuation of work his father began in the early 1970s. Dave Elliott, a longtime fisherman, was working as a janitor with the Saanich Indian School Board when he decided to create a phonetic alphabet for Sencoten. It was a difficult task since Sencoten, like many indigenous languages, contains a range of sounds that are difficult to capture with the conventional 26-letter Roman alphabet used around the world. "My father used to say the language was dying and people were losing the whole value system," Elliott recalled. "I'm taking his work one step further." When Europeans first arrived on Vancouver Island in the mid-1800s, there were an estimated 7,000 Sencoten speakers. Today, Elliott said that number has shrunk to a mere two dozen elders, due in large part to a residential school system that prohibited aboriginal children from speaking their native tongue. "There's only 23 or 24 fluent speakers remaining," said Elliott. "Usually they're older people and some of them aren't that healthy. (The language) could die with the elders that are here today." But the bid to save Sencoten (pronounced Sen-Cho-then) is yielding some encouraging results. All 200 of the school's students study the language, and the program has been around long enough that former students are now parents who speak the language around their children. "The fluency's coming, but it's slow. It took 50 years to take it out of us through the boarding schools," Elliott said. "After a couple of generations it's going to make a difference. In the past there's been nobody at home to speak the language." One of the most useful teaching tools for young aboriginal students is First Voices (firstvoices.ca), a three-year-old website that allows First Nations to record and archive their native languages. First Voices, a co-operative venture between the Saanich Indian School Board and the provincially funded First People's Heritage Language and Culture Council, contains still pictures, video clips, recorded voices, games and other features to pique the interest of young learners. Elliott said the website is just a tool, not the saviour of his people's language. "It's only a tool kit really. There has to be a personal commitment to really knowing the language," Elliott said, noting the irony of using modern technology to save an ancient language. "It really is ironic. A lot of these things that are taking our kids' minds away and now we come along with an Internet tool." First People's Heritage Language and Culture Council executive director Tracy Herbert, said so far 134 B.C. languages and three Yukon languages have been archived on the site. It's also attracted interest from other indigenous groups in Canada, such as the Mi'kmaq. "There are about 32 languages and 70-plus dialects in B.C. alone," she said. The provincial government, which provides about $600,000 a year to help the council support First Nations arts, recently handed over an extra $1 million in one-time funding specifically for languages. Herbert said the federal government hasn't been quite so supportive. Although B.C. is home to 60 per cent of Canada's aboriginal languages, the Department of Canadian Heritage provides just $232,000 a year for language programs in B.C. Four years ago, former Heritage Minister Sheila Copps pledged $160 million to preserve native languages, but the federal government has yet to follow through on that commitment Herbert added. "It is a race against time and we really need to work co-operatively with the communities and the language stakeholders," she said. For Elliott, there's no distinction between saving the language and saving the culture, since many of the words refer to creation stories and legends. bclarke at vicnews.com[2] EXAMPLES OF SENCOTEN LANGUAGE TENEW: land, earth or soil; can also mean "a wish for the people." SNANET: rock, mountain or boulder; can also mean "gift," since mountains are considered sacred places that the creator gave to the people. STEME: rain; but also means "a person falling from the sky," a reference to the first person who came to earth. TETACES: island; also means relatives of the deep in reference to humans who were turned into islands by the creator and told to look after the people. SCAANEW: salmon; also means "working people," which relates to a creation story in which the creator transformed a group of hard-working people into salmon. Links: ------ [1] http://www.saanichnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=28&cat=23&id=&more= [2] mailto:bclarke at vicnews.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 21886 bytes Desc: not available URL: From lachler at UNM.EDU Fri Apr 21 20:10:20 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:10:20 -0800 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <4F97BA50-7479-4E55-BDBE-134A4B9D3354@dakotacom.net> Message-ID: More flash fun for a Friday: http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/flash/my_house.swf Jordan From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sat Apr 22 09:16:21 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 02:16:21 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not necessarily involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal the importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and relevant. One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of visiting an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was in a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do first-grade arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote asked the teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out something, and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute the odds in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students quickly responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their heads with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, and were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the teacher, who had no idea that they could do this. Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, often exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor by teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not rewarded nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry Gilmore's famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black teen- age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in class, during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were regularly spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for letter- names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware that this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this knowledge to enhance classroom learning. Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers in West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a total failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly being ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them false information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a knowledge of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became highly motivated to learn. On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual pleasures of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to greatly underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some mid- level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual game. Rudy Troike University of Arizona Department of English From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Sat Apr 22 13:10:05 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:10:05 -0400 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: With regard to Rudy's post and mine, just wondering whether language TYPE might also have any relevance as to what kind of mathematical knowledge and operations might be found, statistically, in a normal cultural setting (that is unmodified by formal Western-style or other imposed-from-outside training)- how much does level of culture influence? Jess Tauber From rzs at TDS.NET Sat Apr 22 13:33:22 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 08:33:22 -0500 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: Rudy and Mia raise issues the public schools somehow haven't slowed down enought to consider. I think Western math ,like everything else is becoming so "specialized" that today it creates its own wake of ignorance. Have you ever watched an Asian store cleric using an abacus? Compare that image to our typical Walmart clerk on the computer. Its obvious which one is actually using math and its even more obvious when the computer fails. Computers are excellent tools,but mass dependance upon them to "do our thinking" can create a very fragile culture of its own. Some people still see indigenous cultures as merely offering spice, color and frybread. It still hasn't dawned on the mainstream american,that keys to survival may lie within the enduring cultures it has sought to replace. Richard > > From: Rudy Troike > Date: 2006/04/22 Sat AM 04:16:21 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Indigenous math > > This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not > necessarily > involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal the > importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and relevant. > > One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of visiting > an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was in > a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the > Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do first- grade > arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote asked the > teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out > something, > and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute the odds > in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students quickly > responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their heads > with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, and > were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the teacher, > who had no idea that they could do this. > > Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, often > exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor by > teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not rewarded > nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry Gilmore's > famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black teen- > age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in class, > during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were regularly > spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for letter- > names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware that > this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this knowledge > to enhance classroom learning. > > Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers in > West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a total > failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly being > ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them false > information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a knowledge > of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became highly > motivated to learn. > > On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual pleasures > of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to greatly > underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some mid- > level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they > enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another > with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual game. > > Rudy Troike > University of Arizona > Department of English > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sat Apr 22 13:51:22 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 06:51:22 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <9625944.1145711406307.JavaMail.root@elwamui-muscovy.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: Thanks Rudy, Jess and Mia This discussion is very interesting but, to me, what it underscores is the need to have more fluent, trained Native teachers involved in curriculum development. (an old refrain...) Years ago, I was heavily involved with training teachers for public schools which served tribal communities. These cullturally-appropriate math stories were shared, and may have served to raise awareness, but did little to really change the way math was taught overall. The only places where real active involvement and inclusion of culturally grounded math activities happened were in the rare classrooms where the teacher was a member of the community. Although the numbers of certified Native American teachers have increased since then, there are still not nearly enough and it is still such an up hill battle for them to make substantial changes to established and, now, standardized test-driven curricula of most schools. Certainly, the charter school movement offers more potential for the inclusion of culturally-appropriate and guided math activities and certainly there are some such curricula developed for non-public schools serving reservation communities, but it is still a difficult task to lay out more than a few isolated lessons, i.e., establish a complete set of lessons, which reflect a range of culturally-grounded math activities. Susan On 4/22/06, jess tauber wrote: > > With regard to Rudy's post and mine, just wondering whether language TYPE > might also have any relevance as to what kind of mathematical knowledge and > operations might be found, statistically, in a normal cultural setting (that > is unmodified by formal Western-style or other imposed-from-outside > training)- how much does level of culture influence? > > Jess Tauber > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sat Apr 22 15:29:41 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 08:29:41 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <20060422133322.QGLB12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Amen! Thanks, Richard! On 4/22/06, Richard Zane Smith wrote: > > Rudy and Mia raise issues > the public schools somehow haven't slowed down enought to consider. > I think Western math ,like everything else is becoming so "specialized" > that today it creates its own wake of ignorance. > Have you ever watched an Asian store cleric using an abacus? > Compare that image to our typical Walmart clerk on the computer. > Its obvious which one is actually using math > and its even more obvious when the computer fails. > Computers are excellent tools,but mass dependance upon them to > "do our thinking" can create a very fragile culture of its own. > Some people still see indigenous cultures as merely offering spice, color > and frybread. It still hasn't dawned on the mainstream american,that keys > to > survival may lie within the enduring cultures it has sought to replace. > Richard > > > > > > > From: Rudy Troike > > Date: 2006/04/22 Sat AM 04:16:21 CDT > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: [ILAT] Indigenous math > > > > This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not > > necessarily > > involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal > the > > importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and > relevant. > > > > One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of > visiting > > an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was > in > > a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the > > Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do > first- > grade > > arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote > asked the > > teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out > > something, > > and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute > the > odds > > in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students > quickly > > responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their > heads > > with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, > and > > were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the > teacher, > > who had no idea that they could do this. > > > > Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, > often > > exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor > by > > teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not > rewarded > > nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry > Gilmore's > > famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black > teen- > > age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in > class, > > during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were > regularly > > spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for > letter- > > names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware > that > > this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this > knowledge > > to enhance classroom learning. > > > > Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers > in > > West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a > total > > failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly > being > > ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them > false > > information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a > knowledge > > of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became > highly > > motivated to learn. > > > > On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual > pleasures > > of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to > greatly > > underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some > mid- > > level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they > > enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another > > with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual > game. > > > > Rudy Troike > > University of Arizona > > Department of English > > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 15:30:02 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:30:02 -0600 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <20060422133322.QGLB12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: This is such a good discussion. Rudy presents an example similar to the examples raised over and over and over by Ethnomathematicians. (And I liked the story, too, Rudy.) Lilly Wong Fillmore talks often of how Alaskan students in SPED classes (98% of the students, in some schools) know astounding and sophisticated details of kayak making and sailing, fishing, surviving on the ice floes, migration patterns, and staying warm when wet. Of course, they didn't know anything about jumping horses in Virginia, and this was how they got to be SPED kids (along with the extra dollars to the school, of course). There is something very strange - I never really noticed it before, because when you build software for people, it always reflects their corporate culture - about how people seem to think that there is only one kind of academic knowledge. Math comes only in one flavor. Botany comes in one flavor, and so on. In fact, Math comes in as many flavors as there are cultures, and so do botany, biology, and chemistry. Some things are common, like eltse thingy + eltse thingy == naaki thingies. Other things, like apples and oranges are not common, nor are ways of building kayaks. Traditionally, kayaks have been custom built to the physical dimensions of the person who owns it, rather than to a one-size-fits-all form of typical manufacturing plants. But it seems to me that it has to be up to us, both to produce the articles to show the world that there are more worlds, and that things are similar but different in those worlds. We need to produce the materials and do the research. :-) Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 7:33 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Indigenous math Rudy and Mia raise issues the public schools somehow haven't slowed down enought to consider. I think Western math ,like everything else is becoming so "specialized" that today it creates its own wake of ignorance. Have you ever watched an Asian store cleric using an abacus? Compare that image to our typical Walmart clerk on the computer. Its obvious which one is actually using math and its even more obvious when the computer fails. Computers are excellent tools,but mass dependance upon them to "do our thinking" can create a very fragile culture of its own. Some people still see indigenous cultures as merely offering spice, color and frybread. It still hasn't dawned on the mainstream american,that keys to survival may lie within the enduring cultures it has sought to replace. Richard > > From: Rudy Troike > Date: 2006/04/22 Sat AM 04:16:21 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Indigenous math > > This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not > necessarily > involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal the > importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and relevant. > > One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of visiting > an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was in > a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the > Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do first- grade > arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote asked the > teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out > something, > and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute the odds > in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students quickly > responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their heads > with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, and > were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the teacher, > who had no idea that they could do this. > > Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, often > exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor by > teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not rewarded > nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry Gilmore's > famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black teen- > age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in class, > during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were regularly > spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for letter- > names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware that > this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this knowledge > to enhance classroom learning. > > Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers in > West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a total > failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly being > ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them false > information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a knowledge > of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became highly > motivated to learn. > > On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual pleasures > of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to greatly > underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some mid- > level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they > enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another > with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual game. > > Rudy Troike > University of Arizona > Department of English > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 15:31:05 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:31:05 -0600 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060421120913.020295f8@unm.edu> Message-ID: I wonder, did anyone look at this Flash movie Jordan sent us the link to? I did. I thought and thought about this, and I have to say something: Why, with all the technology to avoid using a bridge language, did the developers include English? Does anyone - besides me - think that including English when its parenthetical demeans the Indigenous language? Mary Eunice Romero wrote at great length about how Indigenous languages are lower in status because they are not studied in school. She talked about how Indigenous youth - and even their parents - tend to migrate toward what she calls "the higher status language". So I wonder why, since with Flash, the immersion style environment people did a good job creating, motion, sound. . . why the English? -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jordan Lachler Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 2:10 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] more flash fun More flash fun for a Friday: http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/flash/my_house.swf Jordan From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 15:35:10 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:35:10 -0600 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <39a679e20604220651x5008a78ak9639cab0dccbe125@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: I absolutely agree, Susan, and I am working on the materials issue in my dissertation. Being a techie, and recognizing the difficulty with incorporation the culturally appropriate math stories, I am developing a technical structure so that stories can be related directly to the curriculum, and with a few grants for community involvement in the development of curricular materials, we can make massive amounts of materials in Indigenous languages. We can make them fast, we can make them good, and we can encourage families and communities all to take part. And with a little help from some hardware geeks, we can make them portable, like game boys, PSP2s, and cell phones. (Yep, cell phones. Kids have those great eyes, you know :-)). Happily, Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Susan Penfield Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 7:51 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Indigenous math Thanks Rudy, Jess and Mia This discussion is very interesting but, to me, what it underscores is the need to have more fluent, trained Native teachers involved in curriculum development. (an old refrain...) Years ago, I was heavily involved with training teachers for public schools which served tribal communities. These cullturally-appropriate math stories were shared, and may have served to raise awareness, but did little to really change the way math was taught overall. The only places where real active involvement and inclusion of culturally grounded math activities happened were in the rare classrooms where the teacher was a member of the community. Although the numbers of certified Native American teachers have increased since then, there are still not nearly enough and it is still such an up hill battle for them to make substantial changes to established and, now, standardized test-driven curricula of most schools. Certainly, the charter school movement offers more potential for the inclusion of culturally-appropriate and guided math activities and certainly there are some such curricula developed for non-public schools serving reservation communities, but it is still a difficult task to lay out more than a few isolated lessons, i.e., establish a complete set of lessons, which reflect a range of culturally-grounded math activities. Susan On 4/22/06, jess tauber wrote: With regard to Rudy's post and mine, just wondering whether language TYPE might also have any relevance as to what kind of mathematical knowledge and operations might be found, statistically, in a normal cultural setting (that is unmodified by formal Western-style or other imposed-from-outside training)- how much does level of culture influence? Jess Tauber -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sat Apr 22 16:11:27 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:11:27 -0700 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060421120913.020295f8@unm.edu> Message-ID: All, I tend to concur with Mia on this -- I think it is really a great example of how technology can offer a clear immersion-style teaching environment -- but using English kind of defeats that purpose. It might, however, depend on the actual goals of the community and, since I know nothng about that, nor who the specific audience is, I'd like to hear from Jordan more about it... S. On 4/21/06, Jordan Lachler wrote: > > More flash fun for a Friday: > > http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/flash/my_house.swf > > Jordan > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From annier at SFU.CA Sat Apr 22 16:13:10 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:13:10 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From lachler at UNM.EDU Sat Apr 22 21:21:03 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:21:03 -0800 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <39a679e20604220911v5df11874vd901edf92a44a24a@mail.gmail.co m> Message-ID: Hi all, >I tend to concur with Mia on this -- I think it >is really a great example of how technology can >offer a clear immersion-style teaching >environment -- but using English kind of defeats >that purpose. It might, however, depend on the >actual goals of the community and, since I know >nothng about that, nor who the specific audience >is, I'd like to hear from Jordan more about it... I suspect English is included because it's not always 100% clear what each of the objects is. For example, when you click on the top of the house in the first screen and hear the word , it seems reasonable to me that some students would think that means "roof" and not "house", since that is what they clicked on. Unless they then decide to click elsewhere on the "house", there isn't anything in the program that dissuades them from their first hypothesis. There are lots of potential confusions like that... Does mean "firewood", or any kind of "wood"? Does mean "bowl with fruit in it", "fruit in a bowl", "fruit", or "bowl"? Does mean "cupboard", "cupboard door", "yellow cupboard door", or just "door" of any kind? Does mean "dog" or does it mean "border collie"? While it may seem unlikely that students would get confused in this way, my experience tells me that it does happen from time to time, no matter how clear the material seems to other people. Clearly, adding English translations is not the "best" possible solution to this problem -- it would be better to develop more and better flash programs which would carefully disambiguate all the possible meanings. On the practical side, of course, that would be extremely time consuming when compared to simply slipping in some English to make sure the students are following along. (I'm leaving aside the issue here of whether, for instance, *really* means "dog", or whether *really* means "firewood". That's obviously an important, but much more complex, topic.) In the end, though, the main goal of the program is just to show people that they can in fact learn some Tlingit and have fun while doing it. And if they feel successful and realize that language learning doesn't have to be stressful and frightening, they may just sign themselves and their children up for some community language classes. Jordan From lachler at UNM.EDU Sat Apr 22 21:31:10 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:31:10 -0800 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <000c01c66621$cc75e470$6401a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: Hi again, >Does anyone - besides me - think that including English when its >parenthetical demeans the Indigenous language? While I understand and appreciate this viewpoint, and even sympathize with it to some extent, I have not heard this viewpoint expressed by any community members. Basically their reactions have been that they are excited to see and hear their language used on the Web (just like English is), and to have a fun tool to help them and their kids learn a few words of it (just like they have for Spanish and French, etc.). Given how many other far-less-subtle ways the language has been demeaned over the past century or so, the community members seem to prefer to focus on the ways in which the language is empowered by tools such as this... Jordan From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 21:38:53 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 15:38:53 -0600 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060422132124.00f25378@unm.edu> Message-ID: Okay, so who made it? Are you working at the Sealaska Heritage Institute? And, would they like to submit for our Global Revitalization Digital Poster session? It is really very nice :-) And I assume the Tlingit people actually made it? That would be very, very nice :-) :-) Thanks, Jordan, Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jordan Lachler Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 3:31 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] more flash fun Hi again, >Does anyone - besides me - think that including English when its >parenthetical demeans the Indigenous language? While I understand and appreciate this viewpoint, and even sympathize with it to some extent, I have not heard this viewpoint expressed by any community members. Basically their reactions have been that they are excited to see and hear their language used on the Web (just like English is), and to have a fun tool to help them and their kids learn a few words of it (just like they have for Spanish and French, etc.). Given how many other far-less-subtle ways the language has been demeaned over the past century or so, the community members seem to prefer to focus on the ways in which the language is empowered by tools such as this... Jordan From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 21:12:11 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 14:12:11 -0700 Subject: Lesson Book Message-ID: The lesson book includes exercises to familiarize children with animals and their Karuk names. The exercises also encourage children to learn Karuk names. http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal? _nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED300194 &ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b80044cee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 21:15:56 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 14:15:56 -0700 Subject: Names Message-ID: “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 21:51:35 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 14:51:35 -0700 Subject: What Is In A Name Message-ID: LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS 4.4:669-681, 2003 2003-0-004-004-000059-1 What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics* William Bright University of Colorado Onomastics, as the study of proper names, has been of concern to many branches of scholarship, including philosophy and history. The present paper takes the viewpoint of anthropological linguistics, as applied especially to personal names and place names among North American Indians. The question is raised as to whether terms which embody a DESCRIPTION can be considered proper names, e.g., whether a term meaning literally ‘man living by the stream’ can be a personal name, or whether a term meaning ‘rock standing by the stream’ can be a placename. Grammatical peculiarities of placenames are also considered, and examples are given from Karuk (California), Creek (Oklahoma), and Nahuatl (Mexico). Key words: onomastics, toponyms, anthroponyms, North American Indians “You are sad,” the Knight said in an anxious tone: “let me sing you a song to comfort you.” “Is it very long?” Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day. “It’s long,” said the Knight, “but very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it—either it brings the tears into their eyes, or else—” “Or else what?” said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause. “Or else it doesn’t, you know. The name of the song is called ‘Haddocks’ Eyes’.” “Oh, that’s the name of the song, is it?” Alice said, trying to feel interested. “No, you don’t understand,” the Knight said, looking a little vexed. “That’s what the name is called. The name really is ‘The Aged Aged Man’.” “Then I ought to have said ‘That’s what the song is called’?” Alice corrected herself. * This paper was delivered as a lecture at the Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, on 24 February 2003. I am grateful for helpful comments from my audience, especially from Dr. Ho Dah-an and from my wife, Lise Menn. I would like to dedicate this paper to the memory of two great Chinese linguists who were my teachers and friends: Professor Chao Yuen-ren and Professor Li Fang-kuei. William Bright 670 “No, you oughtn’t: that’s quite another thing! The song is called ‘Ways and Means’: but that’s only what it’s called, you know!” “Well, what is the song, then?” said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered. “I was coming to that,” the Knight said. “The song really is ‘A-Sitting on a Gate’: and the tune’s my own invention.” —Through the Looking-Glass 1. Terms and definitions Many books and articles have taken as their title the famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: “What’s in a name?” I choose to raise a slightly different question: “What IS a name?”—not to answer the question definitively, of course, but simply to focus attention on some aspects of the problem. In doing so, I also want to focus attention on the field of onomastics, understood as the study of names. Such study is, in fact, carried out as part of several larger fields, including linguistics, ethnography, folklore, philology, history, geography, philosophy, and literary scholarship. In Europe, especially in Germany, it is a well recognized branch of philology, as witness the three-volume encyclopedic survey of the field recently published there (Eichler et al. 1996, 2,259 pp.) By contrast, in the US, onomastics is scarcely recognized as a scholarly field at all. To be sure, there is an organization called the American Name Society, which publishes a small journal called Names, but only a few linguists belong to the society, and most linguists have probably never heard of the organization or the journal. I myself have been interested in onomastics since my student days, and I have published articles in the journal Names; but even so, in 1992, when I edited the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, it never occurred to me to plan for an article on names. Fortunately, the forthcoming second edition of that encyclopedia will repair my omission. To begin with, the word name is often used to mean a term which can refer to anything, as when we say: “Banana is the name of a fruit,” or “Murder is the name of a crime.” In this sense, the word name is virtually synonymous with the word noun; indeed, in some languages, the same term can used for both, e.g., French nom. In this sense, the relationship between a name and that to which it refers has been the topic of an extensive literature written by philosophers specializing in semantics (cf. Zabeeh 1968, Lehrer 1992, Lamarque 1994). These writers have had much to say about the material in the famous quotation from Through the Looking Glass. I must admit to ignorance of this large topic, and so I will go on to more limited aspects of names and naming. What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 671 Within the general category of names, people often use the word name for what we can more precisely call proper names. Within this subdivision, it is common to distinguish two principal types. One of these is place names or toponyms; another is PERSONAL NAMES, for which we have no commonly used term derived from Greek, but which are sometimes called anthroponyms. My discussion is limited to these two types, but it can be noted that other varieties exist, such as ethnonyms— terms referring to nationalities or ethnic groups—and glottonyms, referring to languages. An English example of both these types is Chinese, referring not only to the nationality, but also to the language that corresponds to the toponym China. It is not easy to define the term proper name (Algeo 1973). In English and some other European languages, such words often appear in writing with initial capital letters; but obviously this cannot define the term for spoken language, or for writing systems like Chinese which have no capital letters. Are there grammatical criteria to identify the proper name? In English, it is often observed that it is unusual for proper names to occur with articles — either indefinite (a, an) or definite (the). A sentence like The George and a Henry come from England is hard to interpret unless someone explains that it is intended to mean ‘The one person in this group named George, and one of the people named Henry, come from England.’ Such usage may be made clearer by the use of spoken or written emphasis: He’s not THE George (who was King of England), he’s just A George (one of many people named George). But of course other languages have very different rules for using definite and indefinite articles; and many languages, such as Chinese, do not use articles at all. It may be that, for a universal concept of the proper name, we must seek semantic and pragmatic definitions. To put it briefly, we may say that a proper name represents a social convention for brief reference to a specific entity, as opposed to a class of persons or places. For example, George may refer to ‘my cousin who is legally designated as George Baker; the Bakers refers to a family of people named Baker (as contrasted with the bakers ‘the people who bake bread’); America may refer to ‘the nation which is legally and politically designated as the United States of America’. Much more could be—and has been—said about this (cf. Lehrer 1994), but I only want to establish this simple understanding as a basis for further discussion. As I’ve said, the types of proper names which are most often discussed are personal names and placenames. I wish to focus here, first, on a proposed characteristic of personal names, namely their universality; and second, on a frequently remarked characteristic of placenames, namely their descriptiveness. As we shall see, there is a relationship between these two topics. William Bright 672 Finally, at the end of this paper, I wish to point out that, in some languages, placenames may function not only as nouns, but also as adverbs. I believe that this may the case in many more languages than have been reported. 2. Personal names and universality There is a piece of folklore current among anthropologists regarding the question of whether personal names exist in all societies. So far I have not been able to trace this to a printed source, but it is somewhat as follows: Somewhere in the world there is a society where people live in very small, isolated communities. In such a community, people have no personal names; i.e., individuals have no name which other people use to refer specifically to them. Instead, they are referred to by descriptive expressions, e.g., ‘the blacksmith’ or ‘the man who lives by the stream’. A woman will be referred to as, e.g., ‘the blacksmith’s wife’. Children will be referred to by expressions such as ‘the blacksmith’s elder daughter’; when this daughter gets married, she may be referred to as, e.g., ‘the wife of the man who lives by the stream’. The question arises: Is there such a society? Or more to the point: Is such a society possible? In discussing such a question, we need to realize that many people in the world do not have such highly organized systems of personal naming as we are accustomed to in our own societies. In European societies, as well as China and Japan, every person is assigned a public, legal name, in written form, around the time of birth; part of this usually reflects the child’s father’s name. The individual normally has that same legal name through life—with exceptions, e.g., where married women take on their husband’s family names. In addition, a person may have informal “nicknames” during different parts of life. Sometimes these are used only by close relatives or intimates; in any case, they do not replace the public and legal names. By contrast, in non-literate societies, where names remain unwritten, there is greater variety in naming customs (cf. the anthropological studies in Tooker 1984). A child may be given a “real” name at birth, but this may be kept a secret throughout life. Elsewhere, such a “real” name may be publicly known, but not used for everyday purposes; most of the time, a nickname—perhaps descriptive, e.g., Shorty—may be used. A person may be called by different names at different periods of life, or by different people under changing conditions. Use of certain names under particular circumstances may be forbidden by religious taboo; or then again, such names may be replaced by descriptive nicknames. Because of these factors, it may be difficult for the outside investigator of such a society to determine what a person’s “real” name is, or even what name is commonly used in the community; taboos are likely to be especially strict when one is talking to outsiders. What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 673 I suggest then, that the apocryphal community I mentioned—in which nobody has a personal name, and people are referred to only by ad-hoc descriptions—does not exist. I suggest that any anthropologist who might have reported such a community was misled by the operation of taboos on uttering personal names. I suggest, in fact, that the use of personal names, having varying levels of descriptiveness, is a sociolinguistic universal of the human species. Of course, I will be glad if any colleague can provide evidence to prove me wrong. However, the concept of “descriptiveness” must itself be discussed, and I will do this in the following section, in relation to placenames. 3. Placenames and descriptiveness In many parts of the world, it is a commonplace that some placenames have no etymologies that we can discover, e.g., European names like Rome, Paris, and London. It is possible that these were once descriptive expressions in European languages, but they became eroded, phonetically and semantically, so that their origins were no longer apparent. It is also possible that these names were borrowed in ancient times from other languages, of which we have imperfect knowledge, such as Etruscan in Italy or Gaulish in France, and this is why we do not understand their original meaning. But other European placenames have clear descriptive origins, in England, we find examples like Newmarket and Whitechurch. In North America, many placenames were simply transferred from places in Europe, such as London and Paris—or, indeed, Newmarket and Whitechurch. Other American placenames do not have clear etymologies in English, but this is because they were borrowed from American Indian languages, in which they were descriptive formations. Examples are Massachusetts, meaning ‘big hill’, and Connecticut, meaning ‘long river’, both from an Algonquian language. In addition, however, North America has many placenames which simply describe the American locations to which they were applied, e.g., Long Island (New York State), Great Falls (Montana), and Grand Canyon (Arizona). In other parts of the world, it is likely that placenames also have a variety of origins; some are transferred, some are borrowed, and many are descriptive coinages. However, the placenames of China and Japan present a special problem. On the surface, it seems possible to find etymologies for most of them in terms of the characters with which they are written; e.g., the Chinese placename Taiwan is written with characters meaning ‘platform’ and ‘bay’; and superficially, that might be a correct etymology. In fact, however, the name is a folk-etymology, based on the name of an aboriginal (Austronesian) tribe. Again, in Japanese, historical study reveals that some names were not formerly written with the same characters that are used today. For example, the William Bright 674 name of Mount Fuji has been written with a variety of characters over the centuries, and its original meaning is controversial; it may be derived from a language spoken in the area before Japanese. It seems possible that, in mainland China also, some placenames were borrowed from non-Chinese languages, such as Manchu (in the north) or Thai (in the south), and it may not be possible to arrive at precise etymologies for them. 3.1 American Indian placenames: Must every name have an etymology? I’ve worked for many years with American Indian languages, and I’ve been especially interested in the placenames used in those languages—many of which, as I’ve noted, have been borrowed into English. (For valuable recent studies of the sociolinguistics of placenames among American Indians and other peoples, see Feld & Basso 1996, Basso 1996; for etymological considerations, cf. Bright 2002.) However, especially when one reads discussion of placename origins, one finds the persistent bit of folklore that the meaning of words is, on some essential level, to be found in their histories, rather than in their use. Such belief in the covert significance of etymology is also especially common in discussions of Native American placenames. One of the most prominent scholars in the field of American placenames was Erwin G. Gudde (1889-1969), a professor of German literature at Berkeley who became an authority on California history; he was the founding editor of Names (the journal of the American Name Society), and the author of California Place Names, one of the most respected among state placename dictionaries. Gudde’s dictionary, published by the University of California Press, went through three editions between 1949 and 1969 — and the third edition was, surprisingly, translated into Chinese and published in Taiwan (1989). A fourth edition, revised by myself, came out in 1998. However, Gudde often seemed reluctant to examine possible American Indian etymologies for California placenames, and indeed his views of Native American cultures in general were often rather strange. Thus he stated, in his Preface: “The original inhabitants had very few geographical names, and practically all of these were descriptive... Mountains themselves were of no practical importance to the Indians and probably had no names.” This statement is remarkable, considering that Gudde was familiar with such works as T.T. Waterman’s Yurok Geography (1920), which lists over 900 placenames (including mountains) used in the rather limited territory of the Yurok tribe and language, in northwestern California. For years I was puzzled as to how Gudde could have said that American Indians “had very few geographical names.” Only more recently, while reading extensively on American placenames, I’ve realized that Gudde’s statement reflects a long-standing attitude among onomastic scholars. In recent years, Leonard Ashley has written (1996:1403): “What we think of as placenames may differ What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 675 considerably from names Amerindians put upon the land. The red man [sic] considered himself a part of nature, not the master of it... The names he gave were more like descriptions: any large river might be ‘big river’... It is arguable that an Amerindian name that translates ‘where there is a heap of stones’ ... is no more a name in our strict sense than the expression ‘the corner grocery that stays open until midnight’.” The ethnocentric message of these quotations seems to be that American Indians, seen by Whites as “children of nature,” did not have real placenames; to the extent that such names had clear etymologies, they could be regarded as mere “descriptions.” Of course, we might say the same of American English placenames like Long Island, Great Falls, or Grand Canyon. But two other points can be made. First, many Native American placenames were indeed morphologically complex and semantically “descriptive,” but they are not fairly represented by such translations as ‘where there is a heap of stones’. Thus the Karuk placename asánaamkarak, on the Klamath River in northwestern California, can be interpreted etymologically as ‘where a rocky flat place extends into the water’—but thanks to the “polysynthetic” character of the Karuk language, the native name is a single word and a single lexical item, and thus is as much a proper name as “Rocky Flats”. At this point I want to return to the notion of what, in terms of grammar, constitutes a “merely descriptive” phrase vs. a “placename”. Obviously, in any language, one can put together a descriptive phrase to describe a place, like Ashley’s “corner grocery that stays open until midnight”. But abundant examples can be found, in Karuk or any other American Indian language, of placenames which, although descriptive, are not cumbersome phrases; rather, they are tight-knit words, sometimes quite short; thus the Karuk placename inaam means ‘place of performing the world-renewal ceremony’. In the Navajo language, spoken in Arizona, the placename Chínlín means ‘the stream flows outward’ (Wilson 1995). Furthermore, Native Americans used many placenames that were not descriptive. They consisted of single morphemes, with no meaning except their toponymic reference. Among the Karuk tribe, village names included terms such as Píptaas, Kíinik, Útkee, Tíih, Kúuyiv, Túuyvuk, and Vúpam. These are just as unanalyzable, whether by the linguist or the native speaker, as European placenames such as London, Paris, or Rome. To be sure, all these names may have once been “descriptive”—but their etymologies, whether American Indian or European, have long been irrelevant to their usage. Their meanings are, to quote one of my favorite clichés, “lost in the mists of antiquity.” The same principle applies to many names of Native American tribes and languages, such as those of the Cherokee and Choctaw, who now live in Oklahoma. (Some of these have also come to be used by whites as placenames.) It’s clear that English borrowed the first of these terms from the Cherokee self-designation Tsalagi, and the William Bright 676 second from the Choctaw self-designation Chahta. In their respective languages, these words mean nothing more or less than ‘Cherokee’ and ‘Choctaw’. However, some commentators on Indian ethnic names and placenames have strained their imaginations to propose fanciful etymologies. So it has been said that Cherokee comes from a word of the neighboring Creek language, meaning ‘people of a different speech’. However, the Creek word for ‘Cherokee’ is /calá:kki/, probably borrowed from Cherokee Tsalagi; whereas the unrelated word meaning ‘to speak a different language’ is /cilo:kk-itá/ (Martin & Mauldin 2000). As for the Choctaw word Chahta, it has been said that “its meaning is unknown”; but as my colleague Pamela Munro points out, one might as well say that the meaning of the Choctaw word Chahta is ‘Choctaw’. Of course such names must have had SOME remote historical origins; but those are lost to us, and they are irrelevant to the speakers of Cherokee or Choctaw. The same label, “Meaning unknown,” could be attached to European ethnic names such as German or Greek. 3.2 The case of Creek The Creek or Muskogee language, a member of the Muskogean language in the southeastern US, presents interesting toponymic data, in particular because of a fact of recent history: the language was spoken in Georgia and Alabama until the early 19th century, but at that time the US government carried out a forcible removal of the speakers to the western territory which is now called Oklahoma. The results as regards toponymy are reflected in a recent Creek dictionary (Martin & Mauldin 2000), which is unusual in that it contains two sections on placenames: one on native Creek toponyms, the other on English placenames of Creek origin. The first of these gives not only geographical names currently used in Oklahoma, but also the hereditary groups called etvlwv /itálwa/, translated as ‘tribal town’ or ‘band’, which correspond to towns that existed earlier in Georgia and Alabama. Among American Indian languages, it is true that descriptive names often predominate, especially where certain language families are involved (e.g., Athabaskan); but the names of Creek tribal towns show a different pattern. Martin & Mauldin list 55 such names. Of these, 5 are “modified” derivatives of simpler names, such as Yofalv-Hopayê ‘Eufaula-distant’, comparable to English names like West Virginia. There are 16 clearly descriptive names, like Tvlv- hasse ‘town-rancid’ (Tullahassee in Oklahoma, Tallahassee in Florida), plus 5 which can be analyzed only in part. But 17 names are monomorphemic and etymologically opaque, mostly consisting of only three syllables, e.g., Apehkv (Eng. ‘Arbeka’), Helvpe (‘Hillabee’), Kasihta (‘Cussetah’), Osuce (‘Osochee’), and Taskêke (‘Tuskegee’). We may hope that future dictionaries of American Indian languages will also include sections on placenames, to give us further insights into Native naming patterns. What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 677 Recall now that the issue of “descriptive expressions” has come up in the discussion of both personal names and placenames. Let me summarize: All human beings can create such expressions, which may be long and syntactically complex. But I believe that all human beings also use proper names, which are typically shorter; these sometimes consist of single morphemes, but also often consist of morphologically close-knit, lexicalized terms. The failure to recognize this, as in the remarks by Gudde and Ashley, may in fact be thinly disguised racism. 4. Placenames as nouns and/or adverbs The first American Indian language that I studied, starting in 1947, was Nahuatl, spoken by the Aztecs of ancient Mexico, and still used by perhaps a million people. The Nahuatl language happens to have a very large number of descriptive placenames, many of which have been borrowed into Spanish, and some of which have become known internationally, such as the name of the volcano Popocatepetl, lit. ‘smoking mountain’, and indeed the name Mexico itself, from Nahuatl Mexihco, meaning ‘the place of the god Mexihtli’. A feature of the Nahuatl language which surprised me from the beginning was that placenames seemed to have the characteristics of both nouns and adverbs. Morphologically, placenames normally end in locational elements such as -c (after vowels) or -co (after consonants), meaning ‘at, to’, as well as -pan ‘on’ and - tlan ‘near’; these then act like the case suffixes of Latin, or like the prepositions of Spanish or English. Such elements occur in clearly descriptive combinations such as Atoya-c ‘at the river’, Anal-co ‘at the opposite shore’, Tlal-pan ‘on the land’, and Ati-tlan ‘near the water’. Since these resemble locational case forms of nouns, one would expect them to behave like adverbial expressions, and indeed they do: (1) Atoyac ihcac, lit. ‘at-the-river he-is-standing’ (2) Tlalpan ihcac ‘on-the-land he-is-standing’ (3) Atitlan ihcac ‘near-the-water he-is-standing’ Note that the ordinary Spanish and English translations of these sentences would use prepositions: ‘Está parado a Atoyac, He is standing at Atoyac, at Tlalpan, at Atitlan’; the locational elements are PART of the Nahuatl placename, but they have to be expressed by prepositions in the European languages. What surprised me about Nahuatl in 1947 is something that has been more recently pointed out in print by the Mexican scholar Miguel León- Portilla (1982): A William Bright 678 Nahuatl placename can not only function as an adverb, but also as a subject or object noun, like its Spanish or English counterpart. Thus we can say the following: (4) Atoyac nican ca ‘(The town of) Atoyac is here.’ (5) Tlalpan huey altepetl ‘(The town of) Tlalpan is a big city.’ (6) Atitlan quittac ‘He saw (the town of) Atitlan.’ That is, Nahuatl Tlalpan corresponds both to English ‘at Tlalpan’ and ‘Tlalpan’. Thus Nahuatl placenames are syntactically ambivalent in a way not found elsewhere in the language. Another way of describing this would be to say that a Nahuatl form *Tlalpan-pan does not occur. This could be called a kind of morphological dissimilation. It would be comparable to a Russian example: the city name Tomsk means ‘pertaining to the river Tom’; but the adjective Tomskij means both ‘relating to the River Tom’ and ‘relating to the city Tomsk’; there is no *Tomsk-skij, just as there is no Nahuatl *Tlalpan-pan (cf. Menn & MacWhinney 1984). I received another surprise in the 1950s, when I was doing my dissertation research on the Karuk language in northwestern California. I discovered that this language had the same trait as Nahuatl, but with an extension: in Karuk, not just placenames, but ALL locational expressions are capable of functioning both as adverbs and as nouns. For example, the word for ‘door’ is chivchaksurúraam, lit. ‘closing- place’, as in 7; but it also functions as an adverbial meaning ‘at the door’, as in 8: (7) Hôoy chivchaksurúraam? ‘Where’s the door?’ (8) Chivchaksurúraam u’íihya ‘He’s standing at the door.’ English has one word, home, which functions this way, both as a noun and as a locational adverb, as in This is home and He went home. In fact, we may point to the example of a Karuk word which can either be a placename or not: The word for ‘bowl’ is ásip. The expression ‘in the bowl’ has a locational suffix ásip-ak, but this word is also the name of a native village, Asipak, so called because it’s in a bowl-shaped hollow; and the locational form can be used EITHER as a descriptive adverbial expression OR as a placename. Thus we have locational usage in a sentence like 9, and the locational expression can occur as a noun: (9) Xuun ásipak u’íithra ‘The soup is in the bowl’, or ‘The soup is in (the village of) Asipak.’ (10) Hôoy ásipak? ‘Where is (the village of) Asipak?’ What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 679 The Nahuatl and the Karuk languages are spoken about 2000 miles apart, and there is no known historical relationship between them. I have the impression that placenames in some other American Indian languages can function as both nouns and adverbs, but so far I have not found evidence; I will be grateful if any colleagues can point out such cases to me. I will also be grateful if colleagues can point out comparable phenomena in other parts of the world, e.g., Australia. I believe that placenames, and indeed personal names, have interesting and widespread properties, both grammatical and sociolinguistic, which make them deserving of linguists’ attention. References Algeo, John. 1973. On Defining the Proper Name. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Ashley, Leonard R. N. 1996. Amerindian toponyms in the United States. Namenforschung / Name Studies / Les Noms Propres, ed. by Eichler, 1401-1408. Berlin: de Gruyter. Basso, Keith H. 1996. Landscape and Language among the Western Apache. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Bright, William. 1957. The Karuk Language. University of California Studies in Linguistics 13. Berkeley: University of California Press. Bright, William. (ed.) 1992. International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. New York: Oxford University Press. Bright, William. 2002. The NAPUS (Native American Placenames of the United States) Project: Principles and problems. Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas, ed. by William Frawley et al., 322-335. Berkeley: University of California Press. Eichler, Ernst, et al. (eds.) 1996. Namenforschung / Name Studies / Les Noms Propres. 3 vols. Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft 11. Berlin: de Gruyter. Feld, Steven, and Keith H. Basso. (eds.) 1996. Senses of Place. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press. Gēdēng (戈登). 1989. Jiāzhōu Dìmíng Zìdiǎn. Táiběi: Liánjīng. [Chinese translation of the following by Mǎ Quánzhōng.] Gudde, Erwin G. 1969. California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names (3rd edition). Berkeley: University of California Press. [4th edition, ed. by W. Bright, 1999.] Lamarque, P. V. 1994. Names and descriptions. Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, ed. by R. E. Asher, 2667-2672. Oxford: Pergamon. Lehrer, Adrienne. 1992. Names and naming: Why we need fields and frames. Frames, Fields, and Contrasts: New Essays in Semantic and Lexical Organization, ed. by A. Lehrer and E. F. Kittay, 123-142. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Lehrer, Adrienne. 1994. Proper names: Linguistic aspects. Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, vol.6, ed. by R. E. Asher, 3372-3374. Oxford: Pergamon. León-Portilla, Miguel. 1982. Los nombres de lugar en náhuatl: Su morfología, sintaxis y representación glífica. Estudios de Cultura Náhuatl 15:37-72. Martin, Jack B., and Margaret McKane Mauldin. 2000. A Dictionary of Creek/Muskogee, with Notes on the Florida and Oklahoma Seminole Dialects of Creek. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. Menn, Lise, and Brian MacWhinney. 1984. The repeated morph constraint: Towards an explanation. Language 60:419-541. Tooker, Elisabeth. (ed.) 1984. Naming Systems: Proceedings of the American Ethnological Society 1980. Washington, DC: American Ethnological Society. Waterman, T. T. 1920. Yurok Geography. University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 16.5:177-314. Berkeley: University of California Press. Wilson, Alan. 1995. Navajo Place Names. Guilford, CT: Jeffrey Norton. Zabeeh, Farhang. 1968. What Is in a Name? An Inquiry into the Semantics and Pragmatics of Proper Names. The Hague: Nijhoff. [Received 26 February 2003; revised 14 April 2003; accepted 21 April 2003] 1625 Mariposa Avenue Boulder, CO 80302 USA William.Bright at colorado.edu What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 681 名為何物?──我對專名學的看法 William Bright (威廉•布萊特) 科羅拉多大學 專名學是包含哲學、歷史學等許多學門關心的、研究 專有名詞的學問。 本文採用的是應用於北美印第安人名、地名研究的人 類語言學的觀點。本文 提出了一個問題:「專有名詞可不可以是描述性的詞 語?」。例如,字面意 義為“住在溪邊的人”的詞可不可以是個人名, 而“溪邊的石頭”可不可以 是個地名?此外,本文同時以加州的Karuk語、奧克拉荷 馬州的Creek語與 墨西哥的Nahuatl語的例子討論地名的語法特點。 關鍵詞:專名學,地名,人名,北美印第安人 「你很悲傷,」騎士擔心地說:「讓我唱首歌來安慰 你。」 「這首歌很長嗎?」愛麗絲問道,因為她這一天已經聽 夠了詩了。 「是很長,」騎士回答:「不過非常、非常美。每個聽 我唱的人不是熱淚盈 眶,就是...」 「就是怎樣?」愛麗絲問,因為騎士突然停了下來。 「就是沒有熱淚盈眶,你知道的。這首歌名叫“黑線 鱈的眼睛”。」 「喔。那是這首歌的名字,是吧?」愛麗絲說,想盡力表 現出感興趣的樣 子。 「不,你不懂,」騎士看起來有點惱:「那是它被稱呼的 名字。它真正的名 字是“一個很老很老的人”。」 「那麼我應該說:『那是這首歌被稱呼的名字』?」愛 麗絲更正自己。 「不,你不該,那根本是另一回事!這首歌叫做“方法與 手段”,但那只是 人們對它的稱呼而已,你知道的!」 「嗯,那這首歌到底是什麼?」這時愛麗絲已經完全被 弄糊塗了。 「我正要說,」騎士說:「這首歌其實是“坐在大門 上”,旋律是我自己創 作的。」 ──《鏡中奇緣》 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 23:02:26 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 16:02:26 -0700 Subject: Saving Languages Message-ID: The Impassioned Fight to Save Dying Languages More and more voices are speaking up to keep them from being overwhelmed by English and global pressures. By ROBERT LEE HOTZ, Times Science Writer LOSING CALIFORNIA'S LANGUAGES Of 100 Native American languages once spoken in California, 50 have been wiped out completely. An additional 17 have no fluent speakers. The remainder are spoken by only a few people. An enlarged version of the map below shows the surviving languages, the areas in which they are spoken and the number of native speakers. HILO, HAWAII--It was not the teachers bearing baskets of feather leis, the fanfares played on conch shells or the beating of the sacred sharkskin drum that made Hulilauakea Wilson's high school graduation so memorable. It was this: For the first time in a century, a child of the islands had been educated exclusively in his native Hawaiian language, immersed from birth in a special way of speaking his mind like a tropical fish steeped in the salt waters of its nativity. It was a language being reborn. More than an academic rite of passage, the graduation last May of Wilson and four other students at the Nawahiokalani'opu'u School on the Big Island of Hawaii signaled a coming of age for one of the world's most ambitious efforts to bring an endangered language back from the brink of extinction. The world has become a hospice for dying languages, which are succumbing to the pressure of global commerce, telecommunications, tourism, and the inescapable influence of English. By the most reliable estimates, more than half of the world's 6,500 languages may be extinct by the end of this century. "The number of languages is plummeting, imploding downward in an altogether unprecedented rate, just as human population is shooting straight upward," said University of Alaska linguist Michael Krauss. But scattered across the globe, many ethnic groups are struggling to find their own voice, even at the risk of making their dealings with the broader world they inhabit more fractious. From the Hoklo and Hakka in Hong Kong to the Euskara in Spain's Basque country, thousands of minority languages are clinging precariously to existence. A few, like Hebrew and Gaelic, have been rejuvenated as part of resurgent nationalism. Indeed, so important is language to political and personal self-determination that a people's right to speak its mind in the language of its choice is becoming an international human right. California once had the densest concentration of indigenous languages in North America. Today, almost every one of its 50 or so surviving native languages is on its deathbed. Indeed, the last fluent speaker of Chumash, a family of six languages once heard throughout Southern California and the West, is a professional linguist at UC Santa Barbara. More people in California speak Mongolian at home than speak any of the state's most endangered indigenous languages. "Not one of them is spoken by children at home," said UC Berkeley linguist Leanne Hinton. None of this happened by accident. All Native American languages, as well as Hawaiian, were for a century the target of government policies designed to eradicate them in public and in private, to ensure that they were not passed from parent to child. Until 1987, it was illegal to teach Hawaiian in the islands' public schools except as a foreign language. The language that once claimed the highest literacy rate in the world was banned even from the islands' private schools. Indeed, there may be no more powerful testimony to the visceral importance of language than the government's systematic efforts to destroy all the indigenous languages in the United States and replace them with English. No language in memory, except Spanish, has sought so forcefully to colonize the mind. Of an estimated 300 languages spoken in the territorial United States when Columbus made landfall in 1492, only 175 are still spoken. Of those, only 20 are being passed on to children. In 1868, a federal commission on Indian affairs concluded: "In the difference of language today lies two-thirds of our trouble. . . . Their barbarous dialect should be blotted out and the English language substituted." The commission reasoned that "through sameness of language is produced sameness of sentiment, and thought. . . . In process of time the differences producing trouble would have been gradually obliterated." Not until 1990 did the federal government reverse its official hostility to indigenous languages, when the Native American Languages Act made it a policy to preserve native tongues. Policies against indigineous languages were once in effect in many developed nations. Only the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 ended that government's efforts to force its ethnic minorities to adopt Russian. Policies in other nations aimed at eliminating minority languages such as Catalan in Spain, Kurdish in Turkey, Inuktitut in Canada and Lardio in Australia, to name just a few. Silencing a language does much more than eliminate a source of "differences producing trouble." A language embodies a community of people and their way of being. It is a unique mental framework that gives special form to universal human experiences. Languages are the most complex products of the human mind, each differing enormously in its sounds, structure and pattern of thought, said UCLA anthropologist Jared Diamond. As a prism through which perceptions are reflected, there is almost no end to the variations. In some languages, gender plays a relatively minor role, allowing sexually neutral forms of personal pronouns, and in others it is so overriding that men and women must use completely different forms of speech. Other tongues infuse every phrase with the structure of ownership, while others make cooperation a key grammatical rule. Some see only a category where another sees the individuals that constitute it. There are languages in which verities of time, cardinal directions, even left and right--as English conceives them--are almost wholly absent. "If we ever want to understand how the human mind works, we really want to know all the kinds of ways that have evolved for making sense out of the kaleidoscope of experience," said linguist Marianne Mithun at UC Santa Barbara. Suffocating in Silence  More than an ocean separates Katherine Silva Saubel on the Morongo Reservation at the foot of the arid, wind-swept San Gorgonio Pass near Banning from the language renaissance underway in Hawaii. The silence suffocating many languages is almost tangible in her darkened, cinder-block living room. There, in a worn beige recliner flanked by a fax machine, a treadmill and a personal computer, Saubel, a 79-year-old Cahuilla Indian activist and scholar, marshals her resistance to time and the inroads of English. Saubel is the last fluent speaker of her native tongue on this reservation. "Since my husband died," she said, "there is no one here I can converse with." For 50 years, this broad-shouldered great-grandmother has worked almost single-handedly to ensure the survival of Cahuilla. Her efforts earned her a place in the National Women's Hall of Fame and a certificate of merit from the state Indian Museum in Sacramento. Even so, her language is slipping away. "I wanted to teach the children the language, but their mothers wanted them to know English. A lot of them want the language taught to them now," Saubel said. "Maybe it will revive." If it does, it will be a recovery based almost solely on the memories she has pronounced and defined for academic tape recorders, the words she has filed in the only known dictionary of Cahuilla, and the songs she has helped commit to living tribal memory. Tribal artifacts and memorabilia are housed in the nearby Makli Museum that she founded, the first in North America to be organized and managed by Native Americans. Born on the Los Coyotes Reservation east of Warm Springs, Saubel did not even see a white person until she was 4 years old--"I thought he was sick," she recalled--and English had no place in her world until she was 7. Then her mother--who spoke neither English nor Spanish--sent her to a public school. She was, she recalled, the only Indian girl in the classroom. She could not speak English. No one tried to teach her to speak the language, she said. Mostly, she was ignored. "I would speak to them in the Indian language and they would answer me in English. I don't remember when I began to understand what was being said to me," Saubel said. "Maybe a year." Even so, by eighth grade she had discovered a love of learning that led her to become the first Indian woman to graduate from Palm Springs High School. But she also saw the other Indian children taken aside at recess and whipped if they spoke their language in school. In time, the child of an Indian medicine woman became an ethno-botanist. For linguists as far away as Germany and Japan, she became both a research subject and a collaborator. She is working now with UC San Diego researchers to catalog all the medicinal plants identified in tribal lore. "My race is dying," she said. "I am saving the remnants of my culture in these books." "I am just a voice in the wilderness all by myself," Saubel said. "But I have made these books as something for my great-grandchildren. And I have great-grandchildren." In its broadest outlines, her life is a refrain repeated on many mainland reservations. "Basically, every American Indian language is endangered," said Douglas Whalen at Yale University's Haskins Laboratory, who is chairman of the Endangered Languages Fund. As a matter of policy, Native American families often were broken up to keep children from learning to speak like their parents. Indian boarding schools, founded in the last century to implement that policy, left generations of Indians with no direct connection to their language or tribal cultures. Today, the federal Administration for Native Americans dispenses about $2 million in language grants to tribes every year. But even the best efforts to preserve the skeletons of grammar, vocabulary and syntax cannot breathe life into a language that its people have abandoned. Still, from the Kuruk of Northern California to the Chitimacha of Louisiana and the Abenaki of Vermont, dozens of tribes are trying to rekindle their languages. Mohawk is taught in upstate New York, Lakota on the Oglala Sioux reservation in South Dakota, Ute in Utah, Choctaw in Mississippi, and Kickapoo in Oklahoma. The Navajo Nation--with 80,000 native speakers-- has its own comprehensive, college-level training to produce Navajo- speaking teachers for the 240 schools in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah that have large numbers of Navajo students. Some tribes, acknowledging that too few tribal members still speak their language, have switched to English for official business while trying to give children a feel for the words and catch-phrases of their native language. Even when instruction falls short of achieving fluency, it can inspire pride that, in turn, translates into lower school dropout rates and improved test scores, several experts said. Like the Hawaiian students, Mohawk children near Montreal, who are taught in their native language, do better academically than their tribal schoolmates taught in English. But revitalization efforts often founder on the political geography of the reservation system, economic pressure and the language gap that divides grandparent from grandchild. As many tribes assert the prerogatives of sovereignty for the first time in generations, some tribal leaders are jarred to discover themselves more at ease in English than in the language of their ancestors. "Often people who are now in power in Indian communities are the first generation that does not speak the language, and it can be very, very hard for them," Mithun at UC Santa Barbara said. "It is hard to be an Indian and not being able to prove it with language. You have to be a big person to say I want my kids to be more Indian than I am." When people do break through to fluency, they tap a hidden wellspring of community. "I was in my own language, not just saying the words, but my own thoughts," said Nancy Steele of Crescent City, an advanced apprentice in the Karuk language. "It is a way of being, something that has been here for a long, long time, a sense of balance with the world." An All-Out Effort to Save Hawaiian  The effort to revive Hawaiian today is a cultural battle for hearts and minds waged with dictionaries, Internet sites, children's books, videos, multimedia databases and radio broadcasts. At its forefront are a handful of parents and educators determined to remake Hawaiian into a language in which every aspect of modern life--from rocket science to rap--can be expressed. Spearheading the revival is a nonprofit foundation called the Aha Punano Leo, which means the "language nest" in Hawaiian. Inspired by the Maori of New Zealand and the Mohawks of Canada, Punano Leo teachers use the immersion approach, in which only the language being learned is used throughout the school day. In 15 years, the Punano Leo has grown from a few volunteers running a preschool with 12 students to a $5-million-a-year enterprise with 130 employees that encompasses 11 private Hawaiian language schools, the world's most sophisticated native language computer network, and millions in university scholarships. It works in partnership with the state department of education, which now operates 16 public Hawaiian language schools, and the University of Hawaii, which recently established the first Hawaiian language college in Hilo. So far, it is succeeding most in the place where so many other revitalization efforts have failed: in the homes that, all too often, are the first place a language begins to die. To enroll their children in a Punano Leo immersion school, parents must pledge to also become fluent in Hawaiian and promise that only Hawaiian will be spoken at home. The effort arose from the frustration of seven Hawaiian language teachers, amid a general political reawakening of Hawaiian native rights, and one couple's promise to an unborn child. The couple was University of Hawaii linguist William H. Wilson and Hawaiian language expert Kauanoe Kamana, who today is president of Punano Leo and principal of the Nawahiokalani'opu'u School. The child was their son: 1999 graduating senior Hulilauakea Wilson. Their daughter Keli'i will graduate next year. "When we married, my wife and I decided we wanted to use Hawaiian when our children were born because no one was speaking it," William Wilson said. "It was a personal thing for us. We were building the schools for us, almost, as well as for other people. We started with a preschool and now they are in college." They planted the seed of a language revival and cultivated it. Like many others, Wilson and Kamana were frustrated that Hawaiian could be taught only as a foreign language, even though it was, along with English, the official language of a state in which the linguistic landscape had been redrawn repeatedly by annexation, immigration and tourism. It must compete with more than 16 languages today to retain a foothold in the island state, from Japanese and Spanish to Tagalog and Portuguese. Hawaiian ranks only eighth in its homeland, census figures show, trailing Samoan in the number of households where it can be heard. It was not always so. Although Hawaiian did not even acquire an alphabet until the early 1800s, the islanders' appetite for their language proved so insatiable that missionary presses produced about 150 million pages of Hawaiian text between 1820 and 1850. At least 150 Hawaiian- language newspapers also thrived. In 1880, there were 150 schools teaching in Hawaiian. A decade later-- after the islands were forcibly annexed by the U.S.--there were none. As part of a small group of committed language teachers, inspired by influential University of Hawaii linguist Larry Kimura, Wilson and and Kamana vowed to restore the language to a central place among Hawaiians. "This is the most exciting thing I can do for my people," Kamana said of the foundation's mission. "This is the core of Hawaiian identity: the Hawaiian way. The Hawaiian language is the code of that way." Updating Old Language With New Vocabulary  Many reviving languages, however, face the new world of the 21st century with a 19th century vocabulary. "A living language means you have to be able to talk about everything," said Kamana. "If you can't talk about everything, you will talk in English. It is simple." The task of updating Hawaiian falls to a group called the Lexicon Committee. Once a year, the committee issues a bright yellow dictionary called the Mamaka Kaiao, which defines new words created to fill gaps in Hawaiian's knowledge of the contemporary world, from a noun for the space shuttle's manned maneuvering unit--ahikao ha awe--to a term for coherent laser light: malamalama aukahi. This year's edition runs to 311 pages, with 4,000 terms. A is for aeolele: pogo stick; Z is for Zimababue: a citizen of Zimbabwe. Whenever possible, the new words relate to traditional vocabulary and customs. The Hawaiian word for rap music--Paleoleo--refers to warring factions who would trade taunts. The word for e-mail--Lika uila-- merges words for lightning and letter. The word for pager-- Kele' O-- echoes the idea of calling someone's name. Like so many other aspects of the Hawaiian language revival--from translating the state educational curriculum to organizing an accredited school system--the committee has the authority to shape the future of Hawaiian only because its linguists, native speakers and volunteers simply started doing it. "It exists; that is its authority," said Wilson. But many of those whose languages are undergoing such resuscitation efforts don't want to accommodate the present. They worry that grafting new verbs and nouns will violate the sanctity of the ancient language they hope will draw them back into a world of their own. At Cochiti Pueblo, in New Mexico, where the Keresan language is spoken, the tribal council decided in 1997 that it would not develop a written form of the language. The language itself was a sacred text too closely tied to the pueblo's religion and traditional societies to be changed in any way. Under the onslaught of new technology and new customs, however, even the most well-established languages are pushed off balance by the natural evolution of words and grammar. Certainly, the 40 intellectuals of the Academie Francaise in Paris and the Office de la Langue Francaise in Quebec are fiercely resisting the inroads of Franglais, as a matter of national pride and linguistic purity. But a thousand leaks spring from the linguistic dikes they maintain with such determination, if not from the engineering patter of the Internet, then from the international slang of sports. Recently, the prestigious Pasteur Institute in Paris started publishing its three most important scientific journals in English. Earlier this year, the Quebec French office felt obliged to post an officially approved dictionary of French substitutes for English golf terms. In the same way, many indigenous tribes feel that their native tongues must be made to encompass every aspect of a world that continued to change long after the language itself stagnated. The vocabulary of Karuk stopped growing naturally more than half a century ago, said Nancy Steele. Even the words for auto parts stopped with the models of the 1930s. As her tribe coins words today, they reflect the spirit of their language. The new Karuk word for wristwatch, for example, translates as "little sun worn on the wrist." "If you do not allow a language to be spoken as a living language," Steele said, "it will, in a sense, be a dead language. You have to allow it to be alive and animated." Schools Funded by Donations, Grants  In eighth-grade science class, Hui Hui Mossman's students are conducting germination experiments. Down the hall, Kaleihoku Kala'i's math class wrestles with the arithmetic of medians and averages. In social studies class, Lehua Veincent taps the floor with a yardstick for emphasis as his students recite their family genealogies. And Caroline Fallau is teaching her 13 11th-graders English--as a foreign language. So the school day hits its stride at the Nawahiokalani'opu'u immersion high school, where 84 teenagers, with only an occasional adolescent yawn, are hitting the books. But for the sound of Hawaiian in the hallways, computer workstations and classrooms, this could be any well-funded private school in America. The appearance of prosperity is deceptive. The Punano Leo schools are sustained year to year by a fragile patchwork of donations, state education aid and federal grants. The lush, well-manicured campus, with its complex of immaculate blue classroom buildings, itself is the work of parent volunteers, aided by an island flora in which even the weeds are as ornamental as orchids. Several miles away, the younger children are arriving at the public Keukaha Elementary School, which offers both English and Hawaiian immersion classes under one roof. Those in English classes walk directly to their homerooms, while the Hawaiian immersion students--almost half the school--gather in nine rows on the school steps for a morning ceremony. Chanting in their native language, they formally seek permission to enter and affirm their commitment to their community. They will not encounter English as a subject until fifth grade, where it will be taught one hour a day. Running an elementary school with two languages "is a delicate balance and not always an easy one," said Principal Katharine Webster. There is competition for resources and the demand for immersion classes increases every year, while--in a depressed island economy--the education budget does not, she said. "Teaching in an immersion environment is not easy at all," said third- grade teacher Leimaile Bontag. "You spend weekends and hours after school to prepare lessons. We often need to translate on our own, find the new vocabulary. It takes hours and hours." But it is a proud complaint. Clearly, the teachers are sustained by their love for Hawaiian and the community it has fostered. And it appears to be having a beneficial effect on the native Hawaiian students, who traditionally test at the bottom of the educational system and have the highest dropout rate. Given the difficulty in comparing the language groups, an objective yardstick of student performance is hard to come by. But one set of Stanford Achievement Tests taken by sixth-graders at Keukaha Elementary educated since preschool in Hawaiian suggests that they are doing as well or better than their schoolmates. In tests given in English, all of the Hawaiian-educated students scored average or above in math while only two-thirds of the students in all-English classes scored as well. In reading, two-thirds of Hawaiian-educated students scored average or above, compared to half of the English-educated students. Getting an Early Start on Hawaiian  In the shade of the African tulip trees, Kaipua'ala Crabbe is leading 22 toddlers in song: a lilting Hawaiian translation of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Four other teachers and two university students help the children pronounce the Hawaiian lyrics at the Punano Leo immersion preschool in Hilo. Hulilauakea Wilson, who volunteers regularly at the preschool when he is not attending university classes, helps a little boy tie his shoes. The child climbs onto his lap and listens attentively, not yet sure of the meaning of every word he hears in school. "Every child reacts differently," said Alohalani Housman, who has been teaching Hawaiian immersion classes for 13 years. "The students might listen for months and not say anything. But all of them soon become speakers." And so the seeds of a language revival are cultivated. "It is the language of this land," young Wilson said. "It is like growing the native plants. This is their land. We are the plants of this land too." The success of the Hawaiian program raises a larger question of longevity: How well can such diverse languages coexist and how much should the majority culture do to accommodate them? Foundation officials and parents said their embrace of Hawaiian is no rejection of English. They are only insisting on their right to be bilingual, determined to ensure that Hawaiian is their first language of the heart. "Everybody is so concerned about whether they are going to learn English and whether we are parenting them properly," said Kau Ontai, cradling her 2-year-old daughter Kamalei in one arm. Her two older children attend the Punano Leo preschool. Her husband teaches the language. She studied it in high school, then achieved fluency as a Punano Leo volunteer. Hawaiian is the voice of their home, yet the native language they speak marks them as alien to many in their island homeland. "When we walk through a mall in Hawaii speaking Hawaiian, people are shocked," she said. "They stop us and ask: What about English? We hear Chinese being spoken, Japanese spoken, Filipino spoken. Nobody ever stops them in their tracks and says why are you speaking that?" "For now, their first and only language is Hawaiian," she said of her children. She is confident that they will learn English easily enough when the time comes. "But my husband and I will never look into our children's eyes and speak English to them," she said. "That is something I could never do." © 2000 Los Angeles Times -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Yahgan (a stone's throw from Antarctica) also has the same ambiguity between noun and adverb status for geographical terms, but also for temporal ones. Like Karuk, Yahgan has complex verbs with instrument/bodypart prefixation, and pathway/locational suffixation. I am wondering whether such traits (and similar ones) are one of the reasons for the ambiguity- or is it the ambiguity that comes first? In Mark Baker's version of polysynthesis many nominals become adjunctive in status- adverbials are often (usually?) adjunctive. Somehow the class boundary has dissolved. But the direction of status movement seems to be opposite from that found in the languages above- there adverbs seem to have moved in the direction of nouns, and can now be glommed onto verbs lending specificity to the stem in a way that is absent in Bakerian polysynthetic languages- where incorporated elements seem more generic. But I'm just blowing smoke here. Thoughts? Jess Tauber phonosemantics at earthlink.net From dzo at BISHARAT.NET Mon Apr 24 16:01:30 2006 From: dzo at BISHARAT.NET (Don Osborn) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:01:30 -0000 Subject: Fwd: measuring language vitality Message-ID: Forwarding this item on the chance anyone on ILAT may have some comments / info. TIA... Don --- In AfricanLanguages at yahoogroups.com, Hussein Saeed wrote: Dear Friends, I am interested in any information on measuring language vitality.What are the techniques in gathering the data about language vitality.Thanks in advance. Hussein --------------------------------- --- End forwarded message --- From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 24 18:31:03 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:31:03 -0700 Subject: Oneida holy men stress harmony in life (fwd) Message-ID: ONEIDA HOLY MEN STRESS HARMONY IN LIFE By Jean Peerenboom[1] jpeerenb at greenbaypressgazette.com[2] April 22, 2006 http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060422/GPG0406/604220524/1250/GPGlife DE PERE — Deacon Everett Doxtator and Leander Danforth spent Thursday morning telling stories — the same kind of stories that enabled the Oneida Tribe of Indians and other tribes to hand down their religion and culture even though the government was trying to silence them. Doxtator, a deacon with St. Joseph Catholic Church in Oneida, and Danforth, a faithkeeper with the Longhouse religion of the Oneidas, were the speakers at the Spirituality in Retirement Forum at St. Anne's Episcopal Church. Most Oneidas came to Wisconsin as Methodists or Episcopalians, Doxtator said. For many years, the government and Christian churches did not allow them to practice the rituals of their culture. "When we came into a Christian church, we had to take a Christian name. People usually took their sponsor's name." It wasn't until 1977 that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops allowed Native American symbols in Catholic churches. In 1978, the government allowed Native Americans to practice their native spirituality, Doxtator said. "Having our symbols in church is important. We have them so people can feel a part of it. That's nice. Other (mainline Christian) churches also allow these symbols in church," he said. Both men emphasized the importance of finding harmony and balance in life. "When we have balance, we have fullness of life," Doxtator said. "We're all in the world together. We all journey together. I can't help it if you're white and I'm brown. We're all on a journey to the Creator." Danforth, who is involved in an effort to revitalize the Oneida language, said the language is important because the Longhouse ceremonies are done in native tongue. "When I was young, we didn't know anything about our own identity. Nowhere in the stories we were told repeatedly are the stories of our ceremonies. This tells me that most of the people here came as Christian. But some of our ceremonies are for medicine — for healing. That's important for us." The Longhouse religion and sweat lodges that are conducted here today date back to 1981, Danforth said. "The Longhouse community is a small group, but it is acknowledged by our own people. Last year, the chiefs of five nations acknowledged us." "What I see is the importance of well-being — body, mind and spirit. These are things people need to be healthy. We have medicine societies to take care of our people," Danforth said. Included in the Longhouse religion are thanksgiving ceremonies "that were given to us by the Creator." The four ceremonies are the Feather Dance, the Men's Dance, the Drum Dance and the Peach Dance. The thanksgiving ceremonies go in cycles that coincide with harvest, planting, mid-winter, and more. Doxtator explained the sweat lodge, which can be a six-hour ceremony. "Women sit on the south side; men on the north side. When the door is closed, it's like being back in the womb." Throughout the ceremony, there are prayers and songs. The doors are opened four different times. The ceremony focuses on purifying, prayer and healing. "When the door is opened for the fourth time, everything is let out. You are cleansed," he said. When the ceremony is over, everyone takes some berries, meat and corn that are laid out at the beginning as part of the ritual. These are shared and people shake hands. "It ends with breaking bread — a potluck," he said. "As I learn about my culture, the sweat lodge and Christianity, I find there is not a lot of difference," Doxtator said. Links: ------ [1] mailto:jpeerenb at greenbaypressgazette.com [2] mailto:jpeerenb at greenbaypressgazette.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 03:51:08 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:51:08 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: Message-ID: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nuñez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Diné Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 04:01:25 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:01:25 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <006b01c6681b$7fdbba30$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your should bring it up with Bill On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nuñez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Diné Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 14:00:50 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:00:50 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <8E0B9C80-6644-4426-94C8-5BDBB9FBBD2B@ncidc.org> Message-ID: I don't actually know him, although I am familiar with some of his work in Karuk. I have the Karuk dictionary. Perhaps you could forward this along to him? I would be interested to hear what he says. Freeman, by the way, was a cognitive neurobiologist. In fact, he still is, at maybe UCLA. Lakoff is famous for his work in English metaphors. Turner is a cognitive psychologist, while Nuñez is multidisciplinary, with a degree in psychology, and his work in metaphoric structures touching on computer representation. The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn languages, and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? I think it's Powell, in his prescriptive 1880 document about words to be collected. There are lots of anthropological categories, and none for math, science, and technology. Ñdn astronomy and complex lunar calendricality preceded Western accomplishments in these areas by hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, but we hear nothing of it in the language in which the knowledge developed. So perhaps you should forward this along to him. Perhaps he would like to join our list and have a discussion with the other people here as well. I would speculate that a lot of our list would much appreciate the opportunity. I know I would. Best, Mia Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:01 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your should bring it up with Bill On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nuñez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Diné Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 14:09:23 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:09:23 -0600 Subject: FW: Fibonacci poetry Message-ID: Check this out. This came in on my ISGEM list, which is a group of wonderful ethnomathematicians. The Fibonacci series is essentially a spiral, so when you visualize the words of the poems the way they would have to look, and then spin them, you get something that looks like a galaxy. I am imagining this in Diné Bizaad. It would also be good as Fibonacci poems of sounds, an actualization of what Jess Tauber was talking about the other day, but from a different perspective. Mia _____ Subject: Fibonacci poetry This isn't exactly ethnomathematical, but . A blending of poetry structure and mathematics: the "Fib" = poems with line-lengths of the Fibonacci sequence. See: http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/2006/04/i_love_strict_p.html Trying writing some yourself! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 15:09:58 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:09:58 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <008901c66870$ab5bbde0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: I sent it to Bill and to our Tribal Linguist/language Program Director Susan Gehr , will post any replies they may have On Apr 25, 2006, at 7:00 AM, Mia Kalish wrote: I don't actually know him, although I am familiar with some of his work in Karuk. I have the Karuk dictionary. Perhaps you could forward this along to him? I would be interested to hear what he says. Freeman, by the way, was a cognitive neurobiologist. In fact, he still is, at maybe UCLA. Lakoff is famous for his work in English metaphors. Turner is a cognitive psychologist, while Nuñez is multidisciplinary, with a degree in psychology, and his work in metaphoric structures touching on computer representation. The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn languages, and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? I think it's Powell, in his prescriptive 1880 document about words to be collected. There are lots of anthropological categories, and none for math, science, and technology. Ñdn astronomy and complex lunar calendricality preceded Western accomplishments in these areas by hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, but we hear nothing of it in the language in which the knowledge developed. So perhaps you should forward this along to him. Perhaps he would like to join our list and have a discussion with the other people here as well. I would speculate that a lot of our list would much appreciate the opportunity. I know I would. Best, Mia Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:01 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your should bring it up with Bill On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nuñez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Diné Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Tue Apr 25 15:11:30 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:11:30 -0400 Subject: FW: Fibonacci poetry Message-ID: Hoo boy! Don't *even* get me started on Phi. Did somebody say "Da Vinci Code"? Jess Tauber From rzs at TDS.NET Tue Apr 25 15:13:14 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:13:14 -0500 Subject: Names Message-ID: Mia, Genoicide of the Mind sounds like a very insightful book i've been also concerned about these things for years. I created a piece of pottery which depicted an anthropologist and a missionary tumbling in a knock down fistfight the pot can be seen , http://blueraingallery.com/art_details/3895 The missionary has on his tee-shirt "Jesus is is Life" the anthropologist is wearing a "DNA is life" tee-shirt It is a battle for soul-capture....and neither realize the damages they themselves inflict because each is working from deeply mindset presumptions of intellectual or spiritual superiority,even without realizing it. Anthropological fascination over a given culture is not necessarily flattering .There is one anthropologist ( swearshe was Wendat in a past life) has intimidated elders till he was "named" and then uses it as status to invite himself to sacred ceremonies because he wants to "help" us. it wasn't ONLY the punishment of children for speaking their indigenous languages that caused so much damage . Gratifying REWARDs and FLATTERY for "correct" student behavior were devestating because children are hungry to please an adult and often yield more to the smile than to the whip Richard Zane Smith Wyandot > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/24 Mon PM 10:51:08 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William > Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this > is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is > saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive > conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still > shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea > has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create > meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not > to the stimulus. > > Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all > time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the > linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff > began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years > later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nuñez and Lakoff have developed structures > that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic > objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is > no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have > references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in > the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. > > There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi > has words for Time. So does Diné Bizaad. They just show up in ways very > different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English > speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss > them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was > talking about humor. > > Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor > taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House > construction? Tool making? Navigation? > > I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and > its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by > Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we > struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and > mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are > methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our > memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, > America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. > > So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed > of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning > quotes, and some other combination of both of these > characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of > "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). > And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California > not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". > > Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. > > Mia > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Names > > “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA > William Bright > University of Colorado > www.ncidc.org/bright/ > > Abstract > > Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, > Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak > entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for > the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as > closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the > light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that > the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single > morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations > of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. > A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of > verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the > deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant > terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the > latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form > part of the status of native northwestern California not as a > linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 15:44:16 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 09:44:16 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <20060425151314.WLWW31057.outaamta01.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Hi, Richard, It is a hard, hard book to read; things you know as evil in the aggregate become things that tear your heart in the individual. Very insightful pottery. Very philosophical. (Also very sold :-) ). One of the things I notice, and find curious, is that everyone shows up in Ñdn country sure that they have the answer to all the problems. In all my travels, I have only seen a few people who think that Tribes should develop the skills and gather the resources to actualize their ideas, hopes and goals. I find, working with people, that once they find out they can do it themselves, for themselves, they do very well, even with challenging and scary technology. Maybe some of the difference in views happens because in systems analysis, if you walk in and tell a client what he needs without first asking and looking carefully at the situation, you get thrown right out. :-) And I know what you mean about the children. There are people who write about pleasing, and the joy of reward, but usually in the context of manipulation at the boarding schools. I mentioned Dave Stephenson because his piece made me cry, and this was really hard. You go around the world, you see and talk to numerous people, you see things that maybe no one should have to see, and then, one small chapter in a new book tears your heart out. 'z too bad someone hasn't thought of doing a movie story - instead of a documentary - on life in the boarding schools. It could have "real people" or be an animation. [On a slightly different note, the 10 year old child of a friend of mine was talking about ScoobyDoo, which has been re-released as an animation. She said, "Oh, yeah, you know that was an Ooolllddd movie because it had real people in it." I was floored! This is how far things have come. I wasn't there, but I know stories of how getting real people in real movies with real voices was an enormous challenge. Getting things in color was another major advance; now its all passé. Surprising, huh? Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 9:13 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names Mia, Genoicide of the Mind sounds like a very insightful book i've been also concerned about these things for years. I created a piece of pottery which depicted an anthropologist and a missionary tumbling in a knock down fistfight the pot can be seen , http://blueraingallery.com/art_details/3895 The missionary has on his tee-shirt "Jesus is is Life" the anthropologist is wearing a "DNA is life" tee-shirt It is a battle for soul-capture....and neither realize the damages they themselves inflict because each is working from deeply mindset presumptions of intellectual or spiritual superiority,even without realizing it. Anthropological fascination over a given culture is not necessarily flattering .There is one anthropologist ( swearshe was Wendat in a past life) has intimidated elders till he was "named" and then uses it as status to invite himself to sacred ceremonies because he wants to "help" us. it wasn't ONLY the punishment of children for speaking their indigenous languages that caused so much damage . Gratifying REWARDs and FLATTERY for "correct" student behavior were devestating because children are hungry to please an adult and often yield more to the smile than to the whip Richard Zane Smith Wyandot > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/24 Mon PM 10:51:08 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William > Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this > is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is > saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive > conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still > shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea > has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create > meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not > to the stimulus. > > Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all > time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the > linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff > began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years > later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nuñez and Lakoff have developed structures > that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic > objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is > no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have > references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in > the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. > > There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi > has words for Time. So does Diné Bizaad. They just show up in ways very > different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English > speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss > them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was > talking about humor. > > Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor > taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House > construction? Tool making? Navigation? > > I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and > its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by > Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we > struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and > mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are > methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our > memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, > America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. > > So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed > of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning > quotes, and some other combination of both of these > characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of > "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). > And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California > not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". > > Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. > > Mia > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Names > > “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA > William Bright > University of Colorado > www.ncidc.org/bright/ > > Abstract > > Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, > Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak > entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for > the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as > closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the > light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that > the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single > morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations > of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. > A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of > verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the > deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant > terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the > latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form > part of the status of native northwestern California not as a > linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From coyotez at UOREGON.EDU Tue Apr 25 15:51:17 2006 From: coyotez at UOREGON.EDU (David Gene Lewis) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:51:17 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <20060425151314.WLWW31057.outaamta01.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Mia, a very interesting discussion. Along with Genocide of the Mind, I have enjoyed Ngugi Wa Thiongo's work on "Decolonizing the Mind" along with his other writings about similar colonial situations in Africa. I love his critique of African Literature as not being really African unless it is written by Indigenous Africans, and in an African Language. This is a blind spot in Universities worldwide. David ------------------- > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 16:00:03 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:00:03 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <200604251551.k3PFpHSA006289@smtp.uoregon.edu> Message-ID: Hi, David, That does sound interesting. The issue of materials in Indigenous languages seems to be huge and hidden. I think we need more materials in Indigenous languages regardless of whether monolingual white people can read them or not. I don't know how many people on this list know H. Russell Bernard, at U. Florida up in Gainesville. We are creating a web location where Indigenous writers can publish and sell their work. We don't have the first one quite up yet, because it's a beautiful, several hundred page book, with illustrations. I figure by August or September. . . but I thought I would let people know we are doing this. This seems to fit with what Thiongo is saying, yes? Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of David Gene Lewis Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 9:51 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names Mia, a very interesting discussion. Along with Genocide of the Mind, I have enjoyed Ngugi Wa Thiongo's work on "Decolonizing the Mind" along with his other writings about similar colonial situations in Africa. I love his critique of African Literature as not being really African unless it is written by Indigenous Africans, and in an African Language. This is a blind spot in Universities worldwide. David ------------------- > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From hardman at UFL.EDU Tue Apr 25 16:16:46 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:16:46 -0400 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <00b901c6687f$1e925680$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: Along these lines, actually written up for a gender conference, I have three rules that I attempt to teach my students here at UF in all my course: field methods, language and culture/gender/violence, morphology, phonology -- everywhere. Almost none of my students are Ndn. These I published in terms of gender. I just used the article for L&Violence. I have edited it one word for here: 1. When we look towards other people and say what they DON¹T have may we also, simultaneously and with equal energy say what they DO have. 2. When we seek to teach others what we now know may we simultaneously and with equal interest learn what they know. 3. When we tell/show others what we DO have may we simultaneously and with equal detail tell them what we do NOT have. The point, of course, is that contact is a two-way street, or should be, or is whether wished or not. Human respect requires that we recognize and know so -- or at least thus do I carry on in my classes. MJ reference: Hardman, MJ 2004 Feminism as an Imperialist Construct Women and Language 27:1 Spring 2004. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 16:35:08 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 09:35:08 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: White Privilege by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and tangible we could call white privilege. So, if we live in a world of white privilege – unearned white privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has affected me. I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American Indians. I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white privilege. What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am cut some slack. After all, I'm white. My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of that time the university could have as many mediocre minority professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding me to those myths. Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we will live with that fear. White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day white supremacy is erased from this society. [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. Last year I published an article about white privilege in the Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the backs of non-white people. The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying attention to? My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my privilege, which is in large part tied to race. Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at stake. The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic categories, around the following claims: 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from understanding racial issues. 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we continue to live with. 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and II, and then ask what "civilized" means. 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The Klan isn't dead. There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am more interested in one common assumption that all these correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require radical solutions. And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view instead of a moral and political one. So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such unearned privilege is eliminated. Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball nor do we eliminate their advantage. The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that violence as well as more subtle means. I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been created by one group to keep others down. Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being white, I might want to make myself black. But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it upon us, no matter what we want. So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage in collective political activity to try to change the society because I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I don't wallow in it. What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to the folks who live without the privilege." It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. How We Are White By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching Tolerance The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear that other White teachers feel similar confusion." As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, yet I continue to benefit from its possession. But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury condemned this act of racist violence. In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat all my students the same." Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I thought I was the answer, rather than the question. Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race and multicultural education in the classroom. White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have returned several times to work with the elementary staff who experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; Page A01 AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege walk, and she wasn't happy about it. The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another step forward. "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so separated." The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for two centuries. Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start looking at whiteness as a group." Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white people as evil," Horowitz said. "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just despicable." Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in whiteness studies. The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea come from?" At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies courses Cairns took last semester. The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a political act to control the country. Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of them had. Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, blacks and Hispanics still are?' " A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. The students listened without objection, but they don't always. Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves and our country without knowing this history." Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of Virginia": "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind." >From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians. "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," five years before the American Revolution started. But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its place. "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you are white." In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped build white suburbs. Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, this would be a different country." "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the national narrative." After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think it's important to have friends of color," she said. Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings to light that white people, too, are racialized." Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the negative." Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've started to look beyond my group." © 2003 The Washington Post Company From AEROWE at AOL.COM Tue Apr 25 16:37:56 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:37:56 EDT Subject: Names Message-ID: In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely a historian. But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the debate to which she was referring. In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they determined that math and science would exist separately from other activities in daily life. Just a few random ideas. Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hardman at UFL.EDU Tue Apr 25 16:54:13 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:54:13 -0400 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <5D467342-EDBE-4C88-AB0E-FF314B74888E@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Thanks for sharing this. There is also 'Unpacking the White Knapsack' by Peggy MacIntosh, which I also use. In my own case, I was born and raised white, but the family I built is not white, so I have lived on both sides now. And, though white privilege is clearly part of who I am, in terms of identity my Ndn family takes precedence when it comes to things like salary decisions here at the university, as well, of course, as being a woman. On occasion I am with a white group that sees me as white, period. The ensuing conversation reminds me of Lisa at the races in My Fair Lady. But most of my life today is lived in the borderlands, and my scholarship as well. MJ On 04/25/2006 12:35 PM, "Andre Cramblit" wrote: > White Privilege > > by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas > Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, > [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] > > Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University > of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white > student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he > opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing > field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he > thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have > either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run > mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and > tangible we could call white privilege. > > So, if we live in a world of white privilege ­ unearned white > privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing > field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't > matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate > white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned > privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to > rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove > home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white > people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, > some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and > anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its > roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and > honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. > > White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white > supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not > they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but > such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other > aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other > kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white > privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has > affected me. > > I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern > European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the > whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white > world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because > I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the > state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American > Indians. > > I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my > culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip > over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the > institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" > myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white > privilege. > > What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission > to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't > look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me > they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a > racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of > them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am > cut some slack. After all, I'm white. > > My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some > complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled > with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority > faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry > Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were > in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of > that time the university could have as many mediocre minority > professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as > an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white > privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have > slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of > solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. > > Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a > bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real > people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I > know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, > I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full > time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of > scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to > get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked > hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every > once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like > I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't > feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by > merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. > That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't > white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all > through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. > > All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was > accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a > teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, > headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and > in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one > nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and > I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my > work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white > people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that > in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from > white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able > to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was > due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the > heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by > the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding > me to those myths. > > Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I > didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had > more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't > heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that > fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was > still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know > that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until > we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their > fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we > will live with that fear. > > White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to > keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man > and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am > benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all > the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but > it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day > white supremacy is erased from this society. > > [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of > the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on > the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the > politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded > to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs > deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. > > The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. > > Last year I published an article about white privilege in the > Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other > newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on > Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. > > As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a > dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not > only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks > can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White > people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world > mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the > backs of non-white people. > > The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions > of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the > most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly > African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is > white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- > workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but > everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." > > Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. > Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on > the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager > who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white > folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is > invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying > attention to? > > My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a > Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I > speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will > take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will > not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral > authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. > > Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my > privilege, which is in large part tied to race. > > Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- > white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring > realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the > white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at > stake. > > The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic > categories, around the following claims: > > 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made > being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited > attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually > nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that > pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real > disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from > understanding racial issues. > > 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is > natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst > manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes > human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to > avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we > continue to live with. > > 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing > because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some > bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to > non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued > the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their > cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is > superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider > five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and > II, and then ask what "civilized" means. > > 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and > I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The > Klan isn't dead. > > There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am > more interested in one common assumption that all these > correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action > were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two > out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In > political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real > solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and > structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of > oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These > systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require > radical solutions. > > And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged > another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I > have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, > even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt > because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, > focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it > leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view > instead of a moral and political one. > > So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud > about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control > over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a > privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to > enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and > understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such > unearned privilege is eliminated. > > Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, > people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed > out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in > basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball > nor do we eliminate their advantage. > > The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they > carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create > and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. > The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that > violence as well as more subtle means. > > I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that > everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, > I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could > erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to > change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been > created by one group to keep others down. > > Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most > creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was > the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a > brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note > or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I > assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being > white, I might want to make myself black. > > But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only > motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am > not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these > matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral > and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there > is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it > upon us, no matter what we want. > > So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist > society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage > in collective political activity to try to change the society because > I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, > though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may > be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night > feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I > don't wallow in it. > > What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that > means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned > privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means > learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably > not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. > > It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original > article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a > campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of > racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been > alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on > that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to > the folks who live without the privilege." > > It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a > bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. > > How We Are White > > By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching Tolerance > > The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four > hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and > staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces > turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to > address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop > immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in > their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. > > After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my > planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants > begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, > blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has > been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are > experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and > their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. > What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" > > In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered > an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. > Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": > White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their > stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize > that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not > being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White > teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear > that other White teachers feel similar confusion." > > As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably > complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically > favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was > in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually > stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- > grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am > inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, > yet I continue to benefit from its possession. > > But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police > officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the > Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the > marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther > King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men > dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is > also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury > condemned this act of racist violence. > > In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered > there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by > fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a > single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist > hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist > White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- > intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other > perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high > school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. > Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat > all my students the same." > > Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where > differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully > accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their > apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and > condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we > prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, > rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and > unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to > students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real > connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I > first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I > thought I was the answer, rather than the question. > > Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a > place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing > growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a > paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable > privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to > dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers > know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race > and multicultural education in the classroom. > > White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, > denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a > river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous > rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic > multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a > function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to > the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not > choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This > is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have > returned several times to work with the elementary staff who > experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage > they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the > reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have > come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural > vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event > was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, > "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story > we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." > > Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for > Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't > Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 > > > Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger > > "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says > University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian > > By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; > Page A01 > > AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege > walk, and she wasn't happy about it. > > The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a > course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When > the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped > forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if > you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, > Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another > step forward. > > "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, > a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with > other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near > the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so > separated." > > The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a > controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change > how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- > leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of > race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has > been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for > two centuries. > > Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who > hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are > so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see > themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to > see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity > as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of > sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a > strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start > looking at whiteness as a group." > > Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint > white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical > record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. > > But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David > Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness > studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black > studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, > women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white > people as evil," Horowitz said. > > "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of > whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just > despicable." > > Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for > Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think > "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in > removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, > director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. > > "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way > to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually > misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks > for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." > > Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black > intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field > did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight > years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite > widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in > the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University > to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in > whiteness studies. > > The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have > determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and > the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple > racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The > Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and > "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study > whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a > documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." > > "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different > answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed > that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea > come from?" > > At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social > Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies > courses Cairns took last semester. > > The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and > unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. > The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: > Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that > the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a > political act to control the country. > > Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies > department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the > class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort > and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the > privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of > them had. > > Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained > her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely > think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, > she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor > on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is > another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you > ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, > blacks and Hispanics still are?' " > > A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to > a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she > didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who > is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel > comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are > white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan > Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never > say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." > > The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something > white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The > dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. > > The students listened without objection, but they don't always. > Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, > questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian > recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. > > Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm > interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves > and our country without knowing this history." > > Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for > different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. > > That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social > class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not > only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of > Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of Virginia": > > "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether > originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and > circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of > body and mind." > >> From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was > invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying > slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics > and Asians. > > "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" > said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He > wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority > in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." > > Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen > in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, > Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an > interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," > five years before the American Revolution started. > > But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's > presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, > allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race > in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its > place. > > "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," > Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right > now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you > are white." > > In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme > Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various > Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, > black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped > build white suburbs. > > Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, > this would be a different country." > > "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, > and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson > presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how > slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the > national narrative." > > After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the > sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not > choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think > it's important to have friends of color," she said. > > Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course > "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, > because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." > > Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that > explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that > "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about > whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said > later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am > racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear > racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." > > Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings > to light that white people, too, are racialized." > > Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade > wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is > blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the > negative." > > Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness > studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group > has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've > started to look beyond my group." > > © 2003 The Washington Post Company From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 17:01:04 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:01:04 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Could you please forward me a text copy of the White Knapsack On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:54 AM, MJ Hardman wrote: Thanks for sharing this. There is also 'Unpacking the White Knapsack' by Peggy MacIntosh, which I also use. In my own case, I was born and raised white, but the family I built is not white, so I have lived on both sides now. And, though white privilege is clearly part of who I am, in terms of identity my Ndn family takes precedence when it comes to things like salary decisions here at the university, as well, of course, as being a woman. On occasion I am with a white group that sees me as white, period. The ensuing conversation reminds me of Lisa at the races in My Fair Lady. But most of my life today is lived in the borderlands, and my scholarship as well. MJ On 04/25/2006 12:35 PM, "Andre Cramblit" wrote: > White Privilege > > by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas > Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, > [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] > > Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University > of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white > student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he > opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing > field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he > thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have > either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run > mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and > tangible we could call white privilege. > > So, if we live in a world of white privilege – unearned white > privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing > field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't > matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate > white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned > privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to > rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove > home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white > people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, > some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and > anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its > roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and > honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. > > White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white > supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not > they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but > such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other > aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other > kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white > privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has > affected me. > > I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern > European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the > whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white > world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because > I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the > state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American > Indians. > > I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my > culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip > over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the > institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" > myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white > privilege. > > What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission > to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't > look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me > they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a > racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of > them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am > cut some slack. After all, I'm white. > > My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some > complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled > with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority > faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry > Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were > in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of > that time the university could have as many mediocre minority > professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as > an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white > privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have > slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of > solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. > > Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a > bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real > people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I > know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, > I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full > time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of > scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to > get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked > hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every > once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like > I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't > feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by > merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. > That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't > white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all > through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. > > All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was > accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a > teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, > headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and > in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one > nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and > I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my > work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white > people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that > in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from > white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able > to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was > due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the > heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by > the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding > me to those myths. > > Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I > didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had > more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't > heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that > fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was > still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know > that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until > we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their > fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we > will live with that fear. > > White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to > keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man > and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am > benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all > the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but > it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day > white supremacy is erased from this society. > > [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of > the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on > the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the > politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded > to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs > deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. > > The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. > > Last year I published an article about white privilege in the > Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other > newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on > Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. > > As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a > dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not > only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks > can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White > people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world > mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the > backs of non-white people. > > The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions > of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the > most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly > African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is > white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- > workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but > everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." > > Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. > Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on > the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager > who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white > folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is > invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying > attention to? > > My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a > Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I > speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will > take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will > not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral > authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. > > Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my > privilege, which is in large part tied to race. > > Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- > white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring > realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the > white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at > stake. > > The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic > categories, around the following claims: > > 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made > being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited > attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually > nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that > pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real > disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from > understanding racial issues. > > 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is > natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst > manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes > human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to > avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we > continue to live with. > > 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing > because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some > bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to > non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued > the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their > cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is > superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider > five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and > II, and then ask what "civilized" means. > > 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and > I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The > Klan isn't dead. > > There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am > more interested in one common assumption that all these > correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action > were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two > out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In > political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real > solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and > structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of > oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These > systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require > radical solutions. > > And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged > another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I > have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, > even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt > because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, > focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it > leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view > instead of a moral and political one. > > So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud > about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control > over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a > privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to > enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and > understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such > unearned privilege is eliminated. > > Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, > people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed > out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in > basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball > nor do we eliminate their advantage. > > The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they > carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create > and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. > The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that > violence as well as more subtle means. > > I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that > everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, > I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could > erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to > change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been > created by one group to keep others down. > > Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most > creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was > the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a > brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note > or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I > assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being > white, I might want to make myself black. > > But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only > motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am > not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these > matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral > and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there > is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it > upon us, no matter what we want. > > So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist > society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage > in collective political activity to try to change the society because > I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, > though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may > be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night > feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I > don't wallow in it. > > What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that > means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned > privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means > learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably > not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. > > It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original > article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a > campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of > racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been > alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on > that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to > the folks who live without the privilege." > > It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a > bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. > > How We Are White > > By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching > Tolerance > > The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four > hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and > staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces > turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to > address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop > immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in > their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. > > After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my > planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants > begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, > blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has > been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are > experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and > their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. > What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" > > In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered > an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. > Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": > White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their > stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize > that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not > being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White > teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear > that other White teachers feel similar confusion." > > As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably > complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically > favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was > in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually > stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- > grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am > inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, > yet I continue to benefit from its possession. > > But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police > officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the > Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the > marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther > King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men > dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is > also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury > condemned this act of racist violence. > > In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered > there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by > fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a > single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist > hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist > White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- > intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other > perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high > school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. > Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat > all my students the same." > > Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where > differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully > accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their > apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and > condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we > prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, > rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and > unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to > students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real > connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I > first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I > thought I was the answer, rather than the question. > > Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a > place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing > growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a > paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable > privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to > dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers > know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race > and multicultural education in the classroom. > > White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, > denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a > river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous > rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic > multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a > function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to > the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not > choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This > is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have > returned several times to work with the elementary staff who > experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage > they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the > reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have > come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural > vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event > was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, > "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story > we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." > > Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for > Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't > Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 > > > Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger > > "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says > University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian > > By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; > Page A01 > > AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege > walk, and she wasn't happy about it. > > The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a > course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When > the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped > forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if > you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, > Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another > step forward. > > "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, > a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with > other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near > the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so > separated." > > The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a > controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change > how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- > leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of > race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has > been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for > two centuries. > > Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who > hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are > so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see > themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to > see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity > as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of > sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a > strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start > looking at whiteness as a group." > > Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint > white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical > record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. > > But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David > Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness > studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black > studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, > women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white > people as evil," Horowitz said. > > "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of > whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just > despicable." > > Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for > Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think > "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in > removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, > director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage > Foundation. > > "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way > to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually > misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks > for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." > > Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black > intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field > did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight > years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite > widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in > the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University > to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in > whiteness studies. > > The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have > determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and > the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple > racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The > Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and > "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study > whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a > documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." > > "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different > answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed > that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea > come from?" > > At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social > Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies > courses Cairns took last semester. > > The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and > unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. > The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: > Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that > the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a > political act to control the country. > > Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies > department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the > class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort > and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the > privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of > them had. > > Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained > her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely > think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, > she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor > on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is > another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you > ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, > blacks and Hispanics still are?' " > > A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to > a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she > didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who > is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel > comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are > white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan > Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never > say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." > > The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something > white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The > dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. > > The students listened without objection, but they don't always. > Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, > questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian > recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. > > Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm > interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves > and our country without knowing this history." > > Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for > different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. > > That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social > class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not > only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of > Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of > Virginia": > > "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether > originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and > circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of > body and mind." > >> From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was > invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying > slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics > and Asians. > > "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" > said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He > wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority > in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." > > Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen > in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, > Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an > interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," > five years before the American Revolution started. > > But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's > presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, > allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race > in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its > place. > > "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," > Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right > now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you > are white." > > In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme > Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various > Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, > black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped > build white suburbs. > > Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, > this would be a different country." > > "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, > and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson > presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how > slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the > national narrative." > > After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the > sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not > choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think > it's important to have friends of color," she said. > > Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course > "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, > because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." > > Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that > explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that > "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about > whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said > later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am > racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear > racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." > > Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings > to light that white people, too, are racialized." > > Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade > wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is > blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the > negative." > > Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness > studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group > has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've > started to look beyond my group." > > © 2003 The Washington Post Company From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 17:03:03 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:03:03 -0700 Subject: More On White Privilege In-Reply-To: Message-ID: How We Are White By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching Tolerance The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. Since the publication of my book “We Can't teach What We Don't Know”: White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear that other White teachers feel similar confusion." As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, yet I continue to benefit from its possession. But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury condemned this act of racist violence. In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat all my students the same." Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I thought I was the answer, rather than the question. Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race and multicultural education in the classroom. White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have returned several times to work with the elementary staff who experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of “We Can't Teach What We Don't Know”, available from REACH 206-545-04977 Permission granted to repost from Christine Rose; list owner of "STAR" - Students and Teachers Advocating Respect" From jtucker at STARBAND.NET Tue Apr 25 17:12:45 2006 From: jtucker at STARBAND.NET (Jan Tucker) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:12:45 -0400 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <06173914-04A8-47D0-ABBF-49B57435C20E@ncidc.org> Message-ID: White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible Knapsack. http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html PDF file http://www.cwru.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf I use this in my Race and Ethnicity course. I have students read aloud in class, each of the ways that white privilege is experienced, one by one when I teach face to face. jan -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 1:01 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) Could you please forward me a text copy of the White Knapsack On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:54 AM, MJ Hardman wrote: Thanks for sharing this. There is also 'Unpacking the White Knapsack' by Peggy MacIntosh, which I also use. In my own case, I was born and raised white, but the family I built is not white, so I have lived on both sides now. And, though white privilege is clearly part of who I am, in terms of identity my Ndn family takes precedence when it comes to things like salary decisions here at the university, as well, of course, as being a woman. On occasion I am with a white group that sees me as white, period. The ensuing conversation reminds me of Lisa at the races in My Fair Lady. But most of my life today is lived in the borderlands, and my scholarship as well. MJ On 04/25/2006 12:35 PM, "Andre Cramblit" wrote: > White Privilege > > by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas > Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, > [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] > > Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University > of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white > student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he > opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing > field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he > thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have > either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run > mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and > tangible we could call white privilege. > > So, if we live in a world of white privilege – unearned white > privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing > field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't > matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate > white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned > privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to > rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove > home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white > people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, > some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and > anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its > roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and > honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. > > White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white > supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not > they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but > such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other > aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other > kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white > privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has > affected me. > > I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern > European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the > whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white > world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because > I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the > state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American > Indians. > > I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my > culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip > over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the > institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" > myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white > privilege. > > What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission > to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't > look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me > they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a > racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of > them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am > cut some slack. After all, I'm white. > > My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some > complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled > with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority > faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry > Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were > in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of > that time the university could have as many mediocre minority > professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as > an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white > privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have > slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of > solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. > > Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a > bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real > people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I > know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, > I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full > time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of > scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to > get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked > hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every > once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like > I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't > feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by > merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. > That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't > white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all > through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. > > All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was > accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a > teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, > headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and > in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one > nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and > I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my > work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white > people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that > in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from > white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able > to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was > due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the > heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by > the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding > me to those myths. > > Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I > didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had > more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't > heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that > fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was > still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know > that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until > we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their > fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we > will live with that fear. > > White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to > keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man > and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am > benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all > the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but > it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day > white supremacy is erased from this society. > > [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of > the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on > the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the > politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded > to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs > deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. > > The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. > > Last year I published an article about white privilege in the > Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other > newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on > Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. > > As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a > dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not > only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks > can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White > people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world > mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the > backs of non-white people. > > The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions > of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the > most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly > African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is > white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- > workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but > everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." > > Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. > Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on > the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager > who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white > folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is > invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying > attention to? > > My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a > Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I > speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will > take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will > not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral > authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. > > Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my > privilege, which is in large part tied to race. > > Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- > white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring > realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the > white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at > stake. > > The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic > categories, around the following claims: > > 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made > being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited > attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually > nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that > pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real > disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from > understanding racial issues. > > 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is > natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst > manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes > human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to > avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we > continue to live with. > > 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing > because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some > bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to > non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued > the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their > cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is > superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider > five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and > II, and then ask what "civilized" means. > > 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and > I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The > Klan isn't dead. > > There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am > more interested in one common assumption that all these > correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action > were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two > out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In > political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real > solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and > structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of > oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These > systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require > radical solutions. > > And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged > another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I > have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, > even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt > because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, > focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it > leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view > instead of a moral and political one. > > So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud > about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control > over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a > privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to > enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and > understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such > unearned privilege is eliminated. > > Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, > people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed > out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in > basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball > nor do we eliminate their advantage. > > The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they > carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create > and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. > The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that > violence as well as more subtle means. > > I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that > everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, > I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could > erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to > change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been > created by one group to keep others down. > > Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most > creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was > the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a > brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note > or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I > assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being > white, I might want to make myself black. > > But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only > motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am > not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these > matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral > and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there > is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it > upon us, no matter what we want. > > So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist > society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage > in collective political activity to try to change the society because > I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, > though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may > be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night > feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I > don't wallow in it. > > What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that > means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned > privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means > learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably > not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. > > It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original > article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a > campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of > racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been > alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on > that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to > the folks who live without the privilege." > > It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a > bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. > > How We Are White > > By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching > Tolerance > > The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four > hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and > staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces > turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to > address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop > immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in > their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. > > After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my > planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants > begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, > blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has > been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are > experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and > their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. > What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" > > In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered > an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. > Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": > White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their > stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize > that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not > being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White > teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear > that other White teachers feel similar confusion." > > As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably > complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically > favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was > in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually > stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- > grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am > inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, > yet I continue to benefit from its possession. > > But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police > officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the > Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the > marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther > King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men > dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is > also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury > condemned this act of racist violence. > > In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered > there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by > fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a > single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist > hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist > White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- > intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other > perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high > school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. > Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat > all my students the same." > > Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where > differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully > accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their > apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and > condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we > prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, > rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and > unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to > students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real > connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I > first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I > thought I was the answer, rather than the question. > > Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a > place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing > growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a > paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable > privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to > dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers > know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race > and multicultural education in the classroom. > > White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, > denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a > river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous > rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic > multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a > function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to > the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not > choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This > is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have > returned several times to work with the elementary staff who > experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage > they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the > reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have > come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural > vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event > was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, > "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story > we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." > > Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for > Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't > Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 > > > Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger > > "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says > University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian > > By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; > Page A01 > > AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege > walk, and she wasn't happy about it. > > The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a > course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When > the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped > forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if > you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, > Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another > step forward. > > "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, > a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with > other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near > the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so > separated." > > The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a > controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change > how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- > leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of > race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has > been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for > two centuries. > > Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who > hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are > so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see > themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to > see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity > as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of > sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a > strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start > looking at whiteness as a group." > > Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint > white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical > record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. > > But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David > Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness > studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black > studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, > women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white > people as evil," Horowitz said. > > "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of > whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just > despicable." > > Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for > Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think > "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in > removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, > director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage > Foundation. > > "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way > to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually > misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks > for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." > > Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black > intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field > did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight > years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite > widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in > the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University > to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in > whiteness studies. > > The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have > determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and > the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple > racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The > Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and > "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study > whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a > documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." > > "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different > answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed > that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea > come from?" > > At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social > Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies > courses Cairns took last semester. > > The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and > unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. > The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: > Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that > the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a > political act to control the country. > > Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies > department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the > class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort > and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the > privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of > them had. > > Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained > her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely > think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, > she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor > on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is > another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you > ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, > blacks and Hispanics still are?' " > > A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to > a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she > didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who > is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel > comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are > white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan > Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never > say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." > > The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something > white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The > dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. > > The students listened without objection, but they don't always. > Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, > questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian > recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. > > Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm > interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves > and our country without knowing this history." > > Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for > different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. > > That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social > class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not > only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of > Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of > Virginia": > > "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether > originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and > circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of > body and mind." > >> From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was > invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying > slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics > and Asians. > > "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" > said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He > wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority > in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." > > Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen > in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, > Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an > interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," > five years before the American Revolution started. > > But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's > presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, > allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race > in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its > place. > > "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," > Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right > now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you > are white." > > In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme > Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various > Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, > black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped > build white suburbs. > > Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, > this would be a different country." > > "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, > and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson > presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how > slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the > national narrative." > > After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the > sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not > choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think > it's important to have friends of color," she said. > > Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course > "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, > because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." > > Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that > explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that > "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about > whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said > later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am > racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear > racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." > > Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings > to light that white people, too, are racialized." > > Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade > wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is > blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the > negative." > > Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness > studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group > has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've > started to look beyond my group." > > © 2003 The Washington Post Company From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 17:52:58 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:52:58 -0700 Subject: Response From William Bright Message-ID: Begin forwarded message: From: William Bright Date: April 25, 2006 10:24:47 AM PDT To: Cc: Susan Gehr , "cramblit.a" Subject: Re: Karuk Names hello mia kalish; the following correspondence was forwarded to me by our mutual friend andré cramblit. let me try to clarify a few things: (1) your correspondence includes the abstract of my paper “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA, evidently taken from my website. but i wonder if you've read the entire paper, which is also there on the website. doing so might make the paper more understandable. furthermore, that paper is a follow-up to an earlier paper i did on animal names in northwestern california, which is also on my website. and both of these are follow-ups to a paper that i co- published many years ago, in 1965, with my late wife jane bright: Semantic structures in Northwestern California and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Formal semantic analysis, ed. by Eugene Hammel, AA (Special publication) 67:5, pt. 2, pp. 249–58. Reprinted in Cognitive anthropology, ed. by Stephen A. Tyler, 66–77. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969. Volume reprinted, Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 1987. —all of this of course goes way back to a famous statement in sapir's 1921 book language about the ethnolinguistic relationship of karuk, yurok, and hupa. (2) my references to the whorf hypothesis in the above papers were not intended to subject that hypothesis to a close critical analysis. in fact there have been lots of papers about "what whorf really meant", and i think the conclusion is that he did not in fact state any single coherent hypothesis. but somehow the "whorfian notion" doesn't disappear. in recent years there have been some important books, by john lucy and by stephen levinson, on different varieties of "neo-whorfianism". (3) i'm very familiar with the work of george lakoff and of gilles fauconnier; but i've never heard of walter freeman, or ??? turner (presumably not the anthropologist victor turner, or the sociologist ralph turner), or ??? núñez. my wife lise menn is much involved with cognitive psychology, from the viewpoints of language development and of aphasiology, but she also can't place freeman or turner or núñez. — it seems to me that "cognitive psychology" means different things to different people. with best wishes; bill bright On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:08 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: April 25, 2006 7:00:50 AM PDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > Reply-To: Indigenous Languages and Technology > > > I don't actually know him, although I am familiar with some of his > work in > Karuk. I have the Karuk dictionary. > > Perhaps you could forward this along to him? I would be interested > to hear > what he says. > > Freeman, by the way, was a cognitive neurobiologist. In fact, he > still is, > at maybe UCLA. Lakoff is famous for his work in English metaphors. > Turner is > a cognitive psychologist, while Nuñez is multidisciplinary, with a > degree in > psychology, and his work in metaphoric structures touching on computer > representation. > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still > ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the > people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered > "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, > understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization > in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn > languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find > them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, > but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the > vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is > almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > I think it's Powell, in his prescriptive 1880 document about words > to be > collected. There are lots of anthropological categories, and none > for math, > science, and technology. Ñdn astronomy and complex lunar > calendricality > preceded Western accomplishments in these areas by hundreds, perhaps > thousands of years, but we hear nothing of it in the language in > which the > knowledge developed. > > So perhaps you should forward this along to him. Perhaps he would > like to > join our list and have a discussion with the other people here as > well. I > would speculate that a lot of our list would much appreciate the > opportunity. I know I would. > > Best, > Mia > > > > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:01 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your > should bring it up with Bill > > > On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: > > You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important > William > Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think > that this > is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What > Bright is > saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive > conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. > This still > shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the > idea > has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures > create > meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the > individual, not > to the stimulus. > > Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined > for all > time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the > linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that > Lakoff > began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years > later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nuñez and Lakoff have developed > structures > that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic > objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if > there is > no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language > will have > references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are > needed in > the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. > > There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. > Hopi > has words for Time. So does Diné Bizaad. They just show up in ways > very > different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English > speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure > miss > them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she > was > talking about humor. > > Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor > taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House > construction? Tool making? Navigation? > > I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo > Moore and > its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far > is by > Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, > and we > struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and > mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are > methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing > our > memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, > America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. > > So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being > composed > of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in > warning > quotes, and some other combination of both of these undesirable> > characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of > "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. > (Not). > And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern > California > not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic > area". > > Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre- > modernity. > > Mia > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Names > > “ANALYZABILITY” OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA > William Bright > University of Colorado > www.ncidc.org/bright/ > > Abstract > > Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California — Yurok, > Hupa, and Karuk — share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak > entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for > the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as > closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the > light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that > the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single > morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are “descriptive” combinations > of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. > A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of > verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the > deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant > terms and to “basic vocabulary”, but problems are noted in the > latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form > part of the status of native northwestern California not as a > linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. > William Bright Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Anthropology, UCLA Professor Adjoint of Linguistics, University of Colorado, Boulder 1625 Mariposa Ave., Boulder CO 80302 Tel. 303-444-4274 FAX 303-413-0017 URL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET Tue Apr 25 18:14:19 2006 From: pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:14:19 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <5D467342-EDBE-4C88-AB0E-FF314B74888E@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Dear ILAT, gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White privilege" here.. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > White Privilege > From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 19:35:02 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:35:02 -0600 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <30D9930C-C725-43E4-A216-7B04A961D19C@dakotacom.net> Message-ID: This is a wondrous event, is it not? Here on the Indigenous Languages and Technologies list, we are actually talking about how and why bad things have happened to Ñdn people, Ñdn languages and Ñdn cultures and why white people seem to be totally and blithely unaware (or in serious denial) that they had anything to do with it. One link came through Richard's post . . . One of the experiments I did in psychology presented a text on place names to people who had Masters and PhD degrees, so there could be no argument about their reading and comprehension skills. In the text, I changed the expected order of English/other languages by using the local Indigenous place name in the text, and putting the English name in parenthesis. Do you know that the participants couldn’t name the places? The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of phil cash cash Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:14 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) Dear ILAT, gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White privilege" here.. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > White Privilege > From hardman at UFL.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:02:08 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:02:08 -0400 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <3df.87ead5.317faa64@aol.com> Message-ID: This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. Although I only mention it when pressed ‹ because of the viciousness and the distortions and the ridicule ‹ my theoretical construct of the linguistic postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the focus off of vocabulary ‹ far too easy a game to play ‹ and onto perceptual patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and singularity don¹t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. MJ website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: > In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, > MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > > Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion > with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely a > historian. > > But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. > The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective > valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than > moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture > which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would be > spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if the > concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority > culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts > that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in > essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the > debate to which she was referring. > > In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as > simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science > and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage > cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not > require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" > in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its interpretation > goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, construction, and > the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was created) all modify the > meaning of that single word. Western European cultures had to create the > words to describe the concepts once they determined that math and science > would exist separately from other activities in daily life. > > Just a few random ideas. > > Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:11:25 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) Message-ID: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran[1] _Tribune Reporter_ APRIL 25, 2006 http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_education/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19857_4649142,00.html Navajo Shannon Johnson builds her students' vocabulary with words of the Navajo Code Talkers. NAVAJO LANGUAGE TEACHER SHANNON JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHS HER STUDENTS PERFORMING AS THE LA MESA FANCY SHAWL DANCERS IN A RECENT PERFORMANCE AT WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL. JOHNSON, WHO IS NAVAJO, SATISFIES A GROWING DEMAND FOR NATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING ACROSS THE CITY AND STATE, EDUCATORS SAY. (STEVEN ST. JOHN/TRIBUNE) NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: LA MESA ELEMENTARY LOWELL ELEMENTARY PAINTED SKY ELEMENTARY MANZANO HIGH RIO GRANDE HIGH WEST MESA HIGH CIBOLA HIGH In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. _Source: Albuquerque Public Schools_ _Gah, Dzeh, Wol-la-chee_ and _Be_ translate to "rabbit," "elk," "ant" and "deer." Her students, all Navajo children who live in Albuquerque, came to school knowing only English. In her La Mesa Elementary School language class, Johnson insists they learn the way their ancestors did. In Navajo. The demand for native languages is growing across the city and state, educators say. But teachers like Johnson are hard to find. The University of New Mexico and the tribes are responding to the demand by training and certifying more American Indians as language teachers. Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. She has 30 minutes a day with them to get the job done. Once they leave her, they are on their own. Few, if any, of their parents know their native language. And Albuquerque Public Schools does not offer any Navajo language classes for middle schoolers. "There's a big gap," Johnson said. "There's nothing in the middle for these students." The new Native American Academy, a charter school to be housed at Wilson Middle School, plans to fill that gap. Academy officials said they will hire a Navajo teacher. The academy is scheduled to open in August with 100 sixth- and seventh-graders. Academy organizers plan to tap the American Indian teaching talent being developed at UNM. "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." Johnson intends to apply for UNM's American Indian Education Scholarship to pay for expenses while she pursues a master's degree. The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. Suina said scholarships and workshops have drawn 40 prospective teachers to the program. An additional 20 UNM students are studying American Indian languages. In all, 47 undergraduates and 18 graduate students are enrolled in Suina's Institute of American Indian Education. Also, tribes and pueblos are starting to license their own language teachers under an agreement with the Public Education Department. Johnson was certified by the Navajo Nation to teach Navajo. She also has her elementary-school certification. After two years at of exclusively teaching Navajo at La Mesa, Johnson next year moves into a third-grade classroom at the Northeast Heights school, which counts about 10 percent of its 670 enrollment as American Indian. Johnson's replacement in the La Mesa language program may be recruited from UNM's American Indian scholarship group. She's asking Suina to help her recruit her successor. Unlike her Navajo students, Johnson, 32, spoke her native language before she went to preschool. At Head Start in Arizona, she learned English and by first grade was communicating in English with her teachers. "Prior to this, it was a hit-and-miss program," Suina said of training American Indian teachers, especially those wanting to teach their native languages. Federal funding for such training dried up in 1982. "Native languages were not viewed on the same level as foreign languages," he said. "They were treated as second class." BRETT MORGAN (TOP LEFT), 11, BREATHES IN INCENSE DURING A CEREMONY BEFORE HE PARTICIPATES WITH THE LA MESA SHARKS DRUM GROUP. THE SHARKS AND THE LA MESA FANCY SHAWL DANCERS PERFORMED AT WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL EARLIER THIS MONTH. (STEVEN ST. JOHN/TRIBUNE) The Indian Education Act adopted in New Mexico in 1998 fueled the effort to serve American Indians, Suina said. At UNM, students can study Keres, the language of six pueblos, including Suina's Cochiti Pueblo; Tewa, the language of six northern pueblos; Tiwa, the language of four pueblos, including those closest to Albuquerque, Sandia and Isleta; and Zunian, the language of the Zuni Pueblo. Also, they can study the Athebascan family of languages spoken by Navajos and the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apaches. At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. The pueblo intends to hire a third teacher and is working with the Bernalillo Public Schools to offer the Tiwa language, said Gov. Lawrence Gutierrez. Thirty-five percent to 50 percent of tribal members speak their native language. The pueblo wants to make sure the language stays alive, Gutierrez said. "As we lose our seniors, we can't replace them," he said. Native languages in the middle schools have been missed by American Indian families. "The first attention it's getting is from the new charter," UNM's Suina said. "No one in the middle schools even asked for our assistance until now." UNM and the charter school will complement each other, he said. "The school came to us and we're going to be working out the details. We have every intention to use it as a laboratory." Native American Academy founder Kara Bobroff said the university is a welcome resource for the new school. Suina and Johnson were among consultants called on to help develop the charter school. Johnson is one of three Navajo language teachers in the elementary schools. She doesn't blame Navajo parents for not teaching their native language to their children. Most of them didn't learn it themselves and are now afraid of losing it, she said. Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. She said the student attended one of her classes and "thought it was too hard." During her classes, Johnson rarely speaks a word of English. Her students develop vocabulary through songs, artwork, games, stories and life-skills instruction. Her students will be ready to break the Navajo code for the spring parent program. They'll also introduce themselves and their parents and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Navajo Nation, all in Navajo. Johnson said she is learning what works and what doesn't as she teaches her native language. "In a way, you can say they are my guinea pigs," she said of her Navajo students. Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. Links: ------ [1] mailto:sgran at abqtrib.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 33485 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 40100 bytes Desc: not available URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:16:09 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:16:09 -0700 Subject: CKRZ-FM is Six Nations' CNN (fwd) Message-ID: CKRZ-FM IS SIX NATIONS\' CNN IT HAS RESERVE\'S EAR ON THE CRISIS By Wade Hemsworth The Hamilton Spectator OHSWEKEN (Apr 24, 2006) http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1145829010142&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815 In these times of trouble at Six Nations, a small radio station is speaking with a big voice. CKRZ-FM, colloquially known as "Rez FM," has become a critical source of live information for the residents of Six Nations and interested listeners beyond. It plays everywhere on the reserve -- in pickup trucks and tobacco huts, restaurants and offices. The crisis over the occupation at Douglas Creek Estates has made CKRZ the CNN of Six Nations. Official communiques and breaking developments in the crisis are often heard there first. Six Nations has a cable station and two weekly newspapers that cover the community well, said CKRZ's Diane Keye, but the immediacy of radio has given the station a special role in the current crisis. "It's unfortunate that it takes an event like this, but it affirms that this community needs this radio station and we need to be here," said Keye, who is acting executive director. At best, the community-based, non-profit station (100.3 on the dial) reaches 50 kilometres from Ohsweken with its 250-watt transmitter. But streaming Internet audio (www.ckrz.com)[1] takes it to listeners well beyond southern Ontario. From far and near, they have been listening especially intently since police moved in on protesters occupying the construction site of a residential subdivision at the south end of Caledonia. Ever since Thursday morning when the OPP went in, the station has been staffing the occupation site full-time and will continue to do so as long as the situation remains tense. Despite the protesters' on-again, off-again relationship with the non-native media, CKRZ has kept communications open with all its sources. It's no small task for a small outfit with just 10 staff and about 30 volunteers, but covering the crisis is critical to the station's mandate of reflecting native life through music, information and education. "We're professional. We're trying to get the information out," Keye said. "If you want to get our perspective, tune us in." Since Thursday, announcers and reporters have frequently been breaking into regular programming with updates on the movements of police, announcements from native politicians and other developments. CKRZ operates from a bright storefront headquarters in the Iroquois Village Centre. The operation has the feel of a university radio station: informal but earnest, not slick, but sincere. The station is on the air 24 hours, with 20 hours of live broadcasting and recorded programming between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Regular programming features traditional and modern native music mingled with non-native music that ranges from bluegrass to rap, interspersed with current affairs. Twice a day, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., there are native language lessons. On Sunday evenings, the station earns its keep with radio bingo, where the caller reads numbers in Cayuga, Mohawk and English and listeners play along with tickets they buy at the station itself or stores on the reserve. Between the bingo and some commercials, the station supports itself, after starting up on federal grants. CKRZ studiously avoids aligning itself with either the elected band council or the confederacy of hereditary chiefs -- the two major political factions on the reserve. whemsworth at thespec.com[2] 905-526-3254 Links: ------ [1] http://www.ckrz.com/ [2] mailto:whemsworth at thespec.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aerowe at AOL.COM Tue Apr 25 20:18:50 2006 From: aerowe at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:18:50 -0400 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) In-Reply-To: <20060425131125.eck8ggwocskw0sos@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are there with the idea? If not, why not? Ann -----Original Message----- From: phil cash cash To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran Tribune Reporter April 25, 2006 http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_education/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19857_4649142,00.html Navajo Shannon Johnson builds her students' vocabulary with words of the Navajo Code Talkers. Navajo language teacher Shannon Johnson photographs her students performing as the La Mesa Fancy Shawl Dancers in a recent performance at Wilson Middle School. Johnson, who is Navajo, satisfies a growing demand for native language teaching across the city and state, educators say. (Steven St. John/Tribune) NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: La Mesa Elementary Lowell Elementary Painted Sky Elementary Manzano High Rio Grande High West Mesa High Cibola High In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. Source: Albuquerque Public Schools Gah, Dzeh, Wol-la-chee and Be translate to "rabbit," "elk," "ant" and "deer." Her students, all Navajo children who live in Albuquerque, came to school knowing only English. In her La Mesa Elementary School language class, Johnson insists they learn the way their ancestors did. In Navajo. The demand for native languages is growing across the city and state, educators say. But teachers like Johnson are hard to find. The University of New Mexico and the tribes are responding to the demand by training and certifying more American Indians as language teachers. Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. She has 30 minutes a day with them to get the job done. Once they leave her, they are on their own. Few, if any, of their parents know their native language. And Albuquerque Public Schools does not offer any Navajo language classes for middle schoolers. "There's a big gap," Johnson said. "There's nothing in the middle for these students." The new Native American Academy, a charter school to be housed at Wilson Middle School, plans to fill that gap. Academy officials said they will hire a Navajo teacher. The academy is scheduled to open in August with 100 sixth- and seventh-graders. Academy organizers plan to tap the American Indian teaching talent being developed at UNM. "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." Johnson intends to apply for UNM's American Indian Education Scholarship to pay for expenses while she pursues a master's degree. The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. Suina said scholarships and workshops have drawn 40 prospective teachers to the program. An additional 20 UNM students are studying American Indian languages. In all, 47 undergraduates and 18 graduate students are enrolled in Suina's Institute of American Indian Education. Also, tribes and pueblos are starting to license their own language teachers under an agreement with the Public Education Department. Johnson was certified by the Navajo Nation to teach Navajo. She also has her elementary-school certification. After two years at of exclusively teaching Navajo at La Mesa, Johnson next year moves into a third-grade classroom at the Northeast Heights school, which counts about 10 percent of its 670 enrollment as American Indian. Johnson's replacement in the La Mesa language program may be recruited from UNM's American Indian scholarship group. She's asking Suina to help her recruit her successor. Unlike her Navajo students, Johnson, 32, spoke her native language before she went to preschool. At Head Start in Arizona, she learned English and by first grade was communicating in English with her teachers. "Prior to this, it was a hit-and-miss program," Suina said of training American Indian teachers, especially those wanting to teach their native languages. Federal funding for such training dried up in 1982. "Native languages were not viewed on the same level as foreign languages," he said. "They were treated as second class." Brett Morgan (top left), 11, breathes in incense during a ceremony before he participates with the La Mesa Sharks drum group. The Sharks and the La Mesa Fancy Shawl dancers performed at Wilson Middle School earlier this month. (Steven St. John/Tribune) The Indian Education Act adopted in New Mexico in 1998 fueled the effort to serve American Indians, Suina said. At UNM, students can study Keres, the language of six pueblos, including Suina's Cochiti Pueblo; Tewa, the language of six northern pueblos; Tiwa, the language of four pueblos, including those closest to Albuquerque, Sandia and Isleta; and Zunian, the language of the Zuni Pueblo. Also, they can study the Athebascan family of languages spoken by Navajos and the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apaches. At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. The pueblo intends to hire a third teacher and is working with the Bernalillo Public Schools to offer the Tiwa language, said Gov. Lawrence Gutierrez. Thirty-five percent to 50 percent of tribal members speak their native language. The pueblo wants to make sure the language stays alive, Gutierrez said. "As we lose our seniors, we can't replace them," he said. Native languages in the middle schools have been missed by American Indian families. "The first attention it's getting is from the new charter," UNM's Suina said. "No one in the middle schools even asked for our assistance until now." UNM and the charter school will complement each other, he said. "The school came to us and we're going to be working out the details. We have every intention to use it as a laboratory." Native American Academy founder Kara Bobroff said the university is a welcome resource for the new school. Suina and Johnson were among consultants called on to help develop the charter school. Johnson is one of three Navajo language teachers in the elementary schools. She doesn't blame Navajo parents for not teaching their native language to their children. Most of them didn't learn it themselves and are now afraid of losing it, she said. Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. She said the student attended one of her classes and "thought it was too hard." During her classes, Johnson rarely speaks a word of English. Her students develop vocabulary through songs, artwork, games, stories and life-skills instruction. Her students will be ready to break the Navajo code for the spring parent program. They'll also introduce themselves and their parents and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Navajo Nation, all in Navajo. Johnson said she is learning what works and what doesn't as she teaches her native language. "In a way, you can say they are my guinea pigs," she said of her Navajo students. Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:19:39 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:19:39 -0700 Subject: fyi... Message-ID: fyi, here is a news tidbit about "talking dictionaries", Phil ~~~ EPTE Newsletter from Japan - Talking Dictionaries Monday, April 24, 2006|EPTE http://www.pcb007.com/anm/templates/article.aspx?articleid=6624&zoneid=145 From lachler at UNM.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:27:42 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:27:42 -0800 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <001d01c6689f$5c2fc0c0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: >The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about >description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it >looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, >Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . Trump Tower... you mean that tower that has TRUMP written on it? That one sounds pretty descriptive to me... :) Jordan From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 20:38:17 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 14:38:17 -0600 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060425122432.0209c6f0@unm.edu> Message-ID: ROTFL. Okay. -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jordan Lachler Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:28 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) >The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about >description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it >looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, >Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . Trump Tower... you mean that tower that has TRUMP written on it? That one sounds pretty descriptive to me... :) Jordan From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Tue Apr 25 21:24:01 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:24:01 -0400 Subject: Names Message-ID: All this technology- another small step on the great road to perdition- I mean 'Terminator' or 'Gray Goo' as you prefer. After all, this is what all this has been about hasn't it? All the greed and hatred and lust and suffering- for what? So the ideas (memes??) that are tired of being shackled to genes can get shiny new housings without all the biochemical garbage and inconvenient fluid emissions. And death. Immaculate Contraption. By-Your-Command.... Jess Tauber From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 22:26:21 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:26:21 -0600 Subject: Bright paper Message-ID: Hi, people. Here is the link to the paper about a trilingual analysis of Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk that Andre sent us the abstract for this morning: http://www.ncidc.org/bright/berkeley03-1-30.doc It is a pretty good paper. Dr. Bright writes beautifully. Its short and easy to read. It's even fun. :-) Mia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 22:35:30 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:35:30 -0700 Subject: Bright paper In-Reply-To: <007301c668b7$4b0c9ee0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: William Bright Professor Emeritus of Linguistics & Anthropology, UCLA Professor Adjoint of Linguistics, University of Colorado, Boulder Editor, Written Language and Literacy Editor, Native American Placenames of the United States 1625 Mariposa Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302 Tel. 303-444-4274 * FAX 303-413-0017 Email william.bright at colorado.edu http://www.ncidc.org/bright/ This is the home page for my publications and ongoing research which I want to make available to the general public. It contains a copy of my resumé (CV), a list of published works, some unpublished pieces, and some supplementary items that complement both published and unpublished work. INcluding: * Resumé (CV) * Personal bibliography * Essays * Supplementary material (new IJAL index) * Karuk language section * Links to other relevant sites On Apr 25, 2006, at 3:26 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: Hi, people. Here is the link to the paper about a trilingual analysis of Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk that Andre sent us the abstract for this morning: http://www.ncidc.org/bright/berkeley03-1-30.doc It is a pretty good paper. Dr. Bright writes beautifully. Its short and easy to read. It’s even fun. J Mia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 22:49:11 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:49:11 -0600 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) In-Reply-To: <8C836BC99BD2366-1ACC-3252@FWM-R07.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: I read both articles twice, and I didn't see where they said they were only teaching the language to Native students. However, I was present in the ongoing discussions between the State and Cochiti, and yes, for Cochiti, ONLY Cochiti members learn Cochiti in the schools. Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ann Rowe Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:19 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are there with the idea? If not, why not? Ann -----Original Message----- From: phil cash cash To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran Tribune Reporter April 25, 2006 http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_education/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19857_4649142,0 0.html Navajo Shannon Johnson builds her students' vocabulary with words of the Navajo Code Talkers. Navajo language teacher Shannon Johnson photographs her students performing as the La Mesa Fancy Shawl Dancers in a recent performance at Wilson Middle School. Johnson, who is Navajo, satisfies a growing demand for native language teaching across the city and state, educators say. (Steven St. John/Tribune) NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: La Mesa Elementary Lowell Elementary Painted Sky Elementary Manzano High Rio Grande High West Mesa High Cibola High In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. Source: Albuquerque Public Schools Gah, Dzeh, Wol-la-chee and Be translate to "rabbit," "elk," "ant" and "deer." Her students, all Navajo children who live in Albuquerque, came to school knowing only English. In her La Mesa Elementary School language class, Johnson insists they learn the way their ancestors did. In Navajo. The demand for native languages is growing across the city and state, educators say. But teachers like Johnson are hard to find. The University of New Mexico and the tribes are responding to the demand by training and certifying more American Indians as language teachers. Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. She has 30 minutes a day with them to get the job done. Once they leave her, they are on their own. Few, if any, of their parents know their native language. And Albuquerque Public Schools does not offer any Navajo language classes for middle schoolers. "There's a big gap," Johnson said. "There's nothing in the middle for these students." The new Native American Academy, a charter school to be housed at Wilson Middle School, plans to fill that gap. Academy officials said they will hire a Navajo teacher. The academy is scheduled to open in August with 100 sixth- and seventh-graders. Academy organizers plan to tap the American Indian teaching talent being developed at UNM. "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." Johnson intends to apply for UNM's American Indian Education Scholarship to pay for expenses while she pursues a master's degree. The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. Suina said scholarships and workshops have drawn 40 prospective teachers to the program. An additional 20 UNM students are studying American Indian languages. In all, 47 undergraduates and 18 graduate students are enrolled in Suina's Institute of American Indian Education. Also, tribes and pueblos are starting to license their own language teachers under an agreement with the Public Education Department. Johnson was certified by the Navajo Nation to teach Navajo. She also has her elementary-school certification. After two years at of exclusively teaching Navajo at La Mesa, Johnson next year moves into a third-grade classroom at the Northeast Heights school, which counts about 10 percent of its 670 enrollment as American Indian. Johnson's replacement in the La Mesa language program may be recruited from UNM's American Indian scholarship group. She's asking Suina to help her recruit her successor. Unlike her Navajo students, Johnson, 32, spoke her native language before she went to preschool. At Head Start in Arizona, she learned English and by first grade was communicating in English with her teachers. "Prior to this, it was a hit-and-miss program," Suina said of training American Indian teachers, especially those wanting to teach their native languages. Federal funding for such training dried up in 1982. "Native languages were not viewed on the same level as foreign languages," he said. "They were treated as second class." Brett Morgan (top left), 11, breathes in incense during a ceremony before he participates with the La Mesa Sharks drum group. The Sharks and the La Mesa Fancy Shawl dancers performed at Wilson Middle School earlier this month. (Steven St. John/Tribune) The Indian Education Act adopted in New Mexico in 1998 fueled the effort to serve American Indians, Suina said. At UNM, students can study Keres, the language of six pueblos, including Suina's Cochiti Pueblo; Tewa, the language of six northern pueblos; Tiwa, the language of four pueblos, including those closest to Albuquerque, Sandia and Isleta; and Zunian, the language of the Zuni Pueblo. Also, they can study the Athebascan family of languages spoken by Navajos and the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apaches. At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. The pueblo intends to hire a third teacher and is working with the Bernalillo Public Schools to offer the Tiwa language, said Gov. Lawrence Gutierrez. Thirty-five percent to 50 percent of tribal members speak their native language. The pueblo wants to make sure the language stays alive, Gutierrez said. "As we lose our seniors, we can't replace them," he said. Native languages in the middle schools have been missed by American Indian families. "The first attention it's getting is from the new charter," UNM's Suina said. "No one in the middle schools even asked for our assistance until now." UNM and the charter school will complement each other, he said. "The school came to us and we're going to be working out the details. We have every intention to use it as a laboratory." Native American Academy founder Kara Bobroff said the university is a welcome resource for the new school. Suina and Johnson were among consultants called on to help develop the charter school. Johnson is one of three Navajo language teachers in the elementary schools. She doesn't blame Navajo parents for not teaching their native language to their children. Most of them didn't learn it themselves and are now afraid of losing it, she said. Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. She said the student attended one of her classes and "thought it was too hard." During her classes, Johnson rarely speaks a word of English. Her students develop vocabulary through songs, artwork, games, stories and life-skills instruction. Her students will be ready to break the Navajo code for the spring parent program. They'll also introduce themselves and their parents and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Navajo Nation, all in Navajo. Johnson said she is learning what works and what doesn't as she teaches her native language. "In a way, you can say they are my guinea pigs," she said of her Navajo students. Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 23:40:55 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:40:55 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I’m with MJ on this. . . especially about the “humble”. Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled publication, people who wanted to be published (read “funded”) needed to comply with Powell’s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization of native peoples in the document is chilling). Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of MJ Hardman Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:02 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. Although I only mention it when pressed — because of the viciousness and the distortions and the ridicule — my theoretical construct of the linguistic postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the focus off of vocabulary — far too easy a game to play — and onto perceptual patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and singularity don’t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. MJ website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn languages, and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely a historian. But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the debate to which she was referring. In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they determined that math and science would exist separately from other activities in daily life. Just a few random ideas. Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AEROWE at AOL.COM Wed Apr 26 00:18:32 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:18:32 EDT Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (... Message-ID: I took the reading I took from those statements which I have put in bold text from the articles. Those all seemed to indicate that the intention was to teach Navajo to Navajo children. I am still interested in learning why the approach seems to be to restrict the teaching of what are, after all, local area languages only to children of a specific cultural heritage. What is the motivation? What are the goals related to that kind of restriction? I realize this may all sound a bit peculiar, now that I stop and think about it. My intention is not to offend anyone, so perhaps a little detail on me might help? I am working on preparing my prospectus for my Ph.D and it deals with sovereignty issues among indigenous, native peoples in the territory of the present-day United States. As you can imagine - that covers a lot of ground. But it has come to be my opinion that, historically, one of the definitive ways that any sovereign nation defines itself is through its language. Among native peoples, this is coming to be more of an issue for all the reasons noted in the articles that stimulated this discussion. As a consequence, language revitalization has become a vital part of the revitalization and sustenance of all native cultures in the Americas. I would simply like to find out how people think about restricting or not restricting training in a language to members of the native population of the language. It seems a key point in building any thorough thesis of any sort about connections between sovereignty and language. I hope I am making sense. For example - I would love to know how and why the choice about Cochiti was made, Mia...how all of the people involved in the choice felt about the choice. If I have blundered somehow - please accept my apologies. Ann > I read both articles twice, and I didn’t see where they said they were only > teaching the language to Native students. > > However, I was present in the ongoing discussions between the State and > Cochiti, and yes, for Cochiti, ONLY Cochiti members learn Cochiti in the schools. > > > Mia > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Ann Rowe > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:19 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo > language (fwd) > are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? > > what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be > taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are > there with the idea? If not, why not? > Ann > > -----Original Message----- > From: phil cash cash > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 > Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo > language (fwd) > > An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language > > By Susie Gran > Tribune Reporter > April 25, 2006 > .... > NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS > > Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: > La Mesa Elementary > Lowell Elementary > Painted Sky Elementary > Manzano High > Rio Grande High > West Mesa High > Cibola High > In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle > School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. > Source: Albuquerque Public Schools ... > > Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak > Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. > ... > "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, > director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in > their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." ... > The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public > Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue > teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their > pueblos or tribes. > ... > > At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 > children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. > ... > > Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission > form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. > ... > Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AEROWE at AOL.COM Wed Apr 26 00:23:19 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:23:19 EDT Subject: Names Message-ID: In a message dated 4/25/2006 5:41:43 PM Mountain Standard Time, MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > I’m with MJ on this. . . especially about the “humble”. > Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his > document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled > publication, people who wanted to be published (read “funded”) needed to comply with > Powell’s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization of native > peoples in the document is chilling). > Mia > Thank you, Mia - I will try to catch up.... -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From coyotez at UOREGON.EDU Wed Apr 26 00:32:19 2006 From: coyotez at UOREGON.EDU (David Gene Lewis) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:32:19 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <009001c668c1$b5b93af0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: Klahowya Tillikums, I have been looking at the Powell's document for years, yes I agree this is the case for how he characterizes Natives and the lack of science and math terms on his form. I'm wondering, has everyone seen one of Powell's forms, I think I have one available on a PDF that I can email to everyone, or those who ask. This is part of the Southwest Oregon Research Project Collection and the PDF was created for the Smith River Rancheria by Humboldt State University from their SWORP materials. Yet another example of how anthropology has biased information about Native peoples and created stereotypes that live on, probably forever, in society. Ie: anthropology creating the stereotypical image of the native as been simple, or recreating the Rousseauian image of the childlike savage. Thanks, David ------------------- > I’m with MJ on this. . . especially about the “humble”. > > > > Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his > document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled > publication, people who wanted to be published (read “funded”) needed to > comply with Powell’s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization > of native peoples in the document is chilling). > > > > Mia > > > > _____ > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of MJ Hardman > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:02 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > > > This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. > Although I only mention it when pressed — because of the viciousness and the > distortions and the ridicule — my theoretical construct of the linguistic > postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got > seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described > below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting > to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was > working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the > focus off of vocabulary — far too easy a game to play — and onto perceptual > patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and > singularity don’t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar > in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the > rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. > > MJ > website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ > > > On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: > > In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, > MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > > Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion > with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely > a historian. > > But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. > The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective > valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than > moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture > which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would > be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if > the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority > culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts > that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in > essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the > debate to which she was referring. > > In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as > simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science > and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage > cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not > require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" > in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its > interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, > construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was > created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European > cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they > determined that math and science would exist separately from other > activities in daily life. > > Just a few random ideas. > > Ann > > > > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 00:38:59 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:38:59 -0600 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (... In-Reply-To: <323.335c67e.31801658@aol.com> Message-ID: Hi, Ann, I think your questions are fair. The issues are simply complex. It is probably true that people are teaching Navajo to Navajo children (myself included, except that I teach mostly adults). Here, at least in the Southwest and possibly in all areas of the country, Indigenous peoples are taking control of what’s theirs. There is an enormous sensitivity to having been ripped off, and people don’t want to spend their scarce resources teaching language to non-Tribal members. This is a reasonable way to go, I think. First, there are not many fluent speakers, comparatively. Second, Indigenous languages have been ignored, under-appreciated, and colonized, especially by the curricular materials in schools. Third, Indigenous peoples have different views of sharing their language and culture. Diné is published; Cochiti is protected. There is no “general” or stereotypical approach to the language and culture issues. Some tribes have a broad, technology-based approach, like the Tsalagi (Cherokee), and some, like the Puebloans, frequently keep what’s theirs to themselves. Also, there was an enormous battle here in New Mexico to have a place for Indigenous languages in schools. Tribes had to fight very hard for that, and now they are fighting to certify their own teachers. The typical educational requirements for teachers that are enforced to not provide good language and culture teachers. Tribes have been fighting, and are still working out the details, for the rights to identify and certify their own teachers. This is all happening in a complex world where some languages, like Puebloan languages, are not written. Others, like Diné, have limited font, spell-check, and grammar checking. If you want a really good, insider-participant’s view, contact Joseph Suina. He was at UNM. I heard he retired. But you should be able to find him. Good luck and don’t hesitate if you have more questions. Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ann Rowe Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 6:19 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (... I took the reading I took from those statements which I have put in bold text from the articles. Those all seemed to indicate that the intention was to teach Navajo to Navajo children. I am still interested in learning why the approach seems to be to restrict the teaching of what are, after all, local area languages only to children of a specific cultural heritage. What is the motivation? What are the goals related to that kind of restriction? I realize this may all sound a bit peculiar, now that I stop and think about it. My intention is not to offend anyone, so perhaps a little detail on me might help? I am working on preparing my prospectus for my Ph.D and it deals with sovereignty issues among indigenous, native peoples in the territory of the present-day United States. As you can imagine - that covers a lot of ground. But it has come to be my opinion that, historically, one of the definitive ways that any sovereign nation defines itself is through its language. Among native peoples, this is coming to be more of an issue for all the reasons noted in the articles that stimulated this discussion. As a consequence, language revitalization has become a vital part of the revitalization and sustenance of all native cultures in the Americas. I would simply like to find out how people think about restricting or not restricting training in a language to members of the native population of the language. It seems a key point in building any thorough thesis of any sort about connections between sovereignty and language. I hope I am making sense. For example - I would love to know how and why the choice about Cochiti was made, Mia...how all of the people involved in the choice felt about the choice. If I have blundered somehow - please accept my apologies. Ann I read both articles twice, and I didn’t see where they said they were only teaching the language to Native students. However, I was present in the ongoing discussions between the State and Cochiti, and yes, for Cochiti, ONLY Cochiti members learn Cochiti in the schools. Mia From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ann Rowe Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:19 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are there with the idea? If not, why not? Ann -----Original Message----- From: phil cash cash To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran Tribune Reporter April 25, 2006 .... NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: La Mesa Elementary Lowell Elementary Painted Sky Elementary Manzano High Rio Grande High West Mesa High Cibola High In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. Source: Albuquerque Public Schools ... Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. ... "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." ... The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. ... At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. ... Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. ... Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AEROWE at AOL.COM Wed Apr 26 00:41:52 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:41:52 EDT Subject: Names Message-ID: hello, David - I would be very glad to have a copy. Thank you for offering. Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 00:43:12 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:43:12 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <200604260032.k3Q0WJFq008996@smtp.uoregon.edu> Message-ID: Holy-schmoly. You don't happen to have the Whole Enchilada, do you? I have the whole descriptive part, on flaming orange paper, no less, but I thought the forms were so lame I wouldn't need them. I copied a few pages for reference, but now, I would love to have all of them. For reference: Powell, J.W. (1880). Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages with words phrases and sentences to be collected (sic.). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of David Gene Lewis Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 6:32 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names Klahowya Tillikums, I have been looking at the Powell's document for years, yes I agree this is the case for how he characterizes Natives and the lack of science and math terms on his form. I'm wondering, has everyone seen one of Powell's forms, I think I have one available on a PDF that I can email to everyone, or those who ask. This is part of the Southwest Oregon Research Project Collection and the PDF was created for the Smith River Rancheria by Humboldt State University from their SWORP materials. Yet another example of how anthropology has biased information about Native peoples and created stereotypes that live on, probably forever, in society. Ie: anthropology creating the stereotypical image of the native as been simple, or recreating the Rousseauian image of the childlike savage. Thanks, David ------------------- > I’m with MJ on this. . . especially about the “humble”. > > > > Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his > document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled > publication, people who wanted to be published (read “funded”) needed to > comply with Powell’s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization > of native peoples in the document is chilling). > > > > Mia > > > > _____ > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of MJ Hardman > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:02 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > > > This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. > Although I only mention it when pressed — because of the viciousness and the > distortions and the ridicule — my theoretical construct of the linguistic > postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got > seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described > below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting > to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was > working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the > focus off of vocabulary — far too easy a game to play — and onto perceptual > patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and > singularity don’t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar > in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the > rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. > > MJ > website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ > > > On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: > > In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, > MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in Ñdn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > > Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion > with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely > a historian. > > But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. > The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective > valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than > moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture > which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would > be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if > the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority > culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts > that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in > essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the > debate to which she was referring. > > In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as > simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science > and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage > cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not > require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" > in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its > interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, > construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was > created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European > cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they > determined that math and science would exist separately from other > activities in daily life. > > Just a few random ideas. > > Ann > > > > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From annier at SFU.CA Wed Apr 26 02:35:01 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 19:35:01 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Wed Apr 26 05:28:57 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:28:57 -0400 Subject: Names Message-ID: I discovered a Powell list of Yahgan terms at the Smithsonian or LOC (don't remember which)- again like the grammar manuscript nobody interested in the language knew it was there. It's one of the things I digitally scanned for archival use. I was surprised at how sparse it is. Jess Tauber From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 26 06:13:40 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 23:13:40 -0700 Subject: (Lee)-Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I've been puzzled by something Mia wrote: "The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them." As someone raised in anthropological linguistics, who had the rare opportunity to study with four of Sapir's students, I've always been interested in this famous hypothesis, and have read a fair amount of the discussion of it, pro and con, but I've never encountered any discussion that would qualify as "vicious", and I certainly have never seen anything that would be detrimental to the view of American languages or their speakers -- quite the contrary, in fact. While the hypothesis has taken an unfortunate beating over some of Whorf's hyper- imaginative interpretation of Hopi, the aim of Sapir's original view was the recognition of the unique genius of each language, whose grammar (and lexicon) channeled learners into perceiving and categorizing their world in ways that were different from those of learners of different languages. Some things CAN be more easily expressed in one language than in another, and some things that are regularly expressed in one language are virtually if not actually ineffable in another language. The first category involves mainly vocabulary, but vocabulary is an important part of the way the speakers of any language categorize their world. Many American languages, for example, have eight different terms for siblings, depending on whether they are male or female, younger or older, and whether the speaker is male or female. English, by contrast, has a very impoverished terminology, distinguishing only male and female. Does this observation "put down" American languages in any way? I hardly think so -- quite the opposite! But this kind of comparison is at the heart of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. A number of American languages have a grammatical category called "evidentials", by which a speaker essentially attests to the observed or hearsay knowledge of a reported event. In such languages, a person cannot even mention something having happened without attesting, by the choice of a grammatical element, whether he or she actually knows it to be true first-hand or only knows it by report or inference. While an English speaker CAN add this infor- mation, if pressed (as in a courtroom), it is not compulsory to be attested for every observation reported. Reporting this fact hardly implies that one is suggesting that American languages are "primitive" -- again, quite the opposite! It is English that comes off the worse in the comparison. But the point is NOT that one language is better or worse than another, but that LANGUAGES DIFFER, and these differences may affect the way that people think about the world around them. It is a view that leads to RESPECT for linguistic differences, and helps English speakers climb out of their linguicentrism and see their own language from a relativistic perspective as one of 6,000 different equally valid ways of talking about the world. This is the real message of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Rudy Troike University of Arizona From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 26 08:01:31 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:01:31 -0700 Subject: Off-the-shelf materials In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Let me reinforce what Annie Ross says, which reflects very accurately the situation of teachers in elementary schools. Some years ago I worked with the Texas Education Agency in developing in-service workshops for teachers to prepare them for new textbooks then being adopted (since dumped by later more conservative state boards of education) which incorporated the latest results of linguistic research. While high shools around the state set up workshops, and we were very busy trying to meet the demand, when the texts for the elementary schools were being adopted two years later, we were ready for a flood of calls, and had workshop materials ready to respond. However, the calls never came, and after we got over the deafening silence, we started calling around ourselves to find out why there were no requests for workshops. The response was that the texts came with teachers' editions, which had all of the guidelines as to how to present each lesson, and activities to do, and the teachers felt that they did not need to know any more than that to get through their days. Sometime later I was at a conference in Arizona, listening to bilingual teachers report on curriculum development projects. On teacher from southern California reported that she and a colleague had worked hard for about three years to develop a large detailed syllabus for the bilingual program, but after three years they had abandoned it and "went with the flow" of just following the materials provided with their textbooks. So even idealistic teachers striving for educational innovation may get worn out after a time and just give up and take the route of least resistance. Obviously the answer is to provide as complete a "turnkey" system as possible if you want it to really be adopted and survive in use. Rudy Troike From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 14:03:57 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:03:57 -0600 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <200604260235.k3Q2Z1Yv002307@rm-rstar.sfu.ca> Message-ID: In critical theory, for which my Department of Education is famous, the unnamed category is the referent against which all others are compared. So when you Name the category, then you create a situation with inhibits the better-worse comparison. I don't have time today to collect the really good references, because I have too much to do, but perhaps later. There is a complex and rich body of literature on the politics of being white. There is, for example, an interesting piece that discusses the "whiteness" in a conceptual battle between the Japanese and the Chinese. Whiteness is political, it is about privilege, it is about expectation, comparison, rates of pay, writing skills, literacy, fluency, who gets listened to. The selections Andre sent yesterday really open up some of the issues around whiteness, but doesn't cover them all. Whiteness has to be seen through the eyes of people who are "not white". Gloria Anzaldúa writes extensively on the construction of the Mestizaje; Devon Mihesuah and Linda Tuhiwai Smith write about research conducted by white people in Indigenous communities and the damage that has been done. Mihesuah in some of her edited books, and also people like Vine Deloria, Jr., and Daniel Wildcat write over and over about how white people restrict the developments of an Indigenous canon. The rule is that if there are no Indigenous references, you have to use something else that has been published. Since most "white" writing is considered outsider writing, and Indigenous people are very unhappy at having been misrepresented and having their spiritual ceremonies appropriated - by white people. Perhaps you should look up some of these writers, and read what they have to say. You could also look at some of the critical theorists. Sandy Grande (Quecha) is a Red pedagogist; read what she has to say. Read almost anything by DeLoria, Jr. Better yet, get yourself a copy of Genocide of the Mind, and read what the people have to say. I think if you do this, then the application of the term "white" will move from a simple labeling to a complex discussional area the encompasses issues of power, privilege, gate-keeping, suppression, and colonization. I would like to say before ending, Annie, that my comments are meant kindly. I have written a lot, some of it very briefly, and I am extremely busy today, so I apologize in advance if anything sounds abrupt or critical. Best always, Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of annie ross Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 8:35 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) please stop labeling people 'white', what does it mean? anyway?, or 'priveledged', all westerners are 'priveledged', relatively speaking on a global scale, or 'unaware'. not true that all 'whites' are p and u. and awareness is certainly relative. an aware person, arguably, does not waste time compartmentalizing others into categories in order to dismiss their value. Pulllleeeeeeeez ( a word for my linguist brothers and sisters) try to not label, when labeling de-humanizes, no... i should say, de-spiritualizes others. human-made classifications muddy the clear stream. we have so much work to do. and people who can be labeled 'white' and 'priveledged' and 'unaware' have done good work and do matter in the grand scheme of things. thank you for the favor. a On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:35:02 -0600 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: > This is a wondrous event, is it not? > > Here on the Indigenous Languages and Technologies list, we are actually > talking about how and why bad things have happened to Ñdn people, Ñdn > languages and Ñdn cultures and why white people seem to be totally and > blithely unaware (or in serious denial) that they had anything to do with > it. > > One link came through Richard's post . . . > > One of the experiments I did in psychology presented a text on place names > to people who had Masters and PhD degrees, so there could be no argument > about their reading and comprehension skills. In the text, I changed the > expected order of English/other languages by using the local Indigenous > place name in the text, and putting the English name in parenthesis. Do you > know that the participants couldn’t name the places? > > The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about > description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it > looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, > Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of phil cash cash > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:14 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) > > Dear ILAT, > > gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White > privilege" here.. ;-) > later, Phil > > On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > > White Privilege > > > annie g. ross First Nations Studies School for the Contemporary Arts Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6 annier at sfu.ca Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 14:57:49 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:57:49 -0600 Subject: Excerpt from Genocide of the Mind Message-ID: This is a selection from Carol Snow Moon Bachnofer (pp. 141-147); she is Abenaki, and lives in New England, where I was born. Watch what happens in this selection in her interaction with people in the “unnamed category”. But I am still discriminated against at every turn. Four years ago, I was registering at a local college for a couple of classes I needed to complete a degree program. I dutifully and proudly checked the box “Native American Indian” and presented the forms to the lady at the registration window. She took and eraser and unchecked the box, checking instead “Caucasian.” I must have checked the box in error and she had fixed that for me. I told her I had not made an error, and she said, Well, you don’t look Indian.” No beads, feathers, or hooked nose: obviously not Indian. I offered to go to my car and bring her my Jay Treaty papers, to show here that the United States government had admitted that I am Abenaki, authentic as Sitting Bull. I told her I smoked a pipe like my great-grandmother and that I didn’t wear y feathers around campus. My level of sarcasm was rising by the minute along with my level of hurt. She grudgingly changed the form. Now in graduate school, I am planning to write my thesis on the Native poets of the northeastern tribes. I want to show that they are not second-class citizens in the world of literary accomplishment or talent. This school is prestigious and is located in an area fairly near where the Abenaki live. It amazed me, however, that no one there seemed aware that there are any Indians anywhere close by. In fact, the former governor of Vermont had recently asserted that “there are no Abenakis in Vermont today, only Vermonters.” His weak and demeaning remarks may be interpreted by some to be generous and inclusive. But they are the same disclaiming and wounding remarks as ever. They are remarks that serve to wipe out a culture. Despite the proximity of this college to tribal lands and Abenaki people, and despite my assertion that I have a responsibility to my culture,, of the college I attend, the faculty adviser to whom I first mentioned the proposed topic failed to see its importance or seriousness. He attempted to hold me off from getting started on it, and referred to it as my “little Native American project.” At one point he actually told me that I didn’t have a proper grasp on how to write within the culture, suggesting changes that made the poem distinctly white in outlook and style. Age fifty-six and still the discrimination, the cultural genocide, continue. . . . I can also share my person experiences. I am Eastern European Jewish and Irish. Lots of people like to think that the Irish and Jews are “white”. I don’t ascribe to that, because I don’t like being co-opted. Also, it was my father’s desperate wish to be “American” that caused me not to learn my grandmother’s Eastern European languages. The battle wasn’t won easily: At 3 and a half, I stopped speaking to my father for four months. When I came to New Mexico, I was stunned that Diné and Apache people couldn’t create modern documents in their languages because there was no support in terms of easily accessible fonts, or spell-checking or grammar checking, so I started developing the technology. My department, which like I said is famous for its Critical Pedagogy, has sent “messages” to let me know that my moral and intellectual character are suspect because I work with Indian tribes. New Mexico is 55.5% non-White, 10.5% Native American, 42% Hispanic, less than 2% Black, and less than 3% Asian/Pacific Islander. In this state, with this demographic, in a land grant institution, in a department famous for its Critical Theory, I am pressured to ascribe to the ways and means of the dominant WHITE culture. I don’t THINK so. Does any of this help, Annie? Really going now, Mia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From annier at SFU.CA Wed Apr 26 18:09:00 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:09:00 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET Wed Apr 26 18:42:25 2006 From: pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:42:25 -0700 Subject: ILAT discussions... Message-ID: ta'ts halaXp, (good day!), I appreciate very much the recent discussions that are presently taking place on ILAT. As many of you know, ILAT is an unmoderated list and, only in the past year or so, ILAT has become an engaging/ great place to discuss ideas relating to technology, indigenous languages, and language revitalization. In my capacity as list manager, however, I wish to request that a discussion thread be ended or come to its natural conclusion: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) To the brilliant minds found only here on ILAT, thanks! Phil Cash Cash ILAT listserv mg -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hardman at UFL.EDU Wed Apr 26 18:50:37 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:50:37 -0400 Subject: (Lee)-Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis In-Reply-To: <20060425231340.h02ssc0gcw8oooks@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Thank you for the lovely statement. I also studied with a student of Sapir's and you state clearly exactly what I learned, and have lived. If you have managed to avoid the viciousness Mia refers to, I would say very very lucky you. A great deal of it has reached us, both myself and the people I work with, and yes, it continues. Some popular theories of linguistics through out entirely the position you articulate, as you must be aware. I feel fortunate in my preparation, and that there still are some of us anthropological linguists about -- preparing some for the future. MJ On 04/26/2006 2:13 AM, "Rudy Troike" wrote: > I've been puzzled by something Mia wrote: > > "The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them." > > As someone raised in anthropological linguistics, who had the rare opportunity > to study with four of Sapir's students, I've always been interested in this > famous hypothesis, and have read a fair amount of the discussion of it, > pro and > con, but I've never encountered any discussion that would qualify as > "vicious", > and I certainly have never seen anything that would be detrimental to the view > of American languages or their speakers -- quite the contrary, in fact. While > the hypothesis has taken an unfortunate beating over some of Whorf's hyper- > imaginative interpretation of Hopi, the aim of Sapir's original view was the > recognition of the unique genius of each language, whose grammar (and lexicon) > channeled learners into perceiving and categorizing their world in ways that > were different from those of learners of different languages. Some things CAN > be more easily expressed in one language than in another, and some things that > are regularly expressed in one language are virtually if not actually > ineffable > in another language. > > The first category involves mainly vocabulary, but vocabulary is an > important part of the way the speakers of any language categorize their > world. Many American languages, for example, have eight different terms > for siblings, depending on whether they are male or female, younger or > older, and whether the speaker is male or female. English, by contrast, > has a very impoverished terminology, distinguishing only male and female. > Does this observation "put down" American languages in any way? I hardly > think so -- quite the opposite! But this kind of comparison is at the > heart of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. A number of American languages > have a grammatical category called "evidentials", by which a speaker > essentially attests to the observed or hearsay knowledge of a reported > event. In such languages, a person cannot even mention something having > happened without attesting, by the choice of a grammatical element, > whether he or she actually knows it to be true first-hand or only knows > it by report or inference. While an English speaker CAN add this infor- > mation, if pressed (as in a courtroom), it is not compulsory to be > attested for every observation reported. Reporting this fact hardly > implies that one is suggesting that American languages are "primitive" > -- again, quite the opposite! It is English that comes off the worse > in the comparison. But the point is NOT that one language is better > or worse than another, but that LANGUAGES DIFFER, and these differences > may affect the way that people think about the world around them. It > is a view that leads to RESPECT for linguistic differences, and helps > English speakers climb out of their linguicentrism and see their own > language from a relativistic perspective as one of 6,000 different > equally valid ways of talking about the world. This is the real message > of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. > > Rudy Troike > University of Arizona > From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Wed Apr 26 19:39:12 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:39:12 -0400 Subject: (Lee)-Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Message-ID: It is a sad fact that diversity often seems to attract negative agendas, either to be exploited for divisive purposes, or calls for wiping it out in the name of irrational uniformity. Victims justifiably become very wary, when they should be able to celebrate their uniqueness. Though interested in AI/NLP I cut my first linguistic teeth on the dusty works of Whorf, Sapir, Boaz, Newman, Haas, Reichard and others of that tradition- this experience strongly shaped the way I look at language, despite the best efforts of the formalist purists. As such I at least like to think of myself as an adopted child of the Sapir lineage. Jess Tauber From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Thu Apr 27 07:19:22 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 00:19:22 -0700 Subject: New language group Message-ID: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NativeAmericanLanguageandPodcastCenter/ ...if you want to learn an Indigenous Language or can help to teach a Language...please join and help this group to literally spread the word...make podcasts for use by others...share links and language sources...practice your native tongue...it is very important as when a people lose their language...all else is lost forever in short time...and then we have no rights to anything... Mike Price From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Apr 27 16:00:56 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:00:56 -0700 Subject: Mohawk land dispute Message-ID: A friend of mine living in Europe asked I had heard about a current land dispute between the 6-nations and some developers in Ontario. Does anyone have details about these events? thanks, Shannon __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From delancey at UOREGON.EDU Thu Apr 27 16:12:57 2006 From: delancey at UOREGON.EDU (Scott DeLancey) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:12:57 -0700 Subject: Mohawk land dispute In-Reply-To: <20060427090056.f66i8s80k004sk8c@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Do a Google search for Douglas Creek Estates occupation and you'll find lots of details. Scott DeLancey On Thu, 27 Apr 2006, s.t. bischoff wrote: > A friend of mine living in Europe asked I had heard about a current land dispute > between the 6-nations and some developers in Ontario. Does anyone have details > about these events? > > thanks, > Shannon > > __________________________ > S.T. Bischoff > PhD Candidate > Department of Linguistics > 1100 E. University Blvd > University of Arizona > Tucson, AZ 85721 > USA > > bischoff at email.arizona.edu > From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:01:23 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:01:23 -0700 Subject: Missionaries see no reason for expulsion from Venezuela (fwd) Message-ID: Posted on Wed, Apr. 26, 2006 Missionaries see no reason for expulsion from Venezuela BY STEVEN DUDLEY Knight Ridder Newspapers http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/world/14431793.htm CARACAS, Venezuela - If there was ever anything sinister about Florida-based Christian missionaries working with indigenous tribes in southern Venezuela, it remains unknown to them. Venezuela's government ordered the expulsion of close to 50 missionaries from the region earlier this year after accusing members of the New Tribes Mission, headquartered in Sanford, Fla., of spying and seeking to exploit its natural resources. Opponents of President Hugo Chavez speculate that it's the government that wants uninhibited access to natural resources in the area, notably uranium it might want to sell to Iran. More likely, it appears the missionaries may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time - Americans working in a remote jungle in a country ruled by Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S. government who has repeatedly accused Washington of plotting to oust and even assassinate him. "I wasn't angry," said Steve Sanford, a New Tribes missionary who has worked for 12 years with the Joti tribe in the tiny settlement of Cano Iguana in the southern state of Amazonas. "I just felt like someone had given false information to the government." "It hurt in the sense that none of it was true," the Pennsylvania native added during a telephone interview from the city of Puerto Ordaz where he was awaiting a legal appeal to the expulsion order. "We'd been living there for many years. The Joti people, if anyone had asked them, they would get plenty of evidence to suggest that none of what they were saying about us was true," he added. Sanford and his family have since returned to the United States to visit relatives. New Tribes missionaries have been in the Amazonas region for nearly 60 years helping to build homes, supplying medicines, teaching reading and writing, and translating the Bible into the local language, Sanford said. Three other missionary groups, including an offshoot of New Tribes, have also worked in the region. Some remain, hoping to avoid the order expelling their missionary neighbors. Chavez, a leftist-populist elected in 1998, has long been suspicious of the United States and anything related to it. He has accused Washington of fomenting insurrection against him and participating in a coup in 2002 that briefly ousted him. Chavez got further fodder for his cause in August last year when televangelist Pat Robertson suggested that the U.S. government should assassinate him. The Bush administration has accused Chavez of undermining democratic institutions at home and clandestinely supporting leftists abroad. Further worries surround Chavez's support of Iran, suspected of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Some Venezuelans claim uranium can be found in southern Venezuela, but there's been no evidence to support that claim. New Tribes missionaries are not the only ones who have found themselves in the middle of this political maelstrom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pulled its 220 American missionaries out last year because they were having trouble getting visas, and other groups are contemplating similar moves. But New Tribes seems to be bearing the brunt of the government's attacks. Chavez called New Tribes an "organization of imperialist penetration," while Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel went a step further. "If there was suspicion here about exploiting uranium, one would have to think about the New Tribes, who were led by the North Americans," Rangel said recently. "It seems that there was uranium trafficking, and no one ever mentioned it." Sanford says Venezuelan military personnel last year inspected the area where he, his wife and three boys lived. They were "cordial, very professional" and gathered information on literacy rates and medical needs of the community. Sanford heard only later about the accusations of spying - via the rudimentary Internet service he gets using shortwave radio signals. "My personal reaction was that I wish that somebody would actually find out what we're doing and take an honest look at what we've done there and our presence with the people and if it was positive," he said. What they were doing, according to Sanford, was combining social projects with Bible study. He added that contrary to accusations of cultural imperialism, New Tribes did not force indigenous people to accept the Bible or its teachings. "They don't view us as foreigners or some outside presence that try to control their lives," he said, referring to the Joti. "They view us as friends. They have a tremendous respect for us because we gave them the opportunity to hear this message, and that is what they embrace." A local Joti leader told the Associated Press earlier this year that his people saw the missionaries as "neighbors," and there were media reports of marches in the region to protest the missionaries' expulsion. But in November, after the Venezuelan military visited the indigenous tribes, it concluded that New Tribes was trying to create a "new culture in the region." "It's as if there was a state inside a state," said a military report, published on a section of an armed forces website dealing with the New Tribes missionaries. The government has since said it will start its own social programs for the indigenous people, replacing the missionary groups. New Tribes missionaries, meanwhile, have filed an appeal against the expulsion order and are awaiting a verdict from the Supreme Court, widely regarded as controlled by Chavez supporters. "I still have hope," Sanford said. "But I'm not optimistic." © 2006 KRT Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.grandforks.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:03:57 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:03:57 -0700 Subject: UA launches Web site geared toward American Indians (fwd) Message-ID: UA LAUNCHES WEB SITE GEARED TOWARD AMERICAN INDIANS HOLLY WELLS POSTED: 4/26/06 http://wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/04/26/News/Ua.Launches.Web.Site.Geared.Toward.American.Indians-1877908.shtml?norewrite200604272001&sourcedomain=wildcat.arizona.edu Watching speeches from tribal leaders, connecting through video conferences and accessing research on American Indians is now made possible by a new UA sponsored Web site. ArizonaNativeNet was launched last week and has the goal of connecting the research and resources available at various academic programs at the UA with American Indian nations throughout Arizona and the U.S., said Robert Williams Jr., a UA law professor and director of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the James E. Rogers College of Law. The site is also dedicated to nation building and the higher educational needs of American Indians. The Web site, arizonanativenet.com, contains breaking news, simulcasts and videotaped lectures, workshops and conferences, up-to-date research, and resources on American Indian governance, law, health, education, language and culture. The site is targeted to tribal leaders, policymakers, students, educators and the general public, Williams said. "It can serve all audiences, from university students to high school teachers to tribal leaders," he said. It took more than a year to make the Web site, which was designed by a team of distinguished faculty, academic professionals, and information and technology specialists. It was made possible in part by a congressional grant. The creation and launch of the site has been a universitywide effort, Williams said. Two highly regarded UA Native American academic programs led the effort: the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management and Policy and the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program. The vice president for Research Native Programs Collaborative, an effort to improve university services and outreach to American Indian communities, has provided and contributed to much of the educational and distance-learning content on the site, Williams said. The site features a lecture series made up of scholars, experts, policymakers and tribal leaders brought to the UA by several academic programs on campus. The site also features a database that will include information on grants, research and outreach programs benefiting American Indians. Louellyn White, an American Indian studies graduate student, begin working on the site in January and said the best thing about it is that there will be an abundance of material available in one place. "Tribal communities are often left behind when it comes to technology, information and research results," she said. "(The site) will help them stay informed on the issues that effect their lives." The digital divide may prevent many on the reservations from being able to regularly access the site, but Williams said many reservations have or will soon have such access. The committee that launched the site is also working on securing grants to help American Indian nations gain broadband access, Williams said. "The Internet can be a tool of tribal sovereignty," he said. "It can bring cutting edge research and information to the reservations." Although other groups, such as rural communities, are in need of a similar online resource, the UA decided to target the American Indian community because UA has a national reputation for research in that area, Williams said. So far the Web site has gotten a positive response, with hits coming from on and off campus. "It's a great resource up and down. There's really nothing like it anywhere in the world," Williams said. Ian Record of the Native Nations Institute agreed the Web site is the first of it's kind. He said there were several entities on campus doing proactive work on American Indian issues, but said the work was not being communicated to the nations. "The site addresses the unique challenges and unique circumstances of Native nations," he said. "Ideally it will be a two way street with native communities speaking to the university." Record said the Web site also has a goal of helping to recruit American Indian students and of improving their retention rates at the UA. The Web site is still being worked on, and Record said he envisions American Indian students one day being able to talk to their friends and family at home via videoconference. This will help with homesickness because many American Indians find the university atmosphere to be very different and sometimes overwhelming, he said. "We want them to become more comfortable and to not feel so far away from home," he said. Another benefit of the videoconferencing would be that tribal leaders would be able to access the indigenous law faculty in real time, saving time and money. Record said the Web site will not just feature UA research and projects but will have the best research and resources on American Indians regardless of where it comes from. "Knowledge will flow both ways," he said. "It'll be a hub for native people everywhere." ------------------------- © Copyright 2006 Arizona Daily Wildcat -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:06:13 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:06:13 -0700 Subject: Kangke Aborigines protest exam policy (fwd) Message-ID: Kangke Aborigines Protest Exam Policy By Jean Lin Aborigines from Kangke (寒溪) Village, who are a branch of northern Taiwan's Atayal tribe, protested last week against the Council of Indigenous People's tribal language examination policy, requesting that the Kangke dialect be included. The Kangke dialect has long been different from other Atayal languages because it was influenced by the Japanese language during the period of Japanese occupation. The council plans to begin tribal language examinations next year, yet the Kangke dialect is not listed as one of the official dialects of the Atayal tribe, said Fang Hsi-en (方喜恩), an indigenous rights activist. In the examination policy, the Kangke dialect is incorporated into the Squliq and the C'uli' dialects. Fang said that to pass the tribal language exams, students in Kangke Village must now study either the Squliq or the C'uli' dialects using a romanized spelling system because the Kangke dialect is nothing like them. For high school and college entrance exams, an extra 25 percent is added to the total scores of indigenous students to encourage further education, according to Ministry of Education regulations. If the tribal language exam is carried out as planned next year, students who pass will have an additional 10 percent added to their entrance exam scores, making it a total of 35 percent extra overall. Fang said that the system was unfair for Kangke students because the council did not classify their dialect as an official one. He said the tribal language examination should not be linked with entrance exams scores in any way. Lee Su-min (李淑敏), the head of the Parent-Teacher Association at Kangke Elementary School, said that such a classification also stunted the preservation of the dialect and the Kangke culture. Tribal language exams, if indeed necessary, should be conducted by the tribes or villages themselves instead of by the government, Fang said. He said that the education ministry was in a hurry to promote native language education, but many Aboriginal dialects are still neglected. In response to the protests, Wang Chiui (汪秋一), the director of the Department of Education and Culture at the council, said that the tribal language examination policy is still being discussed with the education ministry. But the goal of the language examination was to promote tribal language education, Wang said. Wang reminded the protestors that the language exam was in fact oral and that he would request that the council include the Kangke dialect in the exam. If included, a representative from the village will also be invited to be an oral examiner, he said. Source:Taipei Times(2006/04/25 12:30:29) URL:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/04/25/2003304443[1] Find this article at: http://english.www.gov.tw//TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=10&recordid=93949[2] Links: ------ [1] http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/04/25/2003304443 [2] http://english.www.gov.tw//TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=10&recordid=93949 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:15:26 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:15:26 -0700 Subject: Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) Message-ID: Race Relations in New Zealand Chris Ford - 4/24/2006 http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1740&cid=9&sid=0 ~~~ [ILAT note: this interesting article may fit in with some of the recent discussions on "privilege" & language etc., but maybe at a larger scale. the article is a bit long so i included only the link, pcc] From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Apr 28 00:59:30 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:59:30 -0700 Subject: Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) In-Reply-To: <20060427171526.9ymg7k8k8k8wo0sg@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: There ya go, trying to make us think, dont wanna, cant make me. (big lol) On Apr 27, 2006, at 5:15 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Race Relations in New Zealand Chris Ford - 4/24/2006 http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1740&cid=9&sid=0 ~~~ [ILAT note: this interesting article may fit in with some of the recent discussions on "privilege" & language etc., but maybe at a larger scale. the article is a bit long so i included only the link, pcc] From MBuckner at MISSOURISTATE.EDU Fri Apr 28 14:15:51 2006 From: MBuckner at MISSOURISTATE.EDU (Margaret Buckner) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 09:15:51 -0500 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <200604261809.k3QI90Yu026804@rm-rstar.sfu.ca> Message-ID: Mia, No we don't all know this already! I have learned more from you, and the discussions you start/keep going, on this list-serv in the past couple years than in years of book-learning and academia. We all have compartmentalized bits of knowledge, but we all have gaps, as well. Thanks for helping to fill mine, and please keep doing so! Margaret Buckner Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Missouri State University 901 S. National Ave. Springfield, MO 65897 (417) 836-6165 mbuckner at missouristate.edu On 4/26/06 1:09 PM, "annie ross" wrote: > > mia > > we all know this already. > > don't think you are the only one who knows anything. > > annie > > On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:03:57 -0600 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: >> In critical theory, for which my Department of Education is >> famous, >> the unnamed category is the referent against which all others are > compared. >> So when you Name the category, then you create a situation with >> inhibits the >> better-worse comparison. >> >> I don't have time today to collect the really good references, because I >> have too much to do, but perhaps later. >> >> There is a complex and rich body of literature on the politics of being >> white. There is, for example, an interesting piece that discusses the >> "whiteness" in a conceptual battle between the Japanese and the Chinese. >> >> Whiteness is political, it is about privilege, it is about expectation, >> comparison, rates of pay, writing skills, literacy, fluency, who gets >> listened to. The selections Andre sent yesterday really open up some of > the >> issues around whiteness, but doesn't cover them all. Whiteness has to be >> seen through the eyes of people who are "not white". Gloria Anzaldúa > writes >> extensively on the construction of the Mestizaje; Devon Mihesuah and Linda >> Tuhiwai Smith write about research conducted by white people in Indigenous >> communities and the damage that has been done. Mihesuah in some of her >> edited books, and also people like Vine Deloria, Jr., and Daniel Wildcat >> write over and over about how white people restrict the developments of an >> Indigenous canon. The rule is that if there are no Indigenous references, >> you have to use something else that has been published. Since most "white" >> writing is considered outsider writing, and Indigenous people are very >> unhappy at having been misrepresented and having their spiritual > ceremonies >> appropriated - by white people. >> >> Perhaps you should look up some of these writers, and read what they >> have to >> say. You could also look at some of the critical theorists. Sandy Grande >> (Quecha) is a Red pedagogist; read what she has to say. Read almost >> anything >> by DeLoria, Jr. Better yet, get yourself a copy of Genocide of the >> Mind, and >> read what the people have to say. >> >> I think if you do this, then the application of the term "white" will move >> from a simple labeling to a complex discussional area the encompasses >> issues >> of power, privilege, gate-keeping, suppression, and colonization. >> >> I would like to say before ending, Annie, that my comments are meant >> kindly. >> I have written a lot, some of it very briefly, and I am extremely busy >> today, so I apologize in advance if anything sounds abrupt or critical. >> >> Best always, >> Mia >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology >> [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] >> On Behalf Of annie ross >> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 8:35 PM >> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU >> Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) >> >> >> please stop labeling people 'white', what does it mean? anyway?, or >> 'priveledged', all westerners are 'priveledged', relatively speaking on a >> global scale, or 'unaware'. not true that all 'whites' are p and u. and >> awareness is certainly relative. an aware person, arguably, does not > waste >> time compartmentalizing others into categories in order to dismiss their >> value. >> >> Pulllleeeeeeeez ( a word for my linguist brothers and sisters) try to not >> label, when labeling de-humanizes, no... i should say, de-spiritualizes >> others. >> human-made classifications muddy the clear stream. >> we have so much work to do. >> and people who can be labeled 'white' and 'priveledged' and 'unaware' have >> done good work and do matter in the grand scheme of things. >> >> thank you for the favor. >> >> a >> >> >> On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:35:02 -0600 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: >>> This is a wondrous event, is it not? >>> >>> Here on the Indigenous Languages and Technologies list, we are actually >>> talking about how and why bad things have happened to Ñdn people, Ñdn >>> languages and Ñdn cultures and why white people seem to be totally and >>> blithely unaware (or in serious denial) that they had anything to do > with >>> it. >>> >>> One link came through Richard's post . . . >>> >>> One of the experiments I did in psychology presented a text on place >> names >>> to people who had Masters and PhD degrees, so there could be no argument >>> about their reading and comprehension skills. In the text, I changed the >>> expected order of English/other languages by using the local Indigenous >>> place name in the text, and putting the English name in parenthesis. Do >> you >>> know that the participants couldn‚t name the places? >>> >>> The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about >>> description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it >>> looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's >> Ferry, >>> Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . >>> >>> Mia >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology >>> [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] >>> On Behalf Of phil cash cash >>> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:14 PM >>> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU >>> Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) >>> >>> Dear ILAT, >>> >>> gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White >>> privilege" here.. ;-) >>> later, Phil >>> >>> On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: >>> >>>> White Privilege >>>> >>> >> >> >> annie g. ross >> First Nations Studies >> School for the Contemporary Arts >> Simon Fraser University >> 8888 University Drive >> Burnaby, British Columbia >> V5A 1S6 >> annier at sfu.ca >> Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 >> > > > annie g. ross > First Nations Studies > School for the Contemporary Arts > Simon Fraser University > 8888 University Drive > Burnaby, British Columbia > V5A 1S6 > annier at sfu.ca > Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 From aerowe at AOL.COM Fri Apr 28 15:38:41 2006 From: aerowe at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:38:41 -0400 Subject: Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Since you do not know me, I am giving you forewarning - my tongue is firmly placed in my cheek as I make the following statement in a joking fashion: Among linguists, I gather that "end the discussion" really means "let's talk about this in a different fashion." No offense intended - just teasing you all a bit... Ann -----Original Message----- From: Andre Cramblit To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:59:30 -0700 Subject: Re: [ILAT] Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) There ya go, trying to make us think, dont wanna, cant make me. (big lol) On Apr 27, 2006, at 5:15 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Race Relations in New Zealand Chris Ford - 4/24/2006 http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1740&cid=9&sid=0 ~~~ [ILAT note: this interesting article may fit in with some of the recent discussions on "privilege" & language etc., but maybe at a larger scale. the article is a bit long so i included only the link, pcc] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From coyotez at UOREGON.EDU Fri Apr 28 16:13:25 2006 From: coyotez at UOREGON.EDU (David Gene Lewis) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 09:13:25 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Klahowya Tillikums, This has been an inciteful and inspiring thread, I have enjoyed it immensely. This thread will, annonymously, probably join a future class as a good example of "understandings" of white privilege in the scientific community. It will go great along with my Anthropology privilege and the disempowerment of Native communities presentations. Students need to learn these issues early so we have progress in the future. I personally am happy to put the thread to rest as I don't think this can be taught over email. My wife teaches a very detailed Sociology Race class which has content such as mentioned on this thread. She was very interested in the thread as well. Thank you for your perspectives, I too have learned much and I would like to echo Phil's suggestion that the discussion end here. I feel the issues are too complex for this forum and this will lead to misunderstandings and divisions if it continues. David Lewis Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU Fri Apr 28 17:14:57 2006 From: Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU (Jon Reyhner) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 10:14:57 -0700 Subject: Language and Teaching Mathematics In-Reply-To: <007501c66550$8427aea0$6401a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: The most recent issue of the Journal of American Indian Education (Vol. 44, No. 3, 2005) is edited by Jerry Lipka and his colleagues and has four articles on teaching mathematics in a culturally responsive way in Alaska. Jon Reyhner Northern Arizona University http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar Mia Kalish wrote: > People don’t seem to realize that when you teach something, it really, > really, really needs to relate to Something. > > > > I watch people try to teach mathematics in abstraction . . . as if the > abstractions were born independent of the hundreds of years of stories > and references that provided the objects-to-think-with. Of course it > fails J > > > > It’s not funny that it fails, just that people who have gone through > years of education to be teachers have somehow missed the fact that our > “knowledge” relates to our worlds. Yes, multiple worlds. > > > > Gary Witherspoon writes wonderfully on this, not the topic of > mathematics exactly, but on the topic of how information and knowledge > makes sense within the culture where it is happening (like Diné and > mathematics, for example) but not from the culture from which it is > being observed. I wonder where he is now (he was at Rough Rock for a > long time). > > > > Once upon a time, I asked if people had mathematical terms in their > dictionaries. I got some responses, but it turns out that there is not > much recorded. However, I have figured out how to go back into the > culture and construct Indigenous mathematics. There is a tremendous > amount of it, you know. There is math and science in sculpture, in sand > paintings, in pottery, in art, in story, in home building and food > preparation. There is math and science in calendricality, in > architecture, in road building, in sailing, in astronomy, in dance . . . > it’s all over. > > > > This is my dissertation J It’s working. J > > > > The important and interesting thing to my mind is to see how it looks in > the culture, not to grab out a few pieces and say, See, Indigenous > people have {this/these} concept(s) too. That destroys the picture of > Indigenous math, and implies (again, and aren’t we tired of this yet [Oh > dear I’ll never get a job with that kind of an attitude J]) that Western > Mathematics is the ONLY Mathematics. Not. The Arab world and the Chinese > worlds had zero, infinity, and probably even calculus long before > western europe. > > > > Mia > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 6:35 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Darn there I go making people feel good. lol > > thanks > > > > On Apr 20, 2006, at 5:31 PM, phil cash cash wrote: > > > Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of > the same posted to ILAT. ;-) > > later, Phil > > > > On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > > > Language Is Life© > > André P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe > > > From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sat Apr 29 07:22:31 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 00:22:31 -0700 Subject: On native mathematics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: When my wife, Muriel Saville-Troike, was working on developing Navajo curriculum materials for a bilingual kindergarten program some years ago, she discovered an interesting thing. Although Plato thought that the concept of the triangle was universal and eternal (and some modern cognitive scientists have argued as much), it turned out that Navajo speakers did not have a term for the concept, a point which created some problems of comparison across sites where the material was being piloted, since individual teachers in different places made up different terms. However, even the children already did have a term for the hexagon -- the shape of traditional Navajo hogans -- while this term is unfamiliar or unknown to most English speakers (not only children!). NB: I would bet that those involved in the Albuquerque program know nothing about the existence of this bilingual kindergarten material, sad to say. Rudy Troike From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sat Apr 29 19:18:00 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 12:18:00 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=8134 Akaka introduces Native American Language bill By Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) _ Hawaii Senator Daniel Akaka introduced the Native American Language Amendments Act Friday. He says it will help ensure that families across the country are never forced to relinquish their language or culture. Under his bill, the Secretary of Education would provide funds for the establishment of Native American language nests and language survival school programs. A nest is a language immersion program for the youngest members of a native population. The bill would also provide nests and survival schools with alternative methods of achieving national education standards. Senator Daniel Inouye is cosponsoring the measure. He says language is the heart of all cultures, and when a language withers, so, too, does its culture. (Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sun Apr 30 03:08:54 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:08:54 -0600 Subject: On native mathematics In-Reply-To: <20060429002231.g4tkoo4o0k44ow88@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Hi, Rudy, Where is this material? Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Rudy Troike Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 1:23 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] On native mathematics When my wife, Muriel Saville-Troike, was working on developing Navajo curriculum materials for a bilingual kindergarten program some years ago, she discovered an interesting thing. Although Plato thought that the concept of the triangle was universal and eternal (and some modern cognitive scientists have argued as much), it turned out that Navajo speakers did not have a term for the concept, a point which created some problems of comparison across sites where the material was being piloted, since individual teachers in different places made up different terms. However, even the children already did have a term for the hexagon -- the shape of traditional Navajo hogans -- while this term is unfamiliar or unknown to most English speakers (not only children!). NB: I would bet that those involved in the Albuquerque program know nothing about the existence of this bilingual kindergarten material, sad to say. Rudy Troike From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 30 03:13:08 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 20:13:08 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal Message-ID: Native American language renewal by Jon Reyhner Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu According to Michael Krauss of the Alaska Native Language Center, there are 210 different indigenous languages still spoken by American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States and Canada out of the over 300 spoken before the arrival of Columbus. These languages have survived suppression in boarding schools and catastrophic population declines. The question today is how much longer will these remaining languages survive. Children are no longer routinely being punished for speaking them in schools, but ironically many are not speaking them now that they can. Today, English language movies, television, and videotapes are doing what a century of washing mouths out with soap in boarding schools could not accomplish. Krauss's research indicates that only 35 of the remaining languages in the United States and Canada are still being spoken by children. When children are no longer learning a language, the language is dying. The indigenous language revitalization resources presented here concentrate on organizations, web sites, and more recent publications that are likely to be readily available on the internet, in bookstores and university libraries, or by interlibrary loan. PROGRAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS American Indian Languages Development Institute (AILDI) An annual summer training institute for indigenous language teachers and activists. A summary of the 20-year history of AILDI can be found at . For more information contact Karen Francis Begay, AILDI Coordinator; University of Arizona; Department of Language, Reading and Culture; P.O. Box 210069, Tucson, AZ 85721-0069. Phone 520/621-1068. E-mail kfbegay at u.arizona.edu http://w3.arizona.edu/~aisp/aildi.html Endangered Language Fund (ELF) ELF supports with small grants efforts by Native communities or scholars to do endangered language related work, such as preserving the texts of a Native culture, developing videotaped language instruction, and "generation skipping" language learning. For more information contact ELF, Department of linguistics, Yale University, P. O. Box 208236, New Haven, CT 06520-8236. E-mail elf at haskins.yale.edu http://sapir.ling.yale.edu/~elf/index.html Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) FEL publishes a newsletter, holds annual meetings, and supports efforts to preserve indigenous languages with small grants. For more information contact FEL, Batheaston Villa, 172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath BA1 7AA, England. E-mail nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Philosophy/CTLL/FEL/ Institute for the Preservation of the Endangered Languages of the Americas (IPOLA) IPOLA collaborates with indigenous communities to revitalize and perpetuate the languages and culture of the original inhabitants of the Americas. For more information contact IPOLA, 560 Montezuma Ave. 201-A, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Phone 505/820-0316. E-mail ipola at ipola.org http://www.ipola.org/ The Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA) SSILA was founded in 1981 as an international scholarly organization representing American Indian linguistics. Membership is open to anyone interested in the scientific study of the languages of the Native peoples of Americas. Publishes a quarterly newsletter and a monthly e-mail bulletin. For more information contact SSILA, P.O. Box 555, Arcata, CA 95518. Phone 707/826-4324. E-mail gollav at axe.humboldt.edu http://www.ssila.org VIDEOS E Ola Ka '0lelo Hawai'i. (1997). 'Aha Punana Leo (P.O. Box 1265 Kea'au, HI 96749). Describes the most successful effort for indigenous language revitalization in the U.S. It tells the story of over a century of decline for the Hawaiian language and the revival of its use in the past two decades. Through interviews, archival footage, and visits to Hawaiian language immersion classrooms, this video makes a powerful statement about the value of the Hawaiian language and culture for Native Hawaiians. The videotape describes how they learned about Maori "language nest" immersion preschools, implemented them in Hawaii, and then expanded Hawaiian language immersion instruction into the public schools of Hawaii by getting state English-only laws changed. Winner of two Canadian film festival awards. In Hawaiian with English subtitles, 28 minutes. $12.95. E- mail hauoli at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu http://www.ahapunanaleo.org/index.html Transitions. (1991). Native Voice Public Television Workshop (VCB Room 172, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717). This film by Blackfeet producers explores the relationship between languages, thoughts, and culture and examines the impact of language loss in Native American communities. The film chronicles the loss of the Blackfeet language from 1890 to 1990. The film also illustrates the commonality of language loss amongst Indian tribes and other ethnic groups in America. A study guide to this video is available at http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/StudyGuides/ transitions.html 30 minutes, VHS educational use $99.95. E-mail nv at kusm.montana.edu http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/Films/index.html INTERNET INDEXES, SITES, AND DISCUSSION GROUPS Endangered-Languages-L Forum This e-mail list with associated web pages provides a world-wide communications vehicle and a central electronic archive for anyone working on or interested in the study and documentation of endangered languages. E-mail white.cloud at bigpond.com http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/ Index of Native American Language Resources on the Internet One of the most comprehensive indexes of Native American language web sites. E-mail www at hanksville.org http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAlanguage.html Language Policy This site has extensive information about language policy issues in the United States, including those related to endangered Native American languages. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/ Native American Languages Links Linguist Wayne Lehman maintains this site with over 80 useful links to web sites on specific American Indian languages. E-mail wleman at mcn.net http://www.mcn.net/~wleman/langlinks.htm Native American Language Resources This site is maintained by the Center for Multilingual, Multicultural Research at the University of Southern California and has links to sites and full text publications concerning Native American languages. E-mail cmmr at rcf.usc.edu http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/Native_American.html#language resources Teaching Indigenous Languages An extensive collection of materials on revitalizing and teaching American Indian languages. It reproduces in full text the printed proceedings of the 1989 Native American Language Issues conference and the 1997 and 1998 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages conferences. It also contains over 50 columns on American Indian/Alaska Native Bilingual Education from the newsletter of the National Association of Bilingual Education. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS, AND CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS Cantoni, Gina. (Ed.). (1996). Stabilizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. 240pp. The proceedings of the 1994 and 1995 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposiums, which brought together tribal language activists and educators as well as experts on linguistics, language renewal, and language teaching. Contains sections on needs and rationale, language policy, families and communities, and education and the text of the Native American Languages Act of 1990. The articles by Joshua Fishman on "What Do You Lose When You Lose Your Language?" and "Maintaining Languages: What Works? What Doesn't?" are of special interest. A full text internet copy of this publication can be found at http:// www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/stabilize/index.htm Fishman, Joshua. (1991). Reversing language shift: Empirical and theoretical foundations of assistance to threatened languages. Clevdon, UK: Multilingual Matters. 431 pp. This is the classic study of endangered language revitalization efforts worldwide, including Navajo in North America. It is a must- read for anyone interested in the subject. Hinton, Leanne. (1994). Flutes of fire: Essays on California Indian languages. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books. 270pp. This book originally appeared as columns in News from Native California and includes information on both the beauty and uniqueness of indigenous languages and the Master Apprentice Model for passing on endangered indigenous languages from elders to young adults. Hornberger, Nancy. (Ed.). (1996). Indigenous literacies in the Americas: Language planning from the bottom up. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 393 pp. Has sections on North America and Meso America. North American chapters address efforts by Navajo, Cochiti Pueblo, and others. To contact Mouton de Gruyter, phone 914/747-0110 or e-mail customerservice at degruyterny.com McLaughlin, Daniel. (1992). When literacy empowers: Navajo language in print. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 216 pp. Describes a model bilingual school and the community it serves in the Navajo Nation. The school teaches reading and writing in the Navajo language in both elementary and high school. The first chapter discusses theory and is somewhat difficult reading. Subsequent chapters are easier reading and provide fascinating information from school board members, school administrators, local tribal officials, and students on the topic of teaching Navajo. A review of this book can be found in the Spring/Summer 1997 issue of the Bilingual Research Journal, 21(2) at http://brj.asu.edu/articles/gourd.html Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1997). Teaching indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. 323 pp. Proceedings of the 1997 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. Has 25 papers on tribal and school roles, teaching students, teacher education, curriculum and materials development, language attitudes and promotion, and overviews of the topic. A full text version of this publication can be found at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ TIL_Contents.html Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1992). Teaching American Indian students. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 328 pp. Contains information on the historical suppression of American Indian languages in schools and modern efforts at using American Indian languages in bilingual education programs. The foreword is by U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1990). Effective language education practices and Native language survival (Proceedings of the 9th annual NALI Institute). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 342 512) Eleven papers from the 1989 Native American Language Issues conference, including papers on Rock Point Community School and Maori adult language revitalization efforts and papers by Richard Littlebear and James Crawford. A full text version of this publication can be found at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ NALI_Contents.html Reyhner, Jon; Cantoni, Gina; St. Clair, Robert; & Yazzie, Evangeline Parsons. (1999). Revitalizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. 140 pp. + xx. Proceedings of the 1998 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. The introduction to this volume provides an up-to-date overview of tribal language revitalization efforts. Its 11 papers describe language revitalization efforts and the use of writing and technology in those efforts. A full text version of this publication can be found at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_Contents.html Silver, Shirley & Wick, R. Miller. (1997) American Indian languages: Cultural and social contexts. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 433 pp. + xix. A somewhat technical general introduction to American Indian languages and linguistics and the cultural and social domains in which these languages live. SPECIAL ISSUES OF JOURNALS Boyer, Paul. (Ed.). (1993, Spring). The pattern of language. special issue of Tribal College Journal, 4(4). 34 pp. Includes "Finding a place for Navajo" by Clay Slate, "Healing the generations: For one family, a language is lost and rediscovered" by Eric Haase, "Lakota language survival and restoration" by Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, and "A specialized knowledge base for teaching American Indian and Alaska Native students" by Jon Reyhner, Harry Lee, and David Gabbard. Henze, Rosemary & Davis, Kathryn. (Eds.) (1999, March). Authenticity and identity: Lessons from indigenous language education. Special issue of Anthropology and Education, 30(1). 124 pp. Contains five articles that discuss lessons from Alaska, California, and Hawai'i. Kirkness, Virginia. (Ed.). (1989). Language is a gift from the Creator. Special issue of Canadian Journal of Native Education, 16 (2). 112 pp. A valuable resource, especially Elizabeth A. Brandt and Vivian A Youngman's "Language renewal and language maintenance: a practical guide" (pp. 42-77) and Augie Fleras's "Te kohanga reo: a Maori renewal program in New Zealand" (pp. 78-88). McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1995, Winter), Indigenous language education and literacy. Special issue Bilingual Research Journal, 19(1). 213 pp. Contains 13 useful articles in four sections: 1) Conceptualizing indigenous literacies, 2) The status of indigenous languages in the U.S. and Canada," 3) Models of indigenous language education, 4) Synthesis and discussion: the role of indigenous communities in language and culture renewal. McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1998). Indigenous language use and change in the Americas. Special issue The International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 132. 208 pp. Articles assess the status and role of indigenous languages in the Americas. It has a special focus on the ideological and social forces that influence their use and vitality, with many of the contributions being Native speakers. Part 1 addresses indigenous languages in the USA. Part 2 has six articles on indigenous languages in Mexico and Latin America. Ordering information: $46.00 US from Mouton de Gruyter, 200 Saw Mill River Rd, Hawthorne, NY 10532. McCarty, Teresa L., Watahomigie, Lucille J., & Yamamoto, Akira Y. (Eds.). (1999). Reversing language shift in indigenous America: Collaborations and views from the field. Special issue of Practicing Anthropology, 21(2). 60 pp. Includes eight articles by prominent and less known language scholars addressing case studies and language ethics. Cost is $5.00 US from SfAA, P.O. Box 24083, Oklahoma City, OK 73124. Phone 405/843-5113. E- mail sfaa at telepath.com Poggie, Jr., John J. (1988). Indian language renewal. Special section of Human Organization, 47(4), 283-353. Contains seven articles on Indian language renewal. Of special interest are William L. Leap's "Applied linguistics and Indian language renewal" (pp. 283-291) and Elizabeth A. Brandt's "Applied linguistic anthropology and American Indian language renewal" (pp. 322-329). ONLINE ARTICLES, CHAPTERS & PAPERS Crawford, James. (1998). Endangered Native American languages: What is to be done, and why? In Thomas Ricento & Barbara Burnaby (Eds.), Language and politics in the U.S. and Canada: Myths and realities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/brj.htm McCarty, Teresa L. (1994). Bilingual education policy and the empowerment of American Indian communities. The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 14, 23-42. E-mail akindler at ncbe.gwu.edu http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/jeilms/vol14/mccarty.htm McCarty, Teresa L. & Dick, Galena Sells. (1996). Mother tongue literacy and language renewal: the case of Navajo. Literacy online: Proceedings of the 1996 World Conference on Literacy. E-mail wagner at literacy.upenn.edu http://www.literacyonline.org/products/ili/webdocs/ilproc/ilprocMc.htm Reyhner, Jon. (1993). American Indian language policy and school success. The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 12, Special Issue III, 35-59. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/BOISE.html Reyhner, Jon & Tennant, Edward. (1995.) Maintaining and renewing Native languages. Bilingual Research Journal, 19(2), 279-304. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Main.html Jon Reyhner is co-editor of Revitalizing Indigenous Languages (1999) and editor of Teaching Indigenous Languages (1997), Teaching American Indian Students (1992), and Effective Language Education Practices (1990). Currently he teaches bilingual multicultural education courses at Northern Arizona University. Copyright © 2001-2006 Tribal College Journal -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sun Apr 30 04:41:25 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:41:25 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, Andre... This is all good -- although the information about AILDI is dated. The new director is Regina Siquieros and the current AILDI website can be found at: http://www.u.arizona.edu/~aildi/ . This summer's session will feature language documentation as well as revitalization --- and more! Susan On 4/29/06, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > *Native American language renewal* > > *by Jon Reyhner* > > Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > According to Michael Krauss of the Alaska Native Language Center, there > are 210 different indigenous languages still spoken by American Indians and > Alaska Natives in the United States and Canada out of the over 300 spoken > before the arrival of Columbus. These languages have survived suppression in > boarding schools and catastrophic population declines. > The question today is how much longer will these remaining languages > survive. Children are no longer routinely being punished for speaking them > in schools, but ironically many are not speaking them now that they can. > Today, English language movies, television, and videotapes are doing what a > century of washing mouths out with soap in boarding schools could not > accomplish. > Krauss's research indicates that only 35 of the remaining languages in the > United States and Canada are still being spoken by children. When children > are no longer learning a language, the language is dying. > The indigenous language revitalization resources presented here > concentrate on organizations, web sites, and more recent publications that > are likely to be readily available on the internet, in bookstores and > university libraries, or by interlibrary loan. > > *PROGRAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS* > American Indian Languages Development Institute (AILDI) > An annual summer training institute for indigenous language teachers and > activists. A summary of the 20-year history of AILDI can be found at < > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_9.html>. > For more information contact Karen Francis Begay, AILDI Coordinator; > University of Arizona; Department of Language, Reading and Culture; P.O. > Box 210069, Tucson, AZ 85721-0069. Phone 520/621-1068. E-mail > kfbegay at u.arizona.edu > http://w3.arizona.edu/~aisp/aildi.html > Endangered Language Fund (ELF) > ELF supports with small grants efforts by Native communities or scholars > to do endangered language related work, such as preserving the texts of a > Native culture, developing videotaped language instruction, and "generation > skipping" language learning. For more information contact ELF, Department of > linguistics, Yale University, P. O. Box 208236, New Haven, CT 06520-8236. > E-mail elf at haskins.yale.edu > http://sapir.ling.yale.edu/~elf/index.html > Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) > FEL publishes a newsletter, holds annual meetings, and supports efforts to > preserve indigenous languages with small grants. For more information > contact FEL, Batheaston Villa, 172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath BA1 7AA, England. > E-mail nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk > http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Philosophy/CTLL/FEL/ > Institute for the Preservation of the Endangered Languages of the Americas > (IPOLA) > IPOLA collaborates with indigenous communities to revitalize and > perpetuate the languages and culture of the original inhabitants of the > Americas. For more information contact IPOLA, 560 Montezuma Ave. 201-A, > Santa Fe, NM 87501. Phone 505/820-0316. E-mail ipola at ipola.org > http://www.ipola.org/ > The Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas > (SSILA) > SSILA was founded in 1981 as an international scholarly organization > representing American Indian linguistics. Membership is open to anyone > interested in the scientific study of the languages of the Native peoples of > Americas. Publishes a quarterly newsletter and a monthly e-mail bulletin. > For more information contact SSILA, P.O. Box 555, Arcata, CA 95518. Phone > 707/826-4324. E-mail gollav at axe.humboldt.edu > http://www.ssila.org > > *VIDEOS* > E Ola Ka '0lelo Hawai'i. (1997). 'Aha Punana Leo (P.O. Box 1265 Kea'au, HI > 96749). Describes the most successful effort for indigenous language > revitalization in the U.S. It tells the story of over a century of decline > for the Hawaiian language and the revival of its use in the past two > decades. Through interviews, archival footage, and visits to Hawaiian > language immersion classrooms, this video makes a powerful statement about > the value of the Hawaiian language and culture for Native Hawaiians. The > videotape describes how they learned about Maori "language nest" immersion > preschools, implemented them in Hawaii, and then expanded Hawaiian language > immersion instruction into the public schools of Hawaii by getting state > English-only laws changed. Winner of two Canadian film festival awards. In > Hawaiian with English subtitles, 28 minutes. $12.95. E-mail > hauoli at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu > http://www.ahapunanaleo.org/index.html > Transitions. (1991). Native Voice Public Television Workshop (VCB Room > 172, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717). This film by Blackfeet > producers explores the relationship between languages, thoughts, and culture > and examines the impact of language loss in Native American communities. The > film chronicles the loss of the Blackfeet language from 1890 to 1990. The > film also illustrates the commonality of language loss amongst Indian tribes > and other ethnic groups in America. A study guide to this video is available > at > http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/StudyGuides/transitions.html > 30 minutes, VHS educational use $99.95. E-mail nv at kusm.montana.edu > http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/Films/index.html > > > *INTERNET INDEXES, SITES, AND DISCUSSION GROUPS* > Endangered-Languages-L Forum > This e-mail list with associated web pages provides a world-wide > communications vehicle and a central electronic archive for anyone working > on or interested in the study and documentation of endangered languages. > E-mail white.cloud at bigpond.com > http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/ > Index of Native American Language Resources on the Internet > One of the most comprehensive indexes of Native American language web > sites. E-mail www at hanksville.org > http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAlanguage.html > Language Policy > This site has extensive information about language policy issues in the > United States, including those related to endangered Native American > languages. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com > http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/ > Native American Languages Links > Linguist Wayne Lehman maintains this site with over 80 useful links to web > sites on specific American Indian languages. E-mail wleman at mcn.net > http://www.mcn.net/~wleman/langlinks.htm > Native American Language Resources > This site is maintained by the Center for Multilingual, Multicultural > Research at the University of Southern California and has links to sites and > full text publications concerning Native American languages. E-mail > cmmr at rcf.usc.edu > http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/Native_American.html#language resources > Teaching Indigenous Languages > An extensive collection of materials on revitalizing and teaching American > Indian languages. It reproduces in full text the printed proceedings of the > 1989 Native American Language Issues conference and the 1997 and 1998 > Stabilizing Indigenous Languages conferences. It also contains over 50 > columns on American Indian/Alaska Native Bilingual Education from the > newsletter of the National Association of Bilingual Education. E-mail > Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html > > *BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS, AND CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS* > Cantoni, Gina. (Ed.). (1996). Stabilizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, > AZ: Northern Arizona University. 240pp. > The proceedings of the 1994 and 1995 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages > Symposiums, which brought together tribal language activists and educators > as well as experts on linguistics, language renewal, and language teaching. > Contains sections on needs and rationale, language policy, families and > communities, and education and the text of the Native American Languages Act > of 1990. The articles by Joshua Fishman on "What Do You Lose When You Lose > Your Language?" and "Maintaining Languages: What Works? What Doesn't?" are > of special interest. A full text internet copy of this publication can be > found at http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/stabilize/index.htm > Fishman, Joshua. (1991). Reversing language shift: Empirical and > theoretical foundations of assistance to threatened languages. Clevdon, UK: > Multilingual Matters. 431 pp. > This is the classic study of endangered language revitalization efforts > worldwide, including Navajo in North America. It is a must-read for anyone > interested in the subject. > Hinton, Leanne. (1994). Flutes of fire: Essays on California Indian > languages. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books. 270pp. > This book originally appeared as columns in News from Native California > and includes information on both the beauty and uniqueness of indigenous > languages and the Master Apprentice Model for passing on endangered > indigenous languages from elders to young adults. > Hornberger, Nancy. (Ed.). (1996). Indigenous literacies in the Americas: > Language planning from the bottom up. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 393 pp. > Has sections on North America and Meso America. North American chapters > address efforts by Navajo, Cochiti Pueblo, and others. To contact Mouton de > Gruyter, phone 914/747-0110 or e-mail customerservice at degruyterny.com > McLaughlin, Daniel. (1992). When literacy empowers: Navajo language in > print. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 216 pp. > Describes a model bilingual school and the community it serves in the > Navajo Nation. The school teaches reading and writing in the Navajo language > in both elementary and high school. The first chapter discusses theory and > is somewhat difficult reading. Subsequent chapters are easier reading and > provide fascinating information from school board members, school > administrators, local tribal officials, and students on the topic of > teaching Navajo. A review of this book can be found in the Spring/Summer > 1997 issue of the Bilingual Research Journal, 21(2) at > http://brj.asu.edu/articles/gourd.html > Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1997). Teaching indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: > Northern Arizona University. 323 pp. > Proceedings of the 1997 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. Has > 25 papers on tribal and school roles, teaching students, teacher education, > curriculum and materials development, language attitudes and promotion, and > overviews of the topic. A full text version of this publication can be found > at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_Contents.html > Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1992). Teaching American Indian students. Norman: > University of Oklahoma Press. 328 pp. > Contains information on the historical suppression of American Indian > languages in schools and modern efforts at using American Indian languages > in bilingual education programs. The foreword is by U.S. Sen. Ben > Nighthorse Campbell. > Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1990). Effective language education practices and > Native language survival (Proceedings of the 9th annual NALI Institute). > (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 342 512) > Eleven papers from the 1989 Native American Language Issues conference, > including papers on Rock Point Community School and Maori adult language > revitalization efforts and papers by Richard Littlebear and James Crawford. > A full text version of this publication can be found at > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/NALI_Contents.html > Reyhner, Jon; Cantoni, Gina; St. Clair, Robert; & Yazzie, Evangeline > Parsons. (1999). Revitalizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern > Arizona University. 140 pp. + xx. > Proceedings of the 1998 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. The > introduction to this volume provides an up-to-date overview of tribal > language revitalization efforts. Its 11 papers describe language > revitalization efforts and the use of writing and technology in those > efforts. A full text version of this publication can be found at > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_Contents.html > Silver, Shirley & Wick, R. Miller. (1997) American Indian languages: > Cultural and social contexts. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 433 pp. + > xix. > A somewhat technical general introduction to American Indian languages and > linguistics and the cultural and social domains in which these languages > live. > > *SPECIAL ISSUES OF JOURNALS* > Boyer, Paul. (Ed.). (1993, Spring). The pattern of language. special issue > of Tribal College Journal, 4(4). 34 pp. > Includes "Finding a place for Navajo" by Clay Slate, "Healing the > generations: For one family, a language is lost and rediscovered" by Eric > Haase, "Lakota language survival and restoration" by Lydia Whirlwind > Soldier, and "A specialized knowledge base for teaching American Indian and > Alaska Native students" by Jon Reyhner, Harry Lee, and David Gabbard. > Henze, Rosemary & Davis, Kathryn. (Eds.) (1999, March). Authenticity and > identity: Lessons from indigenous language education. Special issue of > Anthropology and Education, 30(1). 124 pp. > Contains five articles that discuss lessons from Alaska, California, and > Hawai'i. > Kirkness, Virginia. (Ed.). (1989). Language is a gift from the Creator. > Special issue of Canadian Journal of Native Education, 16(2). 112 pp. > A valuable resource, especially Elizabeth A. Brandt and Vivian A > Youngman's "Language renewal and language maintenance: a practical guide" > (pp. 42-77) and Augie Fleras's "Te kohanga reo: a Maori renewal program in > New Zealand" (pp. 78-88). > McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1995, Winter), Indigenous > language education and literacy. Special issue Bilingual Research Journal, > 19(1). 213 pp. > Contains 13 useful articles in four sections: 1) Conceptualizing > indigenous literacies, 2) The status of indigenous languages in the U.S. > and Canada," 3) Models of indigenous language education, 4) Synthesis and > discussion: the role of indigenous communities in language and culture > renewal. > McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1998). Indigenous language > use and change in the Americas. Special issue The International Journal of > the Sociology of Language, 132. 208 pp. > Articles assess the status and role of indigenous languages in the > Americas. It has a special focus on the ideological and social forces that > influence their use and vitality, with many of the contributions being > Native speakers. Part 1 addresses indigenous languages in the USA. Part 2 > has six articles on indigenous languages in Mexico and Latin America. > Ordering information: $46.00 US from Mouton de Gruyter, 200 Saw Mill River > Rd, Hawthorne, NY 10532. > McCarty, Teresa L., Watahomigie, Lucille J., & Yamamoto, Akira Y. (Eds.). > (1999). Reversing language shift in indigenous America: Collaborations and > views from the field. Special issue of Practicing Anthropology, 21(2). 60 > pp. > Includes eight articles by prominent and less known language scholars > addressing case studies and language ethics. Cost is $5.00 US from SfAA, > P.O. Box 24083, Oklahoma City, OK 73124. Phone 405/843-5113. E-mail > sfaa at telepath.com > Poggie, Jr., John J. (1988). Indian language renewal. Special section of > Human Organization, 47(4), 283-353. > Contains seven articles on Indian language renewal. Of special interest > are William L. Leap's "Applied linguistics and Indian language renewal" (pp. > 283-291) and Elizabeth A. Brandt's "Applied linguistic anthropology and > American Indian language renewal" (pp. 322-329). > > *ONLINE ARTICLES, CHAPTERS & PAPERS* > Crawford, James. (1998). Endangered Native American languages: What is to > be done, and why? In Thomas Ricento & Barbara Burnaby (Eds.), Language and > politics in the U.S. and Canada: Myths and realities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence > Erlbaum. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com > http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/brj.htm > McCarty, Teresa L. (1994). Bilingual education policy and the empowerment > of American Indian communities. The Journal of Educational Issues of > Language Minority Students, 14, 23-42. E-mail akindler at ncbe.gwu.edu > http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/jeilms/vol14/mccarty.htm > McCarty, Teresa L. & Dick, Galena Sells. (1996). Mother tongue literacy > and language renewal: the case of Navajo. Literacy online: Proceedings of > the 1996 World Conference on Literacy. E-mail wagner at literacy.upenn.edu > http://www.literacyonline.org/products/ili/webdocs/ilproc/ilprocMc.htm > Reyhner, Jon. (1993). American Indian language policy and school success. > The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 12, Special > Issue III, 35-59. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/BOISE.html > > Reyhner, Jon & Tennant, Edward. (1995.) Maintaining and renewing Native > languages. Bilingual Research Journal, 19(2), 279-304. E-mail > Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Main.html > *Jon Reyhner is co-editor of Revitalizing Indigenous Languages (1999) and > editor of Teaching Indigenous Languages (1997), Teaching American Indian > Students (1992), and Effective Language Education Practices (1990). > Currently he teaches bilingual multicultural education courses at Northern > Arizona University.* > Copyright (c) 2001-2006 > Tribal College Journal > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Department of English(Primary) American Indian Language Devel.Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion &Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture The Southwest Center (Research) Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU Sun Apr 30 04:52:09 2006 From: Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU (jar) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:52:09 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal Message-ID: Yes, my resource list that was just posted is a bit old. My links page at http:// jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/links.html is updated as well as my resource list at http:// jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/SIL_Appendix.html I also post recent information on my main Teaching Indigenous Languages page at http:// jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html Jon Reyhner Northern Arizona University http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar Jon Reyhner, Professor Northern Arizona University http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 30 06:25:38 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 23:25:38 -0700 Subject: Media technology Message-ID: Northern California Region Redding, California June 2nd and 3rd, 2006 Red Lion Hotel 1830 Hilltop Drive (530) 221-8700 The Seventh Generation Fund is pleased to announce the first in a series of three trainings that will be offered to Native Communities in Northern, Central, and Southern California who are interested in utilizing digital media technology to create their own culturally appropriate educational materials. The goal is to encourage an intergenerational learning environment which will empower youth, elders and community leaders to document their own unique tribal histories, cultural traditions, languages and critical contemporary issues. Participants will aquire the skills to engineer interview sessions and produce multi-media presentations for their tribal community, public school teachers/educators, Native education centers, charter schools, museums, libraries and other appropriate groups. The Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Inc. is an Indigenous Peoples non-profit organization established in 1977. Our mission is to promote, protect and maintain the uniqueness of Native Peoples and the sovereignty of our distinct Nations. Native communities involved with language recovery, cultural revitalization, intergenerational projects and advocacy for environmental justice. Our support is in the form of small grants, hands-on training and technical assistance, workshops, conferences and leadership development. For more information, please contact the Seventh Generation Fund’s Native Voices Project at (707) 825-7640. Chris Hollis, SGF Media Coordinator (mo7g at pacbell.net) Leo Canez, SGF Special Projects Coordinator (lc7gen at pacbell.net) Space is limited to 30 participants, please register early! Cost is $250 per person. This will be a hands on technical assistance training, please bring photos, audio recordings, and most importantly your ideas and goals for incorporating technology into your work. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sun Apr 30 13:05:44 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 06:05:44 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal In-Reply-To: <446034D1@webmail.nau.edu> Message-ID: Thanks, Jon... Wonderful resources! S. On 4/29/06, jar wrote: > > Yes, my resource list that was just posted is a bit old. My links page at > http:// > jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/links.html is updated as well as my resource list at > http:// > jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/SIL_Appendix.html > > I also post recent information on my main Teaching Indigenous Languages > page > at http:// > jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html > > Jon Reyhner > Northern Arizona University > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar > > Jon Reyhner, Professor > Northern Arizona University > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Department of English(Primary) American Indian Language Devel.Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion &Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture The Southwest Center (Research) Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rzs at TDS.NET Sun Apr 30 19:25:42 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Smith) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 12:25:42 -0700 Subject: anthropology with no apology In-Reply-To: <39a679e20604300605s63fd0578ydabd93094d858c53@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: > > > > Kweh omateru, > (greetings friends.) > thanks for all these resources > this is a language egroup with very great leads and info! > but culture and language are really inseperatable so anthropology will wade in > and sometimes set its OWN standards. As tribal members we need to be careful. > Sometimes all this ³professional intelligence² creates its own language, laws > and bi-laws. > > Years ago visiting Chaco Canyon one weekend I was curious about the pottery > found in the area.The > resource person I asked stated no one was certain if pottery was actually > made in the canyon . > Later that day, I scooped out a handful of clay out of a park rangers muddy > tire track, > sat on a boulder and made a pot...since its what I do anyway.Camping that > evening I burnished it with > a socket from my socket wrench set,and by morning it was dry ...hey, great > clay! > I went to the visitors center and looked for someone to talk to. > I set it on the desk ...and for the next hour I was interogated with suspicion > and rudeness. > I had hoped to converse with an archaeologist, but he would not even show his > face. > He only would send instructions to the desk as to what to do with this > ³situation². > Finally, I was told I would NOT be prosecuted if I returned to the place where > I picked out the mud > and place the little pot where it could erode back into the soil. > I am a very patient person,even my wife will tell you! But I was burning up. > So...i realized something that day > Anthropology/Archeaology can create a culture of its own. > It can set itself up to be only correct view to observe and learn and to even > to teach. > even set up its own ²police force² to deal with nonconformists > > I¹m not against anthropology(some of my best friends are anthropologists! > seriously!) > But as a science it tends to set up its own grids from which to pass OUR > cultures through. > Anthropology itself, as an alien science needs to be studied...evaluated...by > native peoples > ³what makes an anthropologist² might make a good study ..turn the tables a > little. > what makes outsiders come study us? > NOW, that would make an interesting thesis! > > Oh ,I know,no need to remind me, > I know why Chaco Canyon must be strict,its obvious,because of all the tourists > coming through. > ²if everyone came and took a piece of mud out of the tire track...² > yeah...yeah... > > this is not meant to stir up arguments or justifications, > paint one people good and another bad > no , I just want to share a little > from experiance and cautions gained > richard > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I want to share something that happened to me that makes me worry sometimes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jtucker at STARBAND.NET Sun Apr 30 19:57:35 2006 From: jtucker at STARBAND.NET (Jan Tucker) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 15:57:35 -0400 Subject: anthropology with no apology In-Reply-To: Message-ID: anthropology with no apologyRichard, thanks for your story, I'd like to share it with my applied anthropology class and race and ethnic relations class ....with your permission of course. More of your perspective needs to be heard and this story is a great way to share your perspective. I agree with you, and I can certainly talk to some of your points, however since this is a language and technology discussion group, I'm respectfully not going to. Let me however apologize for those who aren't willing to even have dialogue and share this quote by John Kenneth Galbraith Oct 15 1908-Apr 29th 2006. "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." and "People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." Jan Tucker -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Richard Smith Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 3:26 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] anthropology with no apology Kweh omateru, (greetings friends.) thanks for all these resources this is a language egroup with very great leads and info! but culture and language are really inseperatable so anthropology will wade in and sometimes set its OWN standards. As tribal members we need to be careful. Sometimes all this “professional intelligence” creates its own language, laws and bi-laws. Years ago visiting Chaco Canyon one weekend I was curious about the pottery found in the area.The resource person I asked stated no one was certain if pottery was actually made in the canyon . Later that day, I scooped out a handful of clay out of a park rangers muddy tire track, sat on a boulder and made a pot...since its what I do anyway.Camping that evening I burnished it with a socket from my socket wrench set,and by morning it was dry ...hey, great clay! I went to the visitors center and looked for someone to talk to. I set it on the desk ...and for the next hour I was interogated with suspicion and rudeness. I had hoped to converse with an archaeologist, but he would not even show his face. He only would send instructions to the desk as to what to do with this “situation”. Finally, I was told I would NOT be prosecuted if I returned to the place where I picked out the mud and place the little pot where it could erode back into the soil. I am a very patient person,even my wife will tell you! But I was burning up. So...i realized something that day Anthropology/Archeaology can create a culture of its own. It can set itself up to be only correct view to observe and learn and to even to teach. even set up its own ”police force” to deal with nonconformists I’m not against anthropology(some of my best friends are anthropologists! seriously!) But as a science it tends to set up its own grids from which to pass OUR cultures through. Anthropology itself, as an alien science needs to be studied...evaluated...by native peoples “what makes an anthropologist” might make a good study ..turn the tables a little. what makes outsiders come study us? NOW, that would make an interesting thesis! Oh ,I know,no need to remind me, I know why Chaco Canyon must be strict,its obvious,because of all the tourists coming through. ”if everyone came and took a piece of mud out of the tire track...” yeah...yeah... this is not meant to stir up arguments or justifications, paint one people good and another bad no , I just want to share a little from experiance and cautions gained richard I want to share something that happened to me that makes me worry sometimes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 30 20:16:01 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 13:16:01 -0700 Subject: anthropology with no apology In-Reply-To: Message-ID: hey all discussion group means we can discuss things that come up as an extension of our language and technology focus ( in my own sometimes humble opinion) On Apr 30, 2006, at 12:57 PM, Jan Tucker wrote: Richard, thanks for your story, I'd like to share it with my applied anthropology class and race and ethnic relations class ....with your permission of course. More of your perspective needs to be heard and this story is a great way to share your perspective. I agree with you, and I can certainly talk to some of your points, however since this is a language and technology discussion group, I'm respectfully not going to. Let me however apologize for those who aren't willing to even have dialogue and share this quote by John Kenneth Galbraith Oct 15 1908-Apr 29th 2006. "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." and "People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." Jan Tucker -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Richard Smith Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 3:26 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] anthropology with no apology Kweh omateru, (greetings friends.) thanks for all these resources this is a language egroup with very great leads and info! but culture and language are really inseperatable so anthropology will wade in and sometimes set its OWN standards. As tribal members we need to be careful. Sometimes all this “professional intelligence” creates its own language, laws and bi-laws. Years ago visiting Chaco Canyon one weekend I was curious about the pottery found in the area.The resource person I asked stated no one was certain if pottery was actually made in the canyon . Later that day, I scooped out a handful of clay out of a park rangers muddy tire track, sat on a boulder and made a pot...since its what I do anyway.Camping that evening I burnished it with a socket from my socket wrench set,and by morning it was dry ...hey, great clay! I went to the visitors center and looked for someone to talk to. I set it on the desk ...and for the next hour I was interogated with suspicion and rudeness. I had hoped to converse with an archaeologist, but he would not even show his face. He only would send instructions to the desk as to what to do with this “situation”. Finally, I was told I would NOT be prosecuted if I returned to the place where I picked out the mud and place the little pot where it could erode back into the soil. I am a very patient person,even my wife will tell you! But I was burning up. So...i realized something that day Anthropology/Archeaology can create a culture of its own. It can set itself up to be only correct view to observe and learn and to even to teach. even set up its own ”police force” to deal with nonconformists I’m not against anthropology(some of my best friends are anthropologists! seriously!) But as a science it tends to set up its own grids from which to pass OUR cultures through. Anthropology itself, as an alien science needs to be studied...evaluated...by native peoples “what makes an anthropologist” might make a good study ..turn the tables a little. what makes outsiders come study us? NOW, that would make an interesting thesis! Oh ,I know,no need to remind me, I know why Chaco Canyon must be strict,its obvious,because of all the tourists coming through. ”if everyone came and took a piece of mud out of the tire track...” yeah...yeah... this is not meant to stir up arguments or justifications, paint one people good and another bad no , I just want to share a little from experiance and cautions gained richard I want to share something that happened to me that makes me worry sometimes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 2 07:35:42 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006 23:35:42 -0800 Subject: Foundation Message-ID: http://www.native-languages.org/ Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and promoting American Indian languages Welcome to Native Languages of the Americas! We are a small non- profit organization dedicated to the survival of Native American languages, particularly through the use of Internet technology. Our website is not beautiful. Probably, it never will be. But this site has inner beauty, for it is, or will be, a compendium of online materials about more than 800 indigenous languages of the Western Hemisphere and the people that speak them. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 3 07:31:35 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 00:31:35 -0700 Subject: American Indian languages website In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks to Andre for this terrific website information. This is a tremendous start, which certainly deserves support and collaboration from linguists to help insure its accuracy and thus greater usefulness. I took a quick look at the comparative Uto-Aztecan table, and was very impressed. It was also great to find out that a Nahuatl-English dictionary is available for download. Since the site will be enormously useful to linguists also, and to elicit the widest use and participation by potential contributors, it should be announced on the Linguist list, if it hasn't been already, and the reference archived there in their list of resources. Also, it would be useful to update the announcement whenever there are major advances in list contents, just to keep the site visible on people's radar screens. Rudy Troike From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 3 19:47:33 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 12:47:33 -0700 Subject: Saving the languages of 'our heritage' (fwd) Message-ID: POSTED ON 01/04/06 ENDANGERED TONGUES Saving the languages of 'our heritage' Premier dedicates $1-million to augment efforts with programs and technology ROD MICKLEBURGH http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060401.BCLANGUAGE01/TPStory/National VANCOUVER -- In the beginning, as cousins born less than a year apart on the Squamish native reserve, Barbara Charlie and Addie Kermeen shared almost everything. But early on, their young lives took a different turn, and years later, despite their closeness, the two native elders remain separated by language. Ms. Charlie, like thousands of other aboriginal children, was sent to a residential school. There, she lost the ability to speak the Coast Salish language she knew as a preschooler. Ms. Kermeen, on the other hand, was spared residential school because she had tuberculosis. Kept close to home, she did not speak English until she was 12. Today, Ms. Kermeen, 70, is one of only eight or nine members of the Squamish Nation still fluent in their original tongue. As speakers of Canada's aboriginal languages grow older, particularly those fluent in more obscure dialects, a desperate campaign has begun in recent years to prevent these endangered languages from dying out. With 32 of the country's 53 indigenous languages, British Columbia is in the forefront of the struggle, and yesterday, Premier Gordon Campbell announced a grant of $1-million to aid the cause. Speaking to more than 130 aboriginal community leaders at the fourth annual First Citizens' Forum, Mr. Campbell said five of the province's existing 32 aboriginal languages are already effectively extinct. "There is nobody left who can speak them fluently," he said. "Six more languages are on the verge of being spoken no more." In a rare burst of eloquence, Mr. Campbell said the many languages spoken by the first nations are a vital part of the province's past. "Our heritage is not just tied to the past two centuries. It is tied to thousands of years of stories, reaching back into time immemorial when languages we now seek to protect echoed from the trees and the mountains and the valleys of this province," he said. "If we lose these languages, we lose a part of British Columbia's heritage, and we lose a piece of ourselves." The $1-million will be used to augment existing efforts to save dying languages through immersion programs and voice technology. The languages that exist today barely survived the decades of assimilation imposed on native children by residential schools during most of the 20th century. The schools forbade students from talking to each other in their native language, at risk of severe punishment. "They outlawed our language, our songs, our dances," lamented Ms. Charlie. "My mother and father never spoke English, so I can still understand the language. "But for myself, I have forgotten how to say most of the words. It makes me feel bad." Chief Doug Kelly from the Soowahlie Indian Reserve near Cultus Lake in the Fraser Valley said his father, who spoke Salish, had such a terrible experience at his residential school that he refused to teach his children the language. "So I haven't learned it. I only recognize a few words." In recent years, however, traditional aboriginal languages are increasingly part of the curriculum in native-run schools. Ms. Kermeen recounted how shocked she was the other day when her eight-year-old grandson came home from school and told her something in Salish. "I asked him: 'Do you know what you're saying?' And he told me: 'I'm saying it's a good day today.' It made me very happy." At the First Citizens' Forum, hereditary Nuu-Chah-Nulth chief Shawn Atleo welcomed Mr. Campbell's announcement. "This is a chance to renew our commitment to preserve the words I sang as a child and understood fluently back then," Mr. Atleo said. The Chief recalled what his grandfather used to tell him when they were out fishing. "He would have tears rolling down his cheeks and he would always tell me: 'You can't let it go.' He was talking about our language, our songs and our expressions. 'You can't let it go.' "Through the language, our people were prepared for life. My father remembered, too, what my grandfather told him. He said: 'There was always a genius among our people.' " ? Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 3 20:00:12 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 13:00:12 -0700 Subject: Funding opens dialogue for B.C.’s First Nations (fwd) Message-ID: Funding opens dialogue for B.C.?s First Nations By richard rolke Morning Star Staff Apr 02 2006 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=35&cat=43&id=620365&more= It?s hoped new funding will bring some First Nations languages back from the brink of extinction. The provincial government is targeting $1 million towards the First Peoples? Heritage, Language and Culture Council. ?It?s an important investment,? said Tom Christensen, Okanagan Vernon MLA and aboriginal relations minister. There are 32 aboriginal languages across the province, but many are in jeopardy of disappearing. ?We?ve seen some resurgence with some languages but given the small number of speakers with some, it?s a challenge to preserve the languages and build on it,? said Christensen. Christensen blames the current situation on residential schools and past societal views towards aboriginals. ?One of the most tragic legacies of society?s approaches to aboriginal people was the deliberate effort to get them to not speak their language,? he said. Christensen says most people should consider how they would feel if they couldn?t speak English and it was threatened. ?Language adds incredible societal value of recognizing who that First Nation is,? he said. The council dedicates $600,000 annually for projects revitalizing aboriginal languages through documentation, language classes, immersion programs and curriculum development. The additional funds will be used to support activities such as language immersion programs, expansion of First Voices technology, and examining the feasibility of a B.C. First Nations? arts and languages centre. Christensen hopes the Okanagan Nation will access the funds. ?There is good work already being done with the Okanagan Nation.? While the funding is directed towards First Nations, Christensen is convinced all British Columbians will benefit. ?We?re able to celebrate the diversity of the First Nations and that makes us richer as a collective people,? he said.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 4 13:51:02 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 06:51:02 -0700 Subject: Language In America Message-ID: LIVE CHAT: Topic: Language: Mission Critical Where: http://www.edweek-chat.org/ When: Wednesday, April 5, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time Please join us for a live Web chat about foreign-lanuage education in the United States. Our guests, EDUCATION WEEK Associate Editor Kathleen Kennedy Manzo and Assistant Editor Mary Ann Zehr will discuss their special series, "Language: Mission Critical." Both in the United States and abroad, political, business, and education leaders are urging greater attention to teaching children foreign languages to help bolster international competitiveness, and in some cases, national security. Even if the message is getting through to classrooms, often the resources aren't. In this chat, our guests will field questions about the obstacles to expanding and improving such offerings as well as innovative approaches to building students' language skills. The first two installments of the series are online here: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/03/29/29mismatch.h25.html and the third will be available online April 12. Join us for this special chat with two of EDUCATION WEEK's most respected journalists. Submit questions here: http://www.edweek-chat.org/question.php3 No special equipment other than Internet access is needed to participate in this text-based chat. A transcript will be posted shortly after the completion of the chat. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 4 16:37:01 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 09:37:01 -0700 Subject: Lakota Language Message-ID: Lakota on Path to Recapture Language PINE RIDGE, S.D., March 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Lakota Sioux language, made famous through its portrayal in the 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," is now one of only a small handful of Native American languages with enough remaining speakers to survive into the next generation, announced a major language organization. Lakota is currently one of the last major Native American language hold-outs in what is a worldwide crisis of linguistic extinctions. To keep the Lakota language from disappearing completely, an ambitious revitalization campaign has been organized by a group of tribal leaders and linguists. The campaign is spearheaded by the nonprofit Lakota Language Consortium, which develops the Lakota- language teaching materials used in 23 area schools and which trains language teachers. The organization's goal is to encourage the use of the language by a new generation of speakers. Children using the group's language materials become proficient in Lakota by the fifth year of use. The group plans to have a fully sequenced curriculum that students can follow from first grade through college. The consortium's latest Level 2 textbook is currently being distributed to schools across Indian country. For Leonard Little Finger, the great-great-grandson of Chief Big Foot and one of the group's co-founders, the textbooks symbolize an important milestone for the Lakota. Little Finger notes that, "the effects of government policies were profoundly destructive to our language and our ability to pass it on to our children. These materials are so important because they are the first ever designed to raise children to speak Lakota. Not since before our great-grandparents were confined to the reservations, have we been allowed to raise our children speaking the language. As Lakotas, we will not let our language die, and these books give me hope that my grandchildren, at least, will have the privilege to speak their language." Tribal elders and traditional leaders have made it a priority to keep the language alive for future generations. 81-year-old Clarence Wolf Guts, the last surviving Lakota code talker from WWII, points out that, "our people need to know that Lakota had an important position and to learn to be proud to speak Lakota. It is good that the kids are now learning Lakota in the schools." Oglala Sioux Tribe Vice-President, Alex White Plume, shares this opinion and explains that through the group's efforts, ?we are finally making some progress in teaching the language to the children.? The group recently received the nation's leading language revitalization award, the Ken Hale Prize, from the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas. The consortium was distinguished for its outstanding community language work and deep commitment to the promotion and revitalization of Lakota. Still, the group's Linguistic Director, Jan Ullrich, points out that, "revitalizing a language is no easy task and much more needs to be done to educate the public about the state of endangered languages and the needs of indigenous peoples." Ullrich concedes that Native American language loss is an enormous though silent crisis. "The fact is, few people know about the seriousness of the language crisis - that there are perhaps only a dozen languages that have a chance of surviving in the United States out of the original five hundred. When a language disappears, we lose an important record of our human experience - our linguistic heritage. Languages encompass a people's unique and irreplaceable songs, prayers, stories, and ways of seeing the world. Ninety percent of these repositories of knowledge will pass into oblivion unless we do something about it." The organization's goal is to expand its revitalization efforts beyond the classroom and to more actively bring the language back into use within the community. They aim to provide incentives for young people to speak the language, to develop Lakota-language television programming, and to expand the literature available in the language. They model their actions on the best practices of other successful language revival efforts from around the world. However, the group's Executive Director, Wilhelm Meya says that funding continues to be the primary obstacle to the return of the language, "government aid is almost nonexistent and there are very few grants available for endangered languages. Individual donations seem to be the only hope endangered languages like Lakota have." Luckily, there are other people besides the Lakota themselves who want to see the language preserved. Meya explains that support for the group's effort has come from a number of less common sources such as German nonprofit organizations like the Tatanka Oyate Verein. "We have had to be creative to garner support for our efforts. It's very important that we succeed," Meya says. He also cites several other unique donors to the Lakota language, including the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Sioux Tools. Meya notes that the sports franchise, in particular, "is committed to helping the Lakota language and is a very proud supporter of our cause." Meya explains that individual donors have also played a significant role in helping language rescue efforts. One such donor, Jim Brown of Bemidji, Minnesota, is ardent about the need to support Lakota. He emphasizes, "it is my duty to do whatever I can to help Native American cultures survive. I'm very pleased to be part of this effort to keep the Lakota language alive and available to all of us." The remaining Lakota speakers are acutely aware of the high cost of the potential loss of their language. Elmer Bear Eagle, a resident of Wounded Knee, remembers with fondness when most people still spoke Lakota and laments the current state of the language. As an extra in "Dances with Wolves," he was very glad to be able to speak Lakota in the film but observes that, "if we can't save our language soon, all of our children will need to read the subtitles in the movie, just like everybody else, to understand what it being said in Lakota. Then, we will have truly lost our uniqueness as Lakota people." More details on the Lakota Language Consortium are available at: http://www.lakhota.org - - - - CONTACT: Wilhelm K. Meya, Lakota Language Consortium, 812-340-3517, fax 812-857-4482, meya at lakhota.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 4 18:23:12 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 11:23:12 -0700 Subject: 300 hear director of huge DNA study (fwd) Message-ID: Published: 04.04.2006 300 hear director of huge DNA study By Jane Erikson ARIZONA DAILY STAR http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/123049 With 6.5 billion people alive in the world today, it may be hard to think of humans as an endangered species. We may not be ? but the incredible diversity of the human race is melting away, said the head of a landmark effort to trace the genetic history of modern humans back 60,000 years. "We are going through a process of mass cultural extinction," Spencer Wells, director of the National Geographic Society's $40 million Genographic Project, said here Monday. Wells, a geneticist and anthropologist, was visiting the University of Arizona's Human Origins Genographic Laboratory, a partner in the Genographic Project. Its goal is to collect 100,000 DNA samples from isolated groups of people around the world to create, as Wells described it, "the largest picture of human variation ever created." That variation is illustrated by the fact that more than 6,000 languages are spoken across the world, Wells said. But half of those languages will be extinct by the end of this century, he said. "We are losing a language every two weeks," he said. If Wells cannot stop that cultural hemorrhage, he intends at least to document the genetic identities of different groups of indigenous people in places like the Arctic Circle, the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia, and the central African country of Chad. >From those DNA profiles he expects to trace peoples' ancestry back to one man and one woman ? whom scientists call Adam and Eve ? who lived in Africa between 60,000 and perhaps 200,000 years ago. "My goal as a scientist is to explain the patterns of human diversity," Wells told his audience of more than 300 people. "We all seem to be so different ? but how different are we?" The Genographic Project ? funded in part by IBM and the Waitt Family Foundation ? is working with 10 laboratories around the world, each of which will process 10,000 DNA samples from these isolated groups of people over the next five years. The samples are easily obtained by swabbing the inside of a person's mouth for saliva that contains all the DNA researchers need. Members of the public also can participate in the study, by ordering kits from the National Geographic Society, collecting their own DNA samples and mailing them back. All samples from the public are processed through the UA Human Origins lab, headed by geneticist Mike Hammer. Results, available in six to eight weeks, trace a person's ancestry back thousands of years to specific regions of the world, and the specific groups who inhabited those regions. "Oh yes," audience member Jeanine Dunn said when asked if she planned to order a genotyping kit. "I've been a genealogist for over 30 years," she said. "I'm just tremendously impressed with what I've heard here today." As of Monday, the Genographic Project had sold more than 135,000 "genotyping" kits through its Web site ? www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic ? to raise $3.5 million for the project's Legacy Fund. That money will be used to fund additional research and provide resources for the indigenous groups who participate in the study, Wells said. The first of those projects will be announced at the Genographic Project's world conference next month in South Africa, he said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Wed Apr 5 15:49:08 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 08:49:08 -0700 Subject: Balanced Message-ID: School picks eight as name By _DENNIS YUSKO_ (http://www.timesunion.com/TUNews/author/AuthorPage.aspx? AuthorNum=134) , Staff writer First published: Wednesday, April 5, 2006 CLIFTON PARK -- Shenendehowa elementary school students voted Tuesday for Shatekon -- meaning eight -- as the name for the district's eighth elementary school. All 12 of the Shenendehowa school names are based on the language of Mohawk Indians, who originally lived in the area. Shatekon represents a balanced life in Native American culture. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:35:27 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:35:27 -0700 Subject: Saving indigenous languages (fwd) Message-ID: SAVING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Wednesday, 5 April 2006 West Coast Sentinel (Australia) [photo inset - WORDS ON CD: University of Adelaide language researcher Paul Monaghan with the Wirangu Picture Dictionary aimed at helping save a disappearing language.] Language experts are working with local elders to preserve the fast disappearing indigenous languages and culture of the West Coast peoples. Time is running is out as is the case with the Wirangu language, which is now only spoken by Scottdesco woman Gladys Miller and to a lesser extent her sister. University of Adelaide language researcher Paul Monaghan has worked with Mrs Miller to develop a talking picture dictionary, featuring around 200 common Wirangu words. Aboriginal children and older people wanting to get in touch with their roots can look up words on the dictionary Compact Disc using a computer and hear the correct pronounciation and sentence structure for the language. Mr Monaghan travelled over to Koonibba and Ceduna this week to help launch the Wirangu dictionary and other language programs now underway in the district. In addition to the Wirangu dictionary developed after long hours of sitting down with Mrs Miller, linguists have also developed language cards for another West Coast language known as Gugada. The Gugada Language Cards were launched at the Koonibba School yesterday, while the Wirangu Picture Dictionary will be launched today at 11am at the Ceduna Arts and Culture Centre. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:38:09 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:38:09 -0700 Subject: Language restoration a top priority at Mashantucket conference (fwd) Message-ID: Language restoration a top priority at Mashantucket conference ? Indian Country Today April 05, 2006. All Rights Reserved Posted: April 05, 2006 by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412778 MASHANTUCKET, Conn. - Buffy Sainte-Marie, an entertainment icon both within and outside Indian country, expressed the overarching theme of the recent Mashantucket language conference - that language is not a part of a people's culture; it is a people's culture. Sainte-Marie, who was born at Piapot (Cree) Reserve in Saskatchewan and raised in Maine and Massachusetts, was the keynote speaker on the second day of the conference, which took place Feb. 22 - 24 at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. ''The Mashantucket Language Conference: Preservation and Reclamation of Indigenous Languages'' was the third biennial event exploring the academic and cultural uses of aboriginal languages. More than 150 people from all over the United States and Canada attended the conference where 30 presenters, including linguists, artists, students, musicians, poets and storytellers, described their wide-ranging scholarly research, language restoration projects, pedagogy and art. Sainte-Marie spoke for more than an hour and a half to a captivated audience about her work in language education, sometimes gliding across the auditorium floor or punctuating a point by stamping her foot. ''Language and culture cannot be separated. Language is vital to understanding our unique cultural perspectives. Language is a tool that is used to explore and experience our cultures and the perspectives that are embedded in our cultures,'' Sainte-Marie said. Famous as an Academy Award-winning singer/songwriter, Sainte-Marie has a teaching degree, a degree in oriental philosophy and a doctorate in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts. In 1968, she founded the Nihewan Foundation for American Indian Education and helped develop the Cradleboard Teaching Project, an ever-evolving interactive multimedia CD-ROM teaching tool that presents curricula, including aboriginal language, in culturally meaningful ways for Indian children. This new way of learning gets rid of the old stereotypes of ''dead text about dead Indians,'' Sainte-Marie said. ''What we're looking for is effectiveness in revitalizing our languages, in saving the cultures of our communities, and in building the self-esteem of people in those communities and passing into the future generation the yet-evolving wisdom and skills of Native American cultures,'' said Sainte-Marie. Toward the end of her presentation, an audience member asked for a song, and Sainte-Marie obliged. Using her microphone as a drum, she sang ''Relocation Blues,'' a plangent song about the former government practice both in the United States and Canada of removing children from their homes and placing them in boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their native languages. Among the other presenters that day was Drew Haden Taylor, an award-winning playwright, author, filmmaker and humorist who recently published his 17th book, ''Me Funny,'' about Native humor. Hayden Taylor described himself as half-Ojibway and half-Caucasian. ''That makes me an 'occasion' - either a special occasion or, at the very least, a memorable occasion,'' Hayden Taylor said, cracking up the audience. Hayden Taylor grew up on the Curve Lake Reserve in Ontario, where he would fall asleep to the sound of family members talking and laughing under a tree in the yard. Starting out as a writer, he noticed that most of the work by Native writers was ''dark, angry, depressing, bleak and sad; and I began to think, is this the kind of writing I have to do?'' Humor, he realized, was the ''shield and sense of sanity'' that allowed Native people to survive 500 years of oppression. ''I wanted to explore the Native funny bone,'' Hayden Taylor said. Native people like to tease a lot and Native humor is often self-deprecatory, he said, but it doesn't reinvent the wheel. What makes Native people laugh also makes non-Native people laugh, Hayden Taylor said. Klewetua, aka Rodney Sayers, gave a presentation called ''Water Was Our Highway,'' reflecting the rivers and ocean-based landscape of Ahswinnis, an area now known as Port Alberni, British Columbia, where the Hupacasath First Nation artist lives and works. Sayers is a ''student of language'' who inherited his tribe's language program by default - no one else applied for the job, he said. In addition to his work in the language revitalization project, Sayers is a river guide with his tribe's tours; and both the language and river work shape his production as an artist, he said. A PowerPoint presentation showed, among other things, an image of mountain range that marked the easternmost boundary of the tribe's territory. The mountain range is called ''Jagged Peaks Pointing Upwards,'' Sayers said. ''We have restored as many place-names of our territories as possible, and we don't name places or things after living people or people at all because when you move on you don't want things attached to you in this world,'' he explained. Many of the tribes' elders - who were fluent speakers and, therefore, culture-keepers - have passed on, which makes the work difficult, Sayers said. The language, called the Nuu Chah Nulth Barkely dialect, originated around the activities of the tribe's ancestors, many of which centered on fishing and river activities. ''A lot of those activities are gone or have few participants so the language has become obscure and hard to apply to everyday life and difficult to translate into English for learning purposes,'' Sayers said. The language project has compiled a phonetic alphabet with some icons not present in the English language and is about to publish its third language book. ''Really, what we need to do is get people talking our language in our homes. My mother was a fluent speaker with a huge amount of knowledge of our history, but she never taught me. She went to residential schools as a child, so I'm not sure if they took the spirit out of her, but she's gone now and I'll never know,'' Sayers said. '''The Water Was Our Highway' is the name of my presentation, but we've got to get rid of the past tense. The water is our highway and it's the way we're going to travel and it's a matter of understanding our language and applying it, rather than just thinking of it as a thing that we have to achieve,'' Sayers said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:43:22 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:43:22 -0700 Subject: 10:21 am: Memo to recognize teaching of Keres language (fwd) Message-ID: 10:21 am: Memo to recognize teaching of Keres language By ASSOCIATED PRESS April 5, 2006 http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/41852.html# SANTA FE (AP) - The state Department of Public Education and Laguna Pueblo are to sign an agreement Friday that will recognize the pueblo's authority to decide who teaches the pueblo's children the Keres language of Laguna. The memorandum of understanding will make sure the pueblo's language will be supported by the Grants-Cibola County Public Schools, Public Education Secretary Veronica Garcia said. Garcia and Laguna Pueblo Gov. Roland Johnson are to sign the agreement at the pueblo's Route 66 Casino. A child's first language is critical to identity and helps children value their culture and heritage, Garcia said. "When the native language is not maintained, important links to a student's family and other community members may be lost," she said. The agreement will give the pueblo the responsibility for establishing the process to certify people for licenses to teach the Keres language, history and culture. The education department will issue licenses in accordance with that process. The 2002 state Legislature approved the Native Language and Culture Act, which provides for such memorandums. To date, the Public Education Department's licensure bureau has issued 69 native language and culture certifications. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 19:45:14 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 12:45:14 -0700 Subject: Cherokee language soars with new CD (fwd) Message-ID: Cherokee language soars with new CD SMN http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/04_06/04_05_06/art_cherokee_CD.html The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribe is using original music and song to help preserve the Cherokee native language with a new CD now on sale. Project Song Bird, designed to motivate people to learn the Cherokee language, is a collaborative effort between the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Kituwah Preservation & Education Department and songwriter Paula Maney Nelson. ?Songwriting has been a hobby of mine since my teens. When I was approached by the Kituwah Preservation & Education Program to submit a proposal for this project, I was a bit intimidated but decided to go for it,? Nelson said. The project is designed to be implemented in four phases and will address the needs of different age groups. The five-song sampler is the first phase and serves as an introduction to the project and to serve as a model for future collaborations. Project Songbird is available through the Museum of the Cherokee Indian by calling toll free 866.665.7249 or through the Web at www.cherokeemuseum.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 5 20:28:13 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:28:13 -0700 Subject: Keeping Salish Alive (fwd) Message-ID: KEEPING SALISH ALIVE Photo credit: Adam Sings In The Timber Writing in the Salish language, Maii Pete, 10, makes a list of what she was thankful for this past year as elder Sophie Mays works with other children at Nkwsum school. By Jasa Santos ARLEE, Mont.?More than a dozen children are crammed into the small entryway of a school on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. An elderly man with salt and pepper braids is ushering coats and backpacks to each one, speaking quietly in Salish. The children answer confidently and chatter excitedly with each other, alternating between English and Salish. Soon, the entryway is quiet, and another day has ended at Nkwsum, the Salish immersion school on the reservation. ?It?s just like any other school,? said Director Tachini Pete, ?except for the focus on language and culture.? Nkwsum was started four years ago, with the idea of bringing the Salish language back to the people. At the time, nearly 100 people spoke fluent Salish on the reservation, but only 58 speakers remain. Nkswum (pronounced in-KOO-sum) means ?family? in Salish and is derived from the Salish word meaning ?one fire.? Photo credit: Adam Sings In The Timber Tana Stevens, 5, writes Salish words during a class. Pete said the school enrolled only four students its first year. Now, nearly 30 students are enrolled in preschool through second grade. The lone classroom contains only two rows of desks, all of which were donated by other schools. An English alphabet poster tops the marker board with the Salish alphabet underneath. ?We made everything in here just about,? Pete said, looking around the room. Nkwsum is only one of two Native language immersion schools in Montana. Browning is home to the other, which focuses on the Blackfeet language. No Salish curriculum is available to Pete and the teachers at Nkwsum. ?We?ve proposed to the tribe to create a curriculum department,? Pete said. ?We?re at the point where we can?t keep up. The kids are learning so fast.? THE MAIN DIFFERENCE That is the main difference between a public school and Nkswum, Pete said. A public school can buy everything needed to teach students math or science. Nkwsum can?t. ?Everything has to be translated and redone, so it fits our language and our culture,? Pete said. ?We want our kids to get all the education they can, if not more than a public school can [give].? Photo credit: Adam Sings In The Timber D'anja Charlo, 4, and Dorissa Garza, 7, listen to elder Stephen Small Salmon as he instructs them in Salish. As newly appointed curriculum director, Arleen Adams knows that Nkwsum faces more hard work. ?We have no McGraw-Hill,? Adams said with a laugh. ?We are McGraw-Hill.? Adams said the Nkswum?s goal is create a curriculum and to ?make it Indian, to make it Salish.? ?That?s what needs to be expressed to our children,? she said. ?They don?t get that from a public school.? The current curriculum isn?t based on lesson plans, Adams said. The group works in a casual manner, tracking months and seasons important to Salish culture. The result is what Adams calls a ?seasonal curriculum.? For example, October is ?hunting month? in the Salish culture, Adams said. The teachers focus on the traditional animals, weapons and locations important to the culture. ?We rely wholly on our three teachers here to help us,? Adams said. ?It?s about teaching the kids who they are and where they came from.? Adams also consults a culture committee and elders to make sure that students are learning the full Salish language. With the dialect changing from places such as Arlee to Polson?everyone on the reservation knows a different way of speaking Salish?Adams wants to ensure that students are not learning ?half-words.? ?We rely on our elders to be that foundation for us,? she said. ?In a week?s time, [the students] are spitting out all kinds of Salish.? Often, Salish elders visit for have storytelling time with students. Everyone works to reinforce the elder?s story and how it is important to the Salish culture. ?It would be nice to call up McGraw-Hill and say, ?Hey, could we have a Salish curriculum for the fifth grade?? ? Adams said. ?But we create the curriculum as we go. It?s the only way.? Reporter Jasa Santos, Salish, and photographer Adam Sings In The Timber, Crow, attend the University of Montana in Missoula. They are both graduates of the Freedom Forum's 2005 American Indian Journalism Institute. ARTICLE LINK: http://www.reznetnews.org/student/060202_language/[1] ------------------------- Copyright ? 2006 Reznet. Reznet is a project of The University of Montana School of Journalism and the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Links: ------ [1] http://www.reznetnews.org/student/060202_language/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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MASHANTUCKET, Conn. - Buffy Sainte-Marie, an entertainment icon both within and outside Indian country, expressed the overarching theme of the recent Mashantucket language conference - that language is not a part of a people's culture; it is a people's culture. Sainte-Marie, who was born at Piapot (Cree) Reserve in Saskatchewan and raised in Maine and Massachusetts, was the keynote speaker on the second day of the conference, which took place Feb. 22 - 24 at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. ''The Mashantucket Language Conference: Preservation and Reclamation of Indigenous Languages'' was the third biennial event exploring the academic and cultural uses of aboriginal languages. More than 150 people from all over the United States and Canada attended the conference where 30 presenters, including linguists, artists, students, musicians, poets and storytellers, described their wide-ranging scholarly research, language restoration projects, pedagogy and art. Sainte-Marie spoke for more than an hour and a half to a captivated audience about her work in language education, sometimes gliding across the auditorium floor or punctuating a point by stamping her foot. ''Language and culture cannot be separated. Language is vital to understanding our unique cultural perspectives. Language is a tool that is used to explore and experience our cultures and the perspectives that are embedded in our cultures,'' Sainte-Marie said. Famous as an Academy Award-winning singer/songwriter, Sainte-Marie has a teaching degree, a degree in oriental philosophy and a doctorate in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts. In 1968, she founded the Nihewan Foundation for American Indian Education and helped develop the Cradleboard Teaching Project, an ever-evolving interactive multimedia CD-ROM teaching tool that presents curricula, including aboriginal language, in culturally meaningful ways for Indian children. This new way of learning gets rid of the old stereotypes of ''dead text about dead Indians,'' Sainte-Marie said. ''What we're looking for is effectiveness in revitalizing our languages, in saving the cultures of our communities, and in building the self-esteem of people in those communities and passing into the future generation the yet-evolving wisdom and skills of Native American cultures,'' said Sainte-Marie. Toward the end of her presentation, an audience member asked for a song, and Sainte-Marie obliged. Using her microphone as a drum, she sang ''Relocation Blues,'' a plangent song about the former government practice both in the United States and Canada of removing children from their homes and placing them in boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their native languages. Among the other presenters that day was Drew Haden Taylor, an award- winning playwright, author, filmmaker and humorist who recently published his 17th book, ''Me Funny,'' about Native humor. Hayden Taylor described himself as half-Ojibway and half-Caucasian. ''That makes me an 'occasion' - either a special occasion or, at the very least, a memorable occasion,'' Hayden Taylor said, cracking up the audience. Hayden Taylor grew up on the Curve Lake Reserve in Ontario, where he would fall asleep to the sound of family members talking and laughing under a tree in the yard. Starting out as a writer, he noticed that most of the work by Native writers was ''dark, angry, depressing, bleak and sad; and I began to think, is this the kind of writing I have to do?'' Humor, he realized, was the ''shield and sense of sanity'' that allowed Native people to survive 500 years of oppression. ''I wanted to explore the Native funny bone,'' Hayden Taylor said. Native people like to tease a lot and Native humor is often self- deprecatory, he said, but it doesn't reinvent the wheel. What makes Native people laugh also makes non-Native people laugh, Hayden Taylor said. Klewetua, aka Rodney Sayers, gave a presentation called ''Water Was Our Highway,'' reflecting the rivers and ocean-based landscape of Ahswinnis, an area now known as Port Alberni, British Columbia, where the Hupacasath First Nation artist lives and works. Sayers is a ''student of language'' who inherited his tribe's language program by default - no one else applied for the job, he said. In addition to his work in the language revitalization project, Sayers is a river guide with his tribe's tours; and both the language and river work shape his production as an artist, he said. A PowerPoint presentation showed, among other things, an image of mountain range that marked the easternmost boundary of the tribe's territory. The mountain range is called ''Jagged Peaks Pointing Upwards,'' Sayers said. ''We have restored as many place-names of our territories as possible, and we don't name places or things after living people or people at all because when you move on you don't want things attached to you in this world,'' he explained. Many of the tribes' elders - who were fluent speakers and, therefore, culture-keepers - have passed on, which makes the work difficult, Sayers said. The language, called the Nuu Chah Nulth Barkely dialect, originated around the activities of the tribe's ancestors, many of which centered on fishing and river activities. ''A lot of those activities are gone or have few participants so the language has become obscure and hard to apply to everyday life and difficult to translate into English for learning purposes,'' Sayers said. The language project has compiled a phonetic alphabet with some icons not present in the English language and is about to publish its third language book. ''Really, what we need to do is get people talking our language in our homes. My mother was a fluent speaker with a huge amount of knowledge of our history, but she never taught me. She went to residential schools as a child, so I'm not sure if they took the spirit out of her, but she's gone now and I'll never know,'' Sayers said. '''The Water Was Our Highway' is the name of my presentation, but we've got to get rid of the past tense. The water is our highway and it's the way we're going to travel and it's a matter of understanding our language and applying it, rather than just thinking of it as a thing that we have to achieve,'' Sayers said. .:. Andr? Cramblit: andre.p.cramblit.86 at alum.dartmouth.org is the Operations Director Northern California Indian Development Council NCIDC (http://www.ncidc.org) is a non-profit that meets the development needs of American Indians To subscribe to a news letter of interest to Natives send an email to: IndigenousNewsNetwork-subscribe at topica.com or go to: http:// www.topica.com/lists/IndigenousNewsNetwork/subscribe/?location=listinfo -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: spacer.gif Type: image/gif Size: 49 bytes Desc: not available URL: From lanz at RICE.EDU Sun Apr 9 18:27:49 2006 From: lanz at RICE.EDU (Linda Lanz) Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 13:27:49 -0500 Subject: Natives want their dying language taught Message-ID: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/7611812p-7522874c.html Natives want their dying language taught NANWALEK: Village asks Kenai School District to make Sugt'stun part of curriculum. By TOM KIZZIA Anchorage Daily News Published: April 9, 2006 Last Modified: April 9, 2006 at 02:48 AM HOMER -- Two generations ago, students in Nanwalek had to lick the schoolhouse floor when they spoke Sugt'stun like their parents. Now the village's last fluent speakers are asking the school's help to save their dying Native language. Nanwalek parents and elders want the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District to make Sugt'stun part of their core curriculum, with academic credit for a high school course. Nanwalek even has a certified teacher eager to teach the language, which is spoken statewide by fewer than 100 people, most of them elderly. "Kenai Peninsula is the Sugpiaq homeland. We are the last band of survivors of the Sugpiaq people," former bilingual aide Sally Ash told the School Board last week. "We consider it an insult that we have no say about how our village school is run." But school officials -- citing budget cuts, new federal rules and Nanwalek's low achievement test scores -- say they have to concentrate on basic offerings like English and math. Earlier this winter, they suggested Nanwalek's students who want a language credit take an online Spanish course instead. A dozen parents flew out of the village of 230 and then drove to Soldotna last Monday to make their pitch to the Kenai Peninsula School Board. They were joined at the podium by parents from the Russian Old Believer village of Kachemak Selo, who were seeking a similar step-up of support for Russian language instruction in their local school. School officials couldn't promise much more than adjustments in the bilingual aide program for younger students. But the School Board scheduled an April 17 work session to discuss the village requests. The Kenai Peninsula's language dilemma provides a stark example of how Alaska school districts are being forced to concentrate on meeting national testing standards, often with little left over to address unique local needs. LEARN SPANISH INSTEAD? The problem in the Old Believer village is somewhat different. Unlike Nanwalek, where children now grow up speaking English, those entering school in Kachemak Selo speak mostly Russian. Kachemak Selo parents were roused to seek help after the School District moved to scale back the bilingual aide program. They also want to see a high school Russian class, pointing out that their school of 90 students offers no gym, theater or other non-core activities. "We don't want them to lose it," said Polly Reutov, the mother of six students. "If they're completely immersed in English, they will lose it." Reutov said her son had been asked this year if he'd be interested in taking high school Spanish instead. In his case, distance delivery wouldn't mean an online program -- Kachemak Selo still holds to the Old Believer stricture against use of computers, Reutov said. District officials say they are pushing Kachemak Selo to run its bilingual program more like the nearby Old Believer village of Voznesenka, several miles of switchbacking trail away. The school there has met federal standards for yearly progress on test scores and the Russian language program is more successful, district officials say. Instead of teaching language, aides in Voznesenka have concentrated on using Russian to pre-teach concepts in, say, math, so that English- language instruction will be easier for children to follow, said Norma Holmgaard, the district's director of federal programs and small schools. Voznesenka also offers Russian for high school students. That's largely a matter of luck, Holmgaard said. Federal rules require teacher certification and expertise, and Voznesenka has a certified Old Believer teacher able to leave his elementary class every day to teach a high school course. District officials suggested Kachemak Selo send someone away to become certified as a teacher and return to teach the classes they want. CURRICULUM OBSTACLE In Nanwalek, however, just having a certified teacher isn't enough. Nanwalek boasts a village son back from Fairbanks with a master's degree in education with a Native language specialty. He's now working as an aide with younger students, and covertly teaching Sugt'stun to high school students during an elective period set aside for art. "The kids are using it at home, they're so eager and anxious to show off," said a parent, Nancy Yeaton. But other obstacles remain, district officials say. There's no approved curriculum for Sugt'stun, as there are for more widely spoken Native languages such as Yup'ik. (Chugachmiut, the regional Native nonprofit, hopes to have one developed by 2008.) And for a school that has not met achievement scores and progress goals required under federal law, there's no money for extras like language, Holmgaard said. "If we add something somewhere, we have to cut somewhere else," she said. "All they have right now is the core." But Nanwalek parents are increasingly indignant. When they learned that seven students had signed up for Spanish, six pulled their children out of the program. Parents want some influence over the curriculum in their village, and say they are tired of having to beg for favors. They haven't spoken up like this in the past, they say, because of a legacy of cringing shame about being Native, inculcated in the schools of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. LANGUAGE ON THE BRINK At a recent meeting in the village, Ash said, older residents recalled being mocked or smacked by teachers for speaking Sugt'stun. One told how he was forced to go outdoors and hold the school flag pole for an hour in a snowstorm. "How does the saying go? You broke it, you own it, you fix it," Ash told the School Board. At 48, she is one of the youngest fluent speakers. "You are not responsible for the past crimes, but you are for the one that is occurring right now." Today, Nanwalek has about 20 fluent speakers, more than any other community. If they fail, villagers say, the consequence won't just be undermining their children's sense of culture. The Sugt'stun language will disappear off the face of the Earth. School officials responded sympathetically, but they made no promises. "Personally, I think it's really important," said Holmgaard. "But professionally, I can say, is it the responsibility of the School District, or is it the responsibility of Nanwalek and Chugachmiut?" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 10 20:48:45 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:48:45 -0700 Subject: APS Sees Cultural, Language Programs as Way to Help Indian Students (fwd) Message-ID: Sunday, April 9, 2006 APS Sees Cultural, Language Programs as Way to Help Indian Students By Amy Miller[2] Journal Staff Writer http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/450092metro04-09-06.htm Many small hands wave in the air when Shirley Gee asks her Navajo students if they speak their native language. Gee smiles, saying they are likely showing off for visitors. In reality, only a few students in her Navajo language classes at Painted Sky Elementary School speak Navajo fluently, although many know a few words. "Most (students) say they want to learn Navajo so they can talk with their grandparents," Gee said. "It makes them unique. It makes them feel special." But teaching Navajo does more than help students communicate with their elders, says Gee and other educators. It gives them a sense of belonging and confidence about learning other subjects and making better grades. The class "makes me feel good and want to learn more about Navajo culture," said 10-year-old Tracy Martinez. "It makes me want to read more." The problem, say educators, is that there are not enough classes like this for Native American students. To improve lagging test scores and low graduation rates, all of the nearly 6,000 Native American students in Albuquerque Public Schools need access to Native American cultural and language programs? from pre-school to graduation, said Nancy Martine-Alonzo, director of Indian education for APS. But money and resources from the state, federal government and private sources are limited. APS has a $1.5 million budget specifically for Native American education that pays for programs at only 20 schools and serves fewer than 600 students, she said. Money could be even tighter next year. APS stands to lose more than $200,000 if Congress approves the federal education budget. That will mean fewer extras, such as classroom supplies or field trips. A summer school program for Native American students may be canceled, Martine-Alonzo said. "Native American students (in APS) by far have the largest achievement gap," she said. "What has the district done differently to serve these students? That's the question we need to ask ourselves." It's not just a problem in Albuquerque. The state's Legislative Finance Committee issued a report on March 28 saying the state is not doing enough to improve the education of Native American children, despite a 2003 state law requiring schools to hire more Native American teachers and provide culturally relevant learning experiences. But state Education Secretary Veronica Garcia said that the report did not take into account other programs that work to narrow the achievement gap for all minority students. LITTLE MONEY, BIG CHALLENGES Any budget cuts, however small, hurt students, Martine-Alonzo said. Albuquerque's Native American students come from 160 tribes and pueblos, and they struggle with many different social, financial and emotional needs. Those barriers to learning become all too evident when looking at graduation and dropout rates, as well as test scores, educators said. About one in three Native American students in the class of 2004 graduated in four years, the lowest graduation rate of any ethnic or racial group. They also earn some of the lowest scores on standardized tests. In 2004, 27 percent of ninth-grade Native American students tested proficient in math, while 64 percent of Anglo students and 63 percent of Asian students did. Many principals try to address the problem by paying for Native American programs and classes from their school budgets, grants or through other departments outside the Indian education division. Pat Woodard, principal at Painted Sky Elementary, gets money from the APS bilingual education department to pay for her Navajo language classes, and it's been well worth the effort, she said. She's seen Navajo students' reading scores jump dramatically. In the 2003-04 school year, 17 percent tested proficient in reading. The next year, 34 percent did. "I wouldn't say the class is the only reason," Woodard said. "But I do think it's played a big part." Finding qualified teachers certified by the tribe to teach the school's Navajo language classes is hard, said Holly Beiler, assistant principal at West Mesa High School. West Mesa? which has 189 Native American students, the third-highest population in APS? went without a teacher for three months last year. \'FLY LIKE A NEW BIRD\' Keith Franklin, a member of the APS Native American Task Force, has written a plan to reform Indian education by creating language and cultural programs for all Native American students, from kindergarten to high school. Until then, Franklin and others hope that a Native American charter school opening this fall is a step in the right direction. "It's going to fly like a new bird," Franklin said. There are about 55 such schools in 11 states, including two in New Mexico, said Mary Jiron Belgarde, an associate education professor at the University of New Mexico. Some are run by a single tribe, and others are in cities with students from many tribes. "Students perform better at these schools because they get the kind of attention they don't receive in a regular public school," Belgarde said. Classes at the APS Native American Community Academy will be small and will focus on history and cultural traditions, said director Kara Bobroff, who worked with educators and tribal leaders to develop the curriculum. So far, 92 middle school students have enrolled. Eventually, the academy will cover grades six to 12. Bobroff does not know if all enrolled are Native American, and that's all right, she said. Any student, regardless of race or ethnicity, benefits from a focused curriculum. While the school is open to any student from any background, Bobroff does wants the school to be a "community" for Native American families so parents feel comfortable taking part. Links: ------ [1] http://www.albuquerquejournal.com [2] http://www.abqjournal.com/cgi-bin/email_reporter.pl -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 11 19:08:34 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 12:08:34 -0700 Subject: Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive (fwd) In-Reply-To: <20060411114947.430zwos4w8kkwcsk@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Dear ILAT, This news already reached the list but it seems that this particular article was not yet posted.?? Note that Dakota is identified as having only 125 speakers left.? Have a good day, Phil Cash Cash ilat list mng -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 11 18:49:47 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:49:47 -0700 Subject: Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive (fwd) Message-ID: Posted on Tue, Apr. 11, 2006 Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive BY TOM BERG THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/14315663.htm Sure, you can buy Icelandic Scrabble, Croatian Scrabble, even Slovenian Scrabble - if you look hard enough. After all, those languages have entire nations of speakers. But who'd want Scrabble for a dying language of a few hundred speakers? A language where the simple word for "bat" requires 18 letters? Tammy DeCoteau, for one. And game-making giant Hasbro, for another. They teamed up two weeks ago to launch the first Scrabble game in the Sioux Indian language known as Dakota. For the record, hupahuwakinhdakena - meaning "the bird that sees its wings when it's flying," or bat - was not even remotely considered during the tournament. In fact, the first word played was two letters long. The next added two letters to the first. We're talking baby steps. Yet from these humble beginnings, DeCoteau hopes to save an entire language. Why? "In language is intertwined the culture," she says. By that standard, the Dakota culture is in stark danger of extinction. Just 27 people in all of Minnesota, original home of the Dakota Sioux, speak Dakota, DeCoteau says. About 100 speak it on the Lake Traverse Reservation of South Dakota where DeCoteau held the recent tournament. When those elders die, the language could die, too. That, DeCoteau hopes, is about to change, thanks to the game first called Lexico, then Criss Cross Words - a game found in one of every three American homes and whose annual tournament is now televised on ESPN: Scrabble. Well-known names in Sioux history include Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and even Lt. Col. George Custer. Less known is that the Sioux were divided among three tribes: the Dakota, Nakota and Lakota. The Dakota were the first to be pushed from their homeland by white settlers in the mid-1800s. When in 1862 they revolted, 38 were hanged in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. When in 1876 they defeated Custer, his last stand became their own. Soon the Sioux were confined to even smaller reservations. Today, the U.S. is home to some 170,000 Sioux or part-Sioux, according to the U.S. Census. Most are spread out. DeCoteau estimates that 4,000 live on her reservation. Of those, maybe 600 are elders. And of those, maybe 100 speak the old tongue. It is, as some say, a generation from extinction. So how does news from the reservation hit California? Call it motherly pride. "I'm just proud of her compassion and thoughtfulness," says DeCoteau's mom, Lois Formes of Fullerton, who is of Danish descent and now remarried. "It's kind of funny. We're pushing people to learn the Sioux language, yet here we're wishing people would quit speaking Spanish." Here's an example of how rare the Dakota language has become: DeCoteau herself, the director of the Native Language Program for the Association on American Indian Affairs, cannot speak it fluently. "If I spoke, I'd sound like child who just learned English," she says. "I'd be speaking broken Dakota." Which might explain her strategy. DeCoteau's effort to save her language didn't start with adults putting down Scrabble tiles. It started with kids picking up toys. Three years ago, DeCoteau organized a day-care center for children of American Indian students at Sisseton-Wahpeton College in Agency Village, S.D. As a language director, she wanted to immerse the 6-month- to 4-year-olds in their native language. But she couldn't. For one thing, the children had no books, music or videos in Dakota. For another, none of her staff members could speak it. So she recruited a few tribal elders. One was Orsen Bernard, 70, who lived on the reservation about 20 miles away. "This one lady was singing, `This is the way we pick up our toys,' to a 2-year-old," he says. "I thought, `I can translate that.'" From there, the former U.S. Army medic translated "Goldilocks." Then other books and songs. Then the Pledge of Allegiance. He's happy to revive the language his parents were punished for speaking at the turn of the last century. "It's a long story," he says. "But way back when, in my mother's and dad's age, they were forbidden to talk the language. They were punished not only for that, but for their dancing and spiritual stuff. At the time, it was looked at as savagery - heathen stuff." Thus began the slow decline of Dakota. Each succeeding generation spoke less and less, erasing a language that speakers say has an imagery not found in English. Take the word kiyuspepicasni, which means "indivisible" from the Pledge of Allegiance. In English it means, "incapable of undergoing division." In Dakota, it means something you cannot break apart, you cannot even chip it, you cannot even take apart the pieces. "The Dakota words are so meaningful," Bernard says. "Even the praying and everything else is so connected to Mother Earth. I think it grabs you at the heart level." Eventually about 50 tribal members joined DeCoteau's team, writing children's songs and stories, translating videos, helping to restore the language. Someone even persuaded the local convenience store to label the candy aisle in Dakota. "We started thinking, `Where else can we put the language where it isn't already at?'" she says. "Someone said, `Oh, games.'" Quick strategy lesson: The T-with-a-dot and the P-with-a-dot - you want to grab these out of your Dakota Scrabble tile bag. They're the equivalent of our 10-point Zs and Qs. Most common? A and K. There are more of these 1-pointers than Es. The Dakota language has no F, L, Q, R or V, but it has six dotted letters and one N-with-a-tail, resulting in 28 letters, or two more than English. The game uses 100 tiles, same as traditional Scrabble, but players draw 10 tiles instead of seven. When tribal elders gathered in DeCoteau's office last summer, they hoped to write a 500-word Scrabble Dictionary. They ended up with 2,500 words - a far cry from the 180,000 in the National Scrabble Association's official word list, but plenty for a generation that barely knows any. DeCoteau collected enough money to make 30 games. She distributed these to schools, who played the first tournament two weeks ago. Now she's trying to make 500 home-edition games. Production costs likely will set the price at $75 despite her efforts to pitch in. She just ordered metal stamps to practice punching the letters onto the tiles. "I can take a hammer and stamp it onto a piece of wood, and see how hard it's going to be to do," she says. "Then I'll have an idea of what I have to pay somebody to do it." She knows. Sometimes it takes a hammer to change things. And sometimes it just takes a word or two. ? 2006 KRT Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.fortwayne.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phonosemantics at earthlink.net Tue Apr 11 19:47:47 2006 From: phonosemantics at earthlink.net (jess tauber) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:47 -0400 Subject: Scrabble could help keep the Dakota language alive (fwd) Message-ID: So do you think this may ultimately lead to a new tradition of 'Scrabble giving'? Actually after I read about this a few weeks ago I started thinking about how this and other word games might be utilized in Yahgan. Some Yahgan words were really long- like in Yupik, Inuktitut, etc. One might want to expand the playing surface a little to accommodate longish synthetic words. Of course do you allow just stems or entire inflected words, especially where inflections are obligatory? And in the opposite direction, what does one do about monosyllabic words, or tones, register, etc. in games like Scrabble? Or spelling, when orthography isn't standardized? Lots of possible issues. Jess Tauber From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Wed Apr 12 16:08:45 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:08:45 -0700 Subject: Rassias Message-ID: I worked with this method while in college to learn spanish, anyone used it for native Languages http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rassias/ 27 eager ESL teachers from the Central SABES region came together at Quinsigamond Community College for a two-day workshop on The Rassias Method? of language learning last weekend. It was hosted by Central SABES and run by Helene Rassias, daughter of world renowned ESL guru John Rassias.http://www.vspl.netfirms.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 12 16:40:24 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:40:24 -0700 Subject: Meya letter Message-ID: Some of you may have read this in the recent SSILA bulletin, so sorry for the double exposure. It is a quite articulate and concise call for the preservation of endangered languages and may be of interest to many. * The bald eagle may be safe but languages are still in danger ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [The following letter from one of the recipients of SSILA's Ken Hale Prize for 2005 was published in the Financial Times (UK) on March 11.] Sir, It was truly wonderful to read that America's national symbol, the bald eagle, is back in such strength that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is considering its removal from the endangered species list. In a way, the eagle's rescue symbolizes our own redemption. Nevertheless, there is a crisis today even greater than that recently averted danger by the bald eagle--that of our indigenous Native American languages, which are on the leading edge of a global wave of linguistic extinctions with 90 per cent of remaining languages expected to disappear within less than 100 years. In the same ways that a healthy planet requires biological diversity, a healthy cultural world requires linguistic diversity. Yet, language is also an elaborate phenomenon tied to real people and cultures. Language loss threatens a fundamental human right--that of expression of the life and life ways of a people. Each language relates ideas that can be expressed in that language and no other. Thus, when an indigenous community is no longer allowed to pray, sing, or tell stories in its language, it is denied a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, linguistic rights have been seriously abused for hundreds of years by banning specific languages and indirectly by assaulting language-support structures such as land, economies and religions. Tragically, the denial of linguistic rights continues in the US in the form of regulatory obstruction, fiscal neglect and racism. Even today, Native American schools are often forced to choose between basic funding and Native American language preservation. It is the modern continuation of the colonialism and abuse that originally denied the land to this country's original inhabitants. Yet deliverance is not out of reach on this issue either. Consider for a moment that in the early 1960s, few Americans knew or cared that the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction in the lower 48 states. It took a few non-profit organizations and a massive direct mail campaign to inform the public about the plight. Fortunately, the national response was immediate and effective. Within several years, new regulations like the Endangered Species Act were in place and financial resources were directed towards solving the problem. The eagles were on the road to recovery. But our success was long in coming. We cannot, however, be satisfied with this single victory. Languages today are the next frontier in setting the country into moral and environmental symmetry. We cannot simply save the eagle while neglecting our other important national symbols. --Wilhelm K. Meya Executive Director, Lakota Language Consortium The Language Conservancy Bloomington, IN 47408 (meya at lakhota.org) __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 12 17:15:55 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:15:55 -0700 Subject: "Message of Hope" Message-ID: The Nature Conservatory is currently accepting ?letters of hope? for their celebration of Earth Day. This is an excellent opportunity for people to express their ?hope? that endangered languages will become the focus of larger conservation efforts such as the Nature Conservatory?s own mission ?to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth?. You can post your own ?Earth Day message of hope? by going to the Nature Conservatory?s website at http://www.nature.org/ and clicking ?Share your message of hope?. __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 14 19:07:27 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 12:07:27 -0700 Subject: First Nations vie to save voices (fwd) Message-ID: FIRST NATIONS VIE TO SAVE VOICES By brian lynch Publish Date: 13-Apr-2006 http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=17148 The provincial government recently announced its plans to turn over $1 million to the FIRST PEOPLES? HERITAGE, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE COUNCIL to help preserve (and, in some cases, possibly even revive) the many aboriginal languages in B.C. now in serious danger of vanishing for good. That amount may seem small, given the scale of the task at hand. But TRACEY HERBERT, the council?s executive director, points out that legions of dedicated volunteers have long been used to doing a lot with very little?especially while the federal government?s gears continue to turn slowly on big promises made years ago about more money for the problem. ?It?s incredible what people have been able to do with just scraps of funding,? Herbert said, mentioning how volunteers working on projects that have a mere $10,000 each behind them have managed to produce reams of language resources and digital recordings. The new money, she explained, will help fund a total of $1.2 million that the council plans to hand out this year as grants, in response to the roughly $10 million worth of funding requests that will likely be made for language-preservation projects such as immersion programs, language classes, and documentation. (Check out some of the work that?s been done to record B.C.?s aboriginal languages at www.firstvoices.com/[1].) ?In the healthier languages we have between 500 and 1,500 fluent speakers, but in some cases it?s down to one or two fluent speakers left,? Herbert said. In the meantime, the council continues to wait for the Department of Canadian Heritage to make good on a 2002 pledge of $172.5 million (spread out over 10 or 11 years) for a nationwide language-rescue mission. Virtually nothing has come of this but reports, Herbert said, and things have only become more uncertain now that the Tories have taken power. ?When a government drags its feet, it?s very frustrating for organizations like ours,? she notes. ?This is a time-sensitive issue, simply because we?re losing so many elders.? ANNIE CARRUTHERS, Canadian Heritage?s director of aboriginal-language programs, agreed that the process ?is moving slightly slowly?, but points to progress made in face of a vastly complex issue. The main accomplishment so far has indeed come in the form of a report (at www.aboriginallanguagestaskforce.ca/[2]), but it?s a document that Carruthers insists is ?groundbreaking?. ?I wouldn?t underestimate its importance,? she told the Straight, arguing that the report?s 25 main recommendations are the work of an unprecedented task force comprised of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis representatives. These recommendations, she explained, are now being confirmed in consultations with aboriginal people. Then, she said, ?it?s our intention to respond with action.? Links: ------ [1] http://www.firstvoices.com/ [2] http://www.aboriginallanguagestaskforce.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 14 19:17:17 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 12:17:17 -0700 Subject: Indigenous Languages in Final Throes (fwd) Message-ID: Indigenous Languages in Final Throes Diego Cevallos* http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32884 MEXICO CITY, APR 13 (TIERRAM?RICA) - HUNDREDS OF LANGUAGES DISAPPEARED FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN OVER THE PAST 500 YEARS, AND MANY OF THE MORE THAN 600 THAT HAVE SURVIVED COULD FACE THE SAME FATE IN THE NOT-SO-DISTANT FUTURE. United Nations agencies and many experts maintain that it is an avoidable tragedy, but there are those who see it as the inherent fate of all but a few languages. Faced with Western culture and the dominant presence of Spanish, Portuguese and English in the Americas, indigenous languages like Kiliwua in Mexico, Ona and Puelche in Argentina, Amanay? in Brazil, Z?paro in Ecuador and Mashco-Piro in Peru, are just barely surviving, the result of their continued use by small groups of people -- most of whom are elderly. But there are others like Quichua, Aymara, Guaran?, Maya and N?huatl whose future looks a bit rosier, because overall these languages are spoken by more than 10 million people and governments support their survival through various educational, cultural and social programmes. Around the globe there are some 7,000 languages in use, but each year 20 disappear. Furthermore, half of the existing languages are threatened, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). This agency, which promotes the preservation and diversity of the world's languages, maintains that the disappearance of even one language is a tragedy, because with it go a unique culture and cosmovision. But not everyone sees it that way. "The extinction of languages is a phenomenon inherent in their very existence, and it has been happening since humans emitted their first sound with a linguistic meaning," Jos? Luis Moure, a University of Buenos Aires philologist and member of the Argentine Academy of Letters, told Tierram?rica. In contrast, Gustavo Sol?s, a Peruvian linguist with expertise in vernacular and author of language studies of the Amazon region, says "there is nothing in the languages that says one should disappear and another should continue." "Every disappearance of language and culture is a great tragedy to humanity. When it occurs, a unique and irreplaceable human experience is extinguished," Sol?s said in a conversation with Tierram?rica. There are cases, says this expert, that show it is possible to plan the revitalisation of languages so they won't die, but such efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean fall short. When the Europeans arrived in the Americas in the 15th century, there were 600 to 800 languages in South America alone, but with the colonisation process "the vast majority disappeared. Today there are languages on their way to extinction because of the unequal contact between Western society and some indigenous societies," Sol?s said. Fernando Nava, director of Mexico's National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI), said languages disappear through natural evolution, which is understandable, or through cultural pressure and discrimination against its speakers, which is preventable.. It is the second cause that many governments, international agencies and academics are fighting, because it is considered an unacceptable phenomenon, Nava told Tierram?rica. In this area, Latin America and the Caribbean are just in the stage of raising awareness, he added. According to UNESCO, half of the languages existing in the world today could be lost within "a few generations", due to their marginalisation from the Internet, cultural and economic pressures, and the development of new technologies that favour homogeneity. In May, the UN agency will publish an extensive study about the languages of the Amazon region, many of them spoken by very few individuals. The study is a bid to draw international attention to their plight. Surviving in the Amazon jungles are isolated indigenous groups, who refuse to have contact with the Western world and its "progress". They total around 5,000 people belonging to various groups of the Amazon Basin, among them the Tagaeri in Ecuador, Ayoreo in Paraguay, Korubo in Brazil and the Mashco-Piro and Ashaninka in Peru. According to Rodolfo Stavenhagen, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights and basic freedoms of indigenous peoples, these groups are facing "a true cultural genocide". "I fear that under current circumstances it will be difficult for them to survive many more years, because so-called development denies the right of these peoples to continue being peoples," he said. Although the list of languages and dialects in use worldwide is very long, the vast majority of the population speaks only a handful of languages, like English, Chinese, and Spanish. To ensure that linguistic diversity is maintained, the international community agreed in recent years on a series of legal instruments, and experts hold regular meetings to discuss the issues. One such meet took place Mar. 31 to Apr. 2 in the western U.S. state of Utah, where officials and academics from across the Americas studied ways to prevent the disappearance of dozens of languages in this hemisphere. Since 1999, through a UNESCO initiative, Feb. 21 is celebrated as International Mother Language Day. There are also agreements in the UN system, like the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and its Action Plan, from 2001, and the Convention on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, signed in 2003. Also dating from 2003 is the Recommendation on the Promotion and Use of Multingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace, and from 2005 the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The Argentine expert Moure says it is important to work towards preserving languages, even when the number of speakers is small, because "they are markers of identity that merit maximum respect and scientific attention." But "I am not so sure that the death of a language necessarily means the disappearance of the associated cosmovision, because its speakers never stop talking (unless they themselves disappear through disease or genocide), but rather, after a period of bilingualism, they adopt another language that is more useful to them because of its greater insertion in the world," he said "This a fact of reality, and I believe it should be recognised without turning to excessive conspiracy theories," said Moure. (*Diego Cevallos is an IPS correspondent. Originally published Apr. 8 by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierram?rica network. Tierram?rica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.) (END/2006) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 16 13:04:04 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 06:04:04 -0700 Subject: Language Survival Message-ID: Nearly half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world are in danger of extinction. And leading the world's epidemic of disappearing dialects is the U.S. state of California. This weekend, members of 40 tribes from around the state met with linguists to discuss the challenges of saving those endangered languages More than half of the over one hundred native California tongues have disappeared. Many others have only a few, aging speakers. When this last fluent generation dies, languages spoken by Californians over centuries, will also die. At a recent gathering of some 200 Native Americans struggling to maintain their dialects, Robert Geary remembered driving in his car, listening to a tape of his long- deceased great uncle speaking the native El?m Pomo language. "I was so lost hearing my language that I was doing 80 [mph] and I didn't even know it. I got a [speeding] ticket, yeah, I got a ticket." Click to read the rest of the article, use your back button to return to this page: http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2006-03-30-voa46.cfm From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Mon Apr 17 13:33:41 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:33:41 -0700 Subject: Issues in Indian Education and Standardized Tests Message-ID: Questions about Indigenous languages should also be added !! ** Educators say standardized tests should have questions on Indians Posted on April 16 *By the Associated Press* http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/04/17/breaker/doc44425b8f57623946216396.txt BOZEMAN - If Montana schools truly plan to teach students about the state's American Indians, their standardized tests should include questions about Indians, an official with the state Office of Public Instruction and others said Saturday. "Testing is driving our system," Mike Jetty, Indian education specialist with the OPI, said during a daylong Native Nexus conference at Montana State University. Standardized math and reading tests that are specially tailored to Montana schools are administered to all students in fourth, eighth and 10th grades. A third test, on science, is being developed. [image: *] The science test should contain at least one question that relates to American Indians, said Robin Arnold, a seventh-grade science teacher at Sacajawea Middle School in Bozeman. The question could be on native versus invasive plants or water and land resources, Arnold said. Jetty urged educators to send such comments to the OPI, which is still considering the new science standards. He added that the OPI is working to implement Indian Education for All, a 1999 legislative mandate, on three fronts: developing sample lessons, creating training for teachers and investigating ways to close the achievement gap between Indian and white students. Indian Education for All requires that all public school students _ not just American Indians _ be taught about the cultural heritage of the state's Indian tribes. "No Child Left Behind is a worthy concept," Jetty said. "In Montana, who's consistently left behind? Indian students." He quoted another Indian educator, saying, "In regards to Indian education, there's been much thunder, little rain." -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Department of English Affiliate faculty: Department of Linguistics and the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Program American Indian Language Development Institute Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 17 18:40:25 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:40:25 -0700 Subject: Indigenous People Demand More Over Medicinal Plants (fwd) Message-ID: [APRIL 16, 2006] INDIGENOUS PEOPLE DEMAND MORE OVER MEDICINAL PLANTS http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/04/16/1576183.htm (The Monitor (Uganda) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Indigenous peoples and peasant farmers who have helped develop the world's plant genetic resources through their traditional knowledge say negotiations aimed at the commercial exploitation of plants must involve them from the very start. But their demands have turned into a long-running dispute over sovereignty, national boundaries and ownership of knowledge. As the Curitiba meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) drew to a close in Curitiba recently, the men and women who nurture the world's biodiversity struggled to make their voices heard. Although the Convention itself was supportive of traditional knowledge and so-called benefit sharing, many government delegations did not include members of indigenous populations. And those indigenous peoples who were able to make it to Curitiba want to maintain an independent voice that recognises their special position. "There is a proposal to include indigenous people as part of country delegations. But there is a problem: in the Philippines there are 110 indigenous peoples groups but the government would only allow one or two onto the delegation," said Victorino Saway, a representative of the Panagtagbo people who live on Mindanao Island. He added: "When you are part of a delegation, you speak their language. You will be controlled - your language will be controlled." At the CBD negotiations, the issue was termed Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), but the official title masked potentially difficult aspects relating to economics, politics and culture. Indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers, through their traditional knowledge, innovation and practices have over centuries developed and nurtured plant species for agricultural and medicinal use, contributing not only to 'development' but also to cultural and biological diversity. But now companies are developing medicines and crops that take advantage of these plant genetic resources. Keen to protect their financial interests - and recoup the investment made into research and development - companies usually protect their products with patents. This means that from time to time, a new product comes on the market and reaps massive profits for the company. Indigenous people and some developing countries with high levels of biodiversity are now demanding ownership over what they claim are their genetic resources. And they want to be part of negotiations about how these resources are used, by whom, and on what terms. A central issue is the concept of Prior Informed Consent (PIC) - an approach supported by the CBD. "The prior informed consent of knowledge-holders must be attained before their knowledge can be used by others," the CBD says. Saway agrees: "If prior informed consent is ignored, there will be no basis for negotiations. It provides a basis for saying yes or no to access." Perhaps the most contentious issue surrounding ABS is that of national sovereignty. As with other international agreements signed by governments on behalf of their peoples, national sovereignty forms the very basis of the CBD. So when an indigenous group claims knowledge of a plant, or demands to be involved in negotiations, their government can say that the knowledge belongs to the country as a whole, and will therefore be negotiated by the national government. Sylvester Rogers from Senegal, who works for the Community Biodiversity Development Conservation Network, told the meeting: "We believe that recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous and local communities with regard to agro-biodiversity and their traditional knowledge is non-negotiable and integral to any strategies and efforts towards the sustainable management and use of biodiversity." Without that recognition and protection, he said, the utilisation of biodiversity will be nothing more than economic and commercial transactions, reducing indigenous people and local communities to "mere vendors of biological resources without respect to deeply held spiritual, cultural and socio-economic connections to the earth and biodiversity." Indigenous people have a powerful backer in Tewolde Egziabher, an Ethiopian environmentalist and scientist who heads the African Group at CBD negotiations. He supports an international regime which includes PIC and certificates of origin of knowledge. Such a regime, some campaigners say, would not only lead to fair and equitable sharing of the world's biological wealth, but also result in fewer patent disputes, some of which have grabbed headlines in recent years. One such case involved the Hoodia plant, which pitted the San population of southern Africa - supported by a coalition of NGOs - against western and other pharmaceutical firms. The Hoodia is a succulent plant - found in the Kalahari Desert - that can suppress appetite, and could potentially be used as an anti-obesity drug. The plant's active ingredient was patented by a South African research institute in the late 1990s. It gave a license to a British company, which in turn sold additional development and marketing licenses to Pfizer, the multinational drug company, and the food giant Unilever. After a protracted dispute, a deal was struck with the South African research institute in 2003 whereby the San people of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Angola would receive a percentage of the royalties from the sales of any future drugs produced from their knowledge of the Hoodia plant. The San based their claims on a CBD provision, which says should get a share of benefits resulting from the commercial use of local genetic resources and traditional knowledge. But there are countless examples where indigenous populations have lost out, as Ujalla Masdik, an Indian campaigner, reminded the conference. She referred to a case involving an energy-giving plant used by Kani tribal people in the southern Indian state of Kerala. "Discovered" accidentally by members of an Indian scientific expedition in the early 1990s, the plant, known by the Kani as arogyapacha, was tested by a local research institute. The institute then obtained a license from the Kerala Drug Control Department to produce and market a tonic based on the plant. It was named Jeevani (derived from the Sanskrit word meaning 'life'). The product was patented in 1996, following which the research institute transferred the production license to a local drug manufacturer. Although the Kani Trust received half the license fee and royalty, they were not involved in the negotiations. "Some countries have made local or national laws about indigenous people, but others don't recognise them, or say 'we are all indigenous people'," said Saway of the Philippines. Saway and his colleagues, working in the Mount Kitanglad region of the Philippines, have drawn up an inventory of plants based on their traditional knowledge, which the community "claims as our own". As a precaution, the inventory has been written in the community's language and the plants' uses have not been explained. "We also have our cultural guards who will apprehend anyone taking our customary rights without our consent," he added. The biotechnology industry, the usual target of attacks by NGOs and activists working on biodiversity issues, backs an access and benefit sharing system that is workable and provides value for use of genetic resources. Alwin Kopse, a spokesman for the biotech corporation, Syngenta, said he supported national regimes that were "practical and transparent". Certificates of origin, he said, might be easier to obtain for products derived directly from plants, rather than those that were indirectly derived. Another problem with issuing certificates of origin, Kopse said, was that certain genetic resources are shared across different countries or indigenous peoples. "What we want is a workable benefits access regime" - one that is not loaded with technocratic stamps, which, he argued "may turn out to be costly". He accepted that the industry should now be prepared to pay for access to genetic resources but said Syngenta prefers to offer "other benefits" rather than hard cash. If the CBD protocol on access and benefit sharing is to work, Kopse pointed out, it would be important to define the nature of benefits and who should receive them - a complex set of issues in his view. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 17 18:45:40 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:45:40 -0700 Subject: IPods, iBook laptops help students learn critical languages (fwd) Message-ID: IPODS, IBOOK LAPTOPS HELP STUDENTS LEARN CRITICAL LANGUAGES BY CINDY WEISS - APRIL 17, 2006 http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2006/060417/06041711.htm Michael Crutchfield, a senior majoring in political science and sociology, decided this year to add Mandarin Chinese to his course load so he can teach English in China after graduation. His tools include a textbook, web-based resources, and an iPod. Maxwell Gigle, a sophomore majoring in political science and international relations, uses a podcast and a computer learning program as part of his study of the Arabic language. Photo by Jordan Bender When you?re trying to learn a language, ?you need as many resources as you can get,? says Crutchfield. ?The iPod makes it easier.? Starting this semester, students studying Chinese and Arabic have been issued iPods ? those ubiquitous portable players ? to allow them more frequent exposure to the language they are trying to learn. The iPods are loaded with language files that reinforce and expand what the students learn in weekly instruction with a native-speaking conversation partner. ?It frees them up physically to listen more often,? says Barbara Lindsey, director of the Multimedia Language Center in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. Arabic and Chinese are considered ?level 4? languages: they take a native English speaker three to four times longer to learn than, say, French or Spanish. Besides listening, the students use iTalk, an iPod plug-in voice recorder. They record conversations with other Arabic or Chinese language students at Tufts or the University of Pittsburgh ? schools that have language learning partnerships with UConn ? and later with native speakers around UConn. ?We want them to realize that Arabic is spoken in many parts of the world, including the United States,? says Lindsey. The students? self-instruction is bolstered by resources that include two Apple computer labs in the Arjona Building, wireless iBook laptops, digital cameras, web-based language programs, and iChat instant messaging. They must also record and publish their own podcast ? an Internet-based digital broadcast ? to demonstrate their language proficiency. The goal is to get up to speed quickly in languages that traditionally have not been part of a college curriculum. The technological trappings have been made possible by a $475,000 grant from DARPA, the research and development arm of the Department of Defense, which is trying to promote learning the languages of areas where the U.S. has strategic interests. Maxwell Gigle, a sophomore majoring in political science and international relations, is in his second semester of Arabic. DVDs and a laptop computer issued during the course allow him to see the facial expressions of Arabic-speakers and to pick up their hand movements, which are part of the Arabic communication culture, he says. The iPod provides audio practice, allowing him to focus on distinctions in pronunciation. ?In Arabic, the emphasis is on where in the throat you pronounce the words,? he says. Manuela Wagner, director of the Critical Languages Program, says ?critical languages? are those that have not been taught as full-blown, academic programs in which a student can major. Students currently can take Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, or Russian, but instruction is available only for four semesters. Contact hours with a teacher ? called a conversation partner ? are limited, so self-instruction is essential. When at least four students request a particular language, it can be added to the program, says Wagner. In the past, the choices have included French Creole, Gaelic, Vietnamese, and Wolof, an African language. So far, the semester-long loans of iPods and laptops are only for students of Arabic and Chinese, the DARPA-promoted languages. More traditional language courses such as Spanish are using podcasts, which can be accessed via computer or downloaded to an MP3 player or an iPod. The use of technology in critical languages may be increasing class retention rates, says Lindsey. Arabic and Chinese are often dropped after the first semester, but this year, 12 students out of 15 who began Arabic in the fall continued for the second semester. Those who did not continue had scheduling conflicts or illness. Before the new technology was introduced in the critical languages program, the curriculum was revised, with input from student surveys and interviews with instructors and outside examiners. The high-tech approach that resulted will allow instructors to hear students? progress with the language more easily and remediate problems during the semester, Lindsey says. ?Our main focus was to make students autonomous,? she adds, ?but also lifelong learners.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 19356 bytes Desc: not available URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 05:29:19 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 22:29:19 -0700 Subject: SILS Message-ID: Education 13th Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium 05/18 - 05/21 BUFFALO NY 2006 SILS Conference Theme "And Together Our Minds Are One" To be held at Buffalo State College State University of New York 1300 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, New York USA May 18-21, 2006 Hosted by BSC School of Education Co-Sponsored by the Seneca Nation of Indians Call for Presentations "And Together Our Minds Are One" 13th Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium Buffalo State College, Buffalo, New York USA The Planning Committee for the 13th Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium invites interested individuals and groups to present their work in Buffalo, New York, on May 18-21, 2006. Preference will be given to presentations that describe innovative, holistic approaches to the revitalization, stabilization and maintenance of indigenous languages. Presentations can take the following format: -20-minute talk (+ 10 min. Q&A) -30-minute AV/multimedia presentation - 1 1/2 hour workshop - Panelist in a choice of topics. Suggested topics for talks, workshops and panels include: - Language and Culture Programs - Language Immersion Programs - Revitalizing Languages without Speakers - Repatriation of Language Recordings - Community Language Initiatives - Using Technology to Facilitate Language Instruction - Research in Indigenous Language Revitalization - Other: (please feel free to suggest a topic) To submit a presentation, please fill out the PRESENTATION APPLICATION (word). Submit the PRESENTATION APPLICATION with your SILS 2006 REGISTRATION FORM and payment by March 30, 2006, to: SILS 2006 Planning Committee Attention: Dr. Lori Quigley Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Avenue, BAC 302 Buffalo, New York 14222 USA Email: quiglelv at buffalostate.edu FAX: 716-878-6033 (If you wish to do more than one presentation, please fill out a separate sheet for each.) 2006 SILS Contact Information: SILS 2006 Planning Committee Attention: Dr. Lori Quigley, Conference Chair Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Avenue, BAC 302 Buffalo, New York 14222 USA quiglelv @ buffalostate.edu (take out spaces) 716-878-5622 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 06:17:11 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 23:17:11 -0700 Subject: AB 2665 Hearings Message-ID: Hearings for AB 2665 The California American Indian Education Commission have been changed to next week 4/26/06. See the Bill @: http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/bills/AB_2665/ To submit information please contact: California State Assembly Committee on Education (916) 319-2087 1020 N Street Room 159 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax # (916) 319-2187 The consultant to contact about AB 2665 is Misty Padilla: misty.padilla at asm.ca.gov To comment electronically go to: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/ acsframeset2text.htm Type in Bill Number 2665 and it will walk you through the process. Committee Members: Jackie Goldberg, Chair (916) 319-2045 Assemblymember.Goldberg at assembly.ca.gov Mark Wyland, Vice Chair (916) 319-2074 Assemblymember.Wyland at assembly.ca.gov Juan Arambula Dem-31 (916) 319-2031 Joe Coto (916) 319-2023 assemblymember.coto at assembly.ca.gov Loni Hancock (916) 319-2014 Assemblymember.hancock at assembly.ca.gov Bob Huff Phone: (916) 319-2060 assemblymember.huff at assembly.ca.gov Carol Liu (916) 319-2044 assemblymember.liu at assembly.ca.gov Gene Mullin (916) 319-2019 Assemblymember.mullin at assembly.ca.gov Fran Pavley (916) 319-2041 Assemblymember.Pavley at assembly.ca.gov Keith Richman (916) 319-2038 Assemblymember.Richman at assembly.ca.gov Tom Umberg (916) 319-2069 My response: Here is my own personal response to the Goldberg (California AB 2665) Indian Education Commission Bill. The Bill can be found @: http:// www.aroundthecapitol.com/bills/AB_2665/ I encourage you to look at this Bill carefully. All in all it is a good initial concept, but I think it is being submitted far too early and with out enough clarity to ensure adequate controls, community discussion or steady funding for long-term stability. I am concerned how much power it puts into an independent agency. I am not implying that Natives do not have the capability to administer programs in our own best interests; in fact I am a staunch supporter of Tribal Sovereignty. This Bill puts Indian Education in California in the hands of 13 individuals with unknown personal and political agendas. The way the Commission is proposed leaves several issues unanswered for me: ? Why do we need the state to authorize and fund what is basically a Private Foundation or non-profit corporation to go out and seek funds? What other Foundation is authorized and financed by the State? If Natives in California need a foundation then they should form one (with a fair contribution coming from CNIGA). ? Why should the California Department of Education (CDE) and other appropriate agencies not maintain administrative oversight of programs supported by the Tax Payer? ? This Bill makes no clear provision for representing the Urban Native population. There are five representatives to the Commission appointed by Tribes and one each representing an accredited Tribal College (of which there are none now), CSU, UC, Community Colleges, CDE AIEC, BIA, and Title VII. This could well serve to disenfranchise the majority of Natives who come from tribes outside of California. The Bill cites the statistic that California has the largest population of American Indians in the Nation, many of them are here as a result of reallocation policies of the Federal Government. ? The Bill does not even mention the large number of non-federally recognized Natives in California. ? If an ?Advisory Council on Indian Education was established within the CDE for the purpose of providing educational recommendations, but is no longer functioning? why do we not just revive it? That would be much simpler, less costly and wouldn?t even need an assembly bill. ? The Bill states, ?American Indian pupils deserve additional and appropriate support to meet the challenges of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.) in a manner consistent with tribal traditions, languages, and cultures.? I agree, but it is the Feds that implemented and under funded NCLB. How is a California Commission going to impact this? And what will be the purpose when NCLB is gone in a few years? ? The bill enables the Commission to ?Formalize the government-to- government relationship between the state and California's tribes and expand the relationships with any entities that serve American Indian pupils.? I believe this should be left to the Tribal governments not a Commission. This will be a detriment to true government-to- government relationships by putting in place an intermediary body between the Governor?s Office and the duly elected Tribal Council. 13 Commissioners cannot, nor should not, try to represent the 109 Federally recognized tribes in California. ? One of the Commission members is ?A representative of the department, whose background includes vocational and early childhood education and who is appointed by the Superintendent.? Why just those specific areas? Why not Higher Education, American Indian Education, Evaluation Design, Curriculum Development or any of the other fields that are also critical for Native student success. ? The Bill mentions Public Hearings but has held none so far in regard to the creation of this Commission. It has not been done in consultation with Tribes, or Native Organizations as far as I am aware. What is the rush? Take it to the people for input to make sure this is the best approach available. ? The Bill discusses the importance of Tribal Languages, but has no specifics about approaches, funding sources or curriculum to support languages. There are no linguists that are associated with advising the board. As there are over 100 Native languages spoken in California this could be an issue that consumes many resources. I agree with many of the tenets outlined within the Bill. I just do not see how a Commission is the most efficient way of accomplishing that. The Commission, as proposed, is too vaguely defined and given far too broad of authority to oversee what it sounds like can be just about anything they choose to define as being related to Indian Education. We do not need another state boondoggle*, we need to effectively use the resources currently available and hold the state and federal government accountable to their treaty, trust and moral obligations to Native Americans. The money that would be used in creating, staffing and operating this Commission could be best put into funding existing programs and services to make a more direct, immediate, impact on Native students. Another bureaucratic and potentially overt political body is not the panacea for the educational issues in the Native Community. I welcome your replies or comments. Andr? P. Cramblit andre.p.cramblit.86 at alum.dartmouth.org * From The Oxford English Dictionary: boondoggle : noun 1) work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value : writing off the cold fusion phenomenon as a boondoggle best buried in literature. 2) a public project of questionable merit that typically involves political patronage and graft: they each drew $600,000 in the final months of the great boondoggle. verb [ intrans. ] waste money or time on such projects. ORIGIN 1930s: of unknown origin. From ehp.spec at KAWERAK.ORG Tue Apr 18 16:49:01 2006 From: ehp.spec at KAWERAK.ORG (Igluguq Dianne Okleasik) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:49:01 -0800 Subject: Nanwalek request to the KPBSD schhol board Message-ID: >This is a presentation to the school district by Sally Ash, founder of >their immersion school. It echoes many of the same sentiments that we as >Native people feel. ~Igluguq >Cama???i, ggui kuku. My name is Sally Ash. I???m a tribal member of >Nanwalek. As you can see there are a bunch of us that have come with >me. There would have been more of us but it???s too expensive to come >here just to attend a short meeting. Our chief is here. James Kvasnikoff > I???m sorry to say but we are here because we have something serious to > discuss. We read about the struggle the Russian villages are having in > the newspaper. I???m here to tell you we have the same problem. Our > native language is Sugt???stun. Sugt???stun is my first language. Our > school was built the same year I was born. I went to it as a child and I > taught in it as a bilingual teacher. They call it OUR school??? but our > language and culture has never had a decent place in it for all these > years. When it first opened our kids mouths were washed out with soap if > they spoke Sugt???stun??? we had a few token years of bilingual education > and now that???s pushed aside by this Leave No Child Behind program. We > are the first Alaskans. We are the indigenous people prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" > />Kenai Peninsula. Our forefathers > didn???t come from another country???.There is no homeland to go back to > if we want to teach our children in our language, to celebrate our > events, eat our foods, to be taught by one of our own. Kenai Peninsula > is the Supiaq homeland. We are the last band of survivors of the Supiaq > people. We consider it an insult that we have no say about how our > village school is run. I don???t even think I should have to be here. We > do not meddle in your schools in Soldotna. Since 1971 we have managed > our land thanks to ANCSA. We manage our tribal government thanks to the > Indian Reorganization Act. Its crazy that we have nothing to say about > what is taught in our school, who teaches it or how the money is spent. > But we are peaceful people and we want our children to succeed. WE need > a balanced program Sugt???stun, English and Math. To get that balance > this is what needs to change. > ?? One quarter of the school day needs to be devoted to our > language and culture. > >?? WE want it to count for credit towards graduation. > >?? We want our teacher to be paid a certified wage and he will >need aides the same as the other teachers. > >?? We want it to start next fall. > >?? We want it legitimate, > >?? We do not want to have this fight every year. > >?? Its not filler, its not related to test scores, or what the >principal wants, or the latest education plan, or the budget. > >?? And we should not have to beg for this program. > > The way things are now??? any school time devoted to our language and > culture is treated as if it is some big favor. > WE do not come as empty handed beggars. We have a program. Anyone that > has observed it comes away truly impressed. It???s a quality > program. If it needs the KPBSD stamp of approval??? then get it > done. It should not matter, but we are fortunate to have a certified > teacher to teach it. He has a masters degree in education with a Native > Language endorsement. He could be teaching at the University > level. It???s a joke that he is not good enough in your eyes to be > teaching in our elementary and HS as a paid certified teacher. He is > from our village and we want him to stay here. The KPBSD educational > system played a very large part in destroying our language. How does the > saying go???? you broke it, you own it, you fix it. Sugt???stun is dying > although it seems like its not dying fast enough for some people. The > very least that can be done is to allow us to try to save what???s > left. It would be a sin to not allow us to do this. You, as individuals > not the school district, are not responsible for the past crimes but you > are for the one that is occurring right now. > What we don???t want to hear is??? ???Ok you guys have some good points > now what you need to do is this, this and this, and then check back with > us.??? For example??? the Russians are being told they need a certified > teacher. What if they get one? Then will they have to do something else > that will take a couple of years? No. We have done a lot. Now its time > for the KPBSD to do some of the heavy lifting. We need somebody in the > KPSDB office that will get the job done. If there is a barrier that > exists then we need someone to break down the barriers. If money is > short then we need letters of support on KPBSD letterhead in order to > apply for language grants. The fact that you may not have money now is > your fault because your staff refused to do this in the past. I am not > sure why that is the case? Your staff needs to do some soul > searching. Maybe they have instructions to be difficult. Maybe they > laugh at us, maybe some of you laugh at us. No more giving us > assignments like we are little school kids, no more working for free > unless the rest of the teachers do, we are not going to have our program > after school. Equal means equal. > The other villages will have to speak for themselves but I think they > have received the same treatment. If you represent us then you should > know how we feel without me telling you. The KPBSD employees working in > our school should have passed our concerns on to their bosses. But > whatever the case, you know now. You the school board have the power to > do something or do nothing. It may not sound like it but we are trying > to be nice. WE are trying to resolve this without hurting our kids, > without a big fight but you need to produce. I also want to say that we > are not here only because we are offended by our treatment in the past > but because we really do feel we have something good. Our kids will be > better for this education. > In closing I would like to thank all of you for your consideration and > time. If I have offended anyone here please forgive me but you are > looking at someone that has experienced many years of frustration with > this subject. Quyana -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 17:09:48 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:09:48 -0700 Subject: Nanwalek request to the KPBSD schhol board In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20060418083628.02763ef8@mail.kawerak.org> Message-ID: This looks great but the formating is wacked, can you send me a text file On Apr 18, 2006, at 9:49 AM, Igluguq Dianne Okleasik wrote: One quarter of the school day needs to be devoted to our language and culture. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 18 18:05:10 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 11:05:10 -0700 Subject: Nanwalek In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20060418091259.02760ff0@mail.kawerak.org> Message-ID: Contact the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District to support Tribal efforts to have their language and culture integrated into the district. Donna Peterson District Superintendent E-mail: dpeterson at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Debra Mullins, President 53630 Redoubt Dr. E-mail: dmullins at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Bill Hatch , Member E-mail: bhatch at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sammy Crawford, Vice President E-mail: scrawford at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Nels Anderson, Member E-mail: nanderson at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sandra Wassilie, Clerk E-mail: swassilie at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sunni Hilts, Member E-mail: ehilts at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Marty Anderson, Member E-mail: manderson at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Debbie Brown, Member E-mail: dhollebrown at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Liz Downing, Member E-mail: ldowning at kpbsd.k12.ak.us Sally Tachick Administrative Secretary Email: stachick at kpbsd.k12.ak.us On Apr 18, 2006, at 10:19 AM, Igluguq Dianne Okleasik wrote: Cama?i, ggui kuku. My name is Sally Ash. I'm a tribal member of Nanwalek. As you can see there are a bunch of us that have come with me. There would have been more of us but it is too expensive to come here just to attend a short meeting. Our chief is here. James Kvasnikoff I'm sorry to say but we are here because we have something serious to discuss. We read about the struggle the Russian villages are having in the newspaper. Im here to tell you we have the same problem. Our native language is Sugt?stun. Sugt?stun is my first language. Our school was built the same year I was born. I went to it as a child and I taught in it as a bilingual teacher. They call it OUR school but our language and culture has never had a decent place in it for all these years. When it first opened our kids mouths were washed out with soap if they spoke Sugt?stun we had a few token years of bilingual education and now thats pushed aside by this Leave No Child Behind program. We are the first Alaskans. We are the indigenous people Kenai Peninsula. Our forefathers didnt come from another country.There is no homeland to go back to if we want to teach our children in our language, to celebrate our events, eat our foods, to be taught by one of our own. Kenai Peninsula is the Supiaq homeland. We are the last band of survivors of the Supiaq people. We consider it an insult that we have no say about how our village school is run. I dont even think I should have to be here. We do not meddle in your schools in Soldotna. Since 1971 we have managed our land thanks to ANCSA. We manage our tribal government thanks to the Indian Reorganization Act. Its crazy that we have nothing to say about what is taught in our school, who teaches it or how the money is spent. But we are peaceful people and we want our children to succeed. WE need a balanced program Sugt?stun , English and Math. To get that balance this is what needs to change. - One quarter of the school day needs to be devoted to our language and culture. - WE want it to count for credit towards graduation. - We want our teacher to be paid a certified wage and he will need aides the same as the other teachers. - We want it to start next fall. - We want it legitimate, - We do not want to have this fight every year. - Its not filler, its not related to test scores, or what the principal wants, or the latest education plan, or the budget. - And we should not have to beg for this program. The way things are now, any school time devoted to our language and culture is treated as if it is some big favor. WE do not come as empty handed beggars. We have a program. Anyone that has observed it comes away truly impressed. Its a quality program. If it needs the KPBSD stamp of approval then get it done. It should not matter, but we are fortunate to have a certified teacher to teach it. He has a masters degree in education with a Native Language endorsement. He could be teaching at the University level. Its a joke that he is not good enough in your eyes to be teaching in our elementary and HS as a paid certified teacher. He is from our village and we want him to stay here. The KPBSD educational system played a very large part in destroying our language. How does the saying go? If you broke it, you own it, you fix it. Sugt?stun is dying although it seems like its not dying fast enough for some people. The very least that can be done is to allow us to try to save what is left. It would be a sin to not allow us to do this. You, as individuals not the school district, are not responsible for the past crimes but you are for the one that is occurring right now. What we don't want to hear is: Ok you guys have some good points now what you need to do is this, this and this, and then check back with us. For example: the Russians are being told they need a certified teacher. What if they get one? Then will they have to do something else that will take a couple of years? No. We have done a lot. Now its time for the KPBSD to do some of the heavy lifting. We need somebody in the KPSDB office that will get the job done. If there is a barrier that exists then we need someone to break down the barriers. If money is short then we need letters of support on KPBSD letterhead in order to apply for language grants. The fact that you may not have money now is your fault because your staff refused to do this in the past. I am not sure why that is the case? Your staff needs to do some soul searching. Maybe they have instructions to be difficult. Maybe they laugh at us, maybe some of you laugh at us. No more giving us assignments like we are little school kids, no more working for free unless the rest of the teachers do, we are not going to have our program after school. Equal means equal. The other villages will have to speak for themselves but I think they have received the same treatment. If you represent us then you should know how we feel without me telling you. The KPBSD employees working in our school should have passed our concerns on to their bosses. But whatever the case, you know now. You the school board have the power to do something or do nothing. It may not sound like it but we are trying to be nice. WE are trying to resolve this without hurting our kids, without a big fight but you need to produce. I also want to say that we are not here only because we are offended by our treatment in the past but because we really do feel we have something good. Our kids will be better for this education. In closing I would like to thank all of you for your consideration and time. If I have offended anyone here please forgive me but you are looking at someone that has experienced many years of frustration with this subject. Quyana This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm Igluguq Dianne Okleasik Eskimo Heritage Program Specialist KAWERAK INC. ** Ph.: (907)-443-4387 PO Box 948 ** Fax: (907)-443-4445 Nome, AK 99762 ** Email: ehp.spec at kawerak.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Wed Apr 19 18:11:47 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 11:11:47 -0700 Subject: Breath Of Life Message-ID: Breath of Life Workshop for California Indian Languages June 4-10, 2006 Hosted by The Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival and The Survey of California and Other Indian Languages Department of Linguistics University of California at Berkeley on-line application form at The "Breath of Life - Silent no more" California Indian Language Restoration Workshop will be held this year on June 4-10, at the University of California at Berkeley. The participants are all California Indians whose languages have no speakers (or in some cases, just one or two very elderly speakers). The goal will be for the participants to access, understand, and do research on materials on their languages, and to use them for language revitalization. The participants will create language projects based on those materials that they will report on publicly at the end of the week. The aims of the Breath of Life workshop are: (a) to guide participants to the university resources available for their use; (b) to help the participants identify and locate the published and unpublished notes and audio recordings made by linguists and anthropologists on their languages; (c) for participants to learn the fundamentals of linguistic analysis, including how to read linguists' phonetic writing; (d) for participants to learn ways they can use linguistic materials and publications to create materials for language restoration. We can only take up to 50 participants, hopefully about half returning and half new. If you would like to apply to come to this workshop, please fill out the application form. Applications sent in after May 15 will not be considered. We will let you know in May if your application can be accepted. We hope to see you at Breath of Life! Leanne Hinton and L. Frank Manriquez, organizers Questions? Email us at or call Leanne at (510) 643-7621 or L. Frank at (707) 578-0307. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Thu Apr 20 07:11:34 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:11:34 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Language Is Life? Andr? P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe ? I recently attended the Language Is Life Conference LILC) at the Marin Headlands Institute. This was the 7th biannual symposium sponsored by the Advocates for Indigenous Language Survival (www.aicls.org). The Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival is an organization devoted to implementing and supporting the revitalization of indigenous California languages. Its mission is to assist California Indians in language maintenance and renewal. Members of Native Language Programs from throughout California (and one group from Vancouver BC) came to the LILC to learn about innovative renewal projects, share strategies for success, difficulties encountered, and gather with other American Indians who feel that language revitalization is the foundation of our cultural survival. Representatives from about 30 Tribal and community groups gathered to learn from one another. Many sessions were held to help explain what different people are doing in their own areas. One session I attended that particularly intrigued me was on a new gizmo called the Phrasealator? (www.ndnlanguage.com). These devices show a lot or promise for helping Tribes document and learn languages. It was initially developed for field use in enemy territory for the military. It has been adapted to record Elders saying phrases in their Tribal languages to be used on a portable device for individuals to access as needed. Some Tribes showed videos they have developed where youngsters have merged their skill with technology and traditional story telling techniques. Others acted out plays of situational conversations they have learned. Many talked about the importance of the Master- Apprentice program and how it has positively impacted the growth of language learning through one on one exposure. Sometimes the old technology is still the best. I did a presentation with the Karuk Language Programs that discussed our latest efforts at bringing language to the people. After recently completing a major revision of our Dictionary (http:// corpus.linguistics.berkeley.edu/~karuk/karuk-lexicon.html) the members of the Karuk language Restoration Committee (KLRC) searched for a way to make our curriculum and teaching approaches available to more Karuk people. At nearly 4000 members the Karuk Tribe is the second largest tribe in California, but many of our people live far away from our aboriginal territory. With a recently funded three year grant from the Administration for Native Americans the KLRC is embarking on a novel Distance Learning program. We are looking to combine Internet, video, and other hi-tech tools to assist us in teaching the language to more members. The LILC was great weekend full of laughter, learning and positive energy. The comments I heard mainly were that it was a rejuvenating shot in the arm to reenergize people as they went home to work on the daunting task of bringing back the language. I heard a quote once and cannot recall the author but the gist of it was: ?if you no longer speak your language you are not a member of your tribe but rather a descendent of the people.? The LILC is one of the valuable tools in helping us maintain that link to our past and keep us all members. Andr? Cramblit (andrekar at ncidc.org) is an enrolled member of the Karuk Tribe of California and is also of Tohono O'odham blood. His family are traditional dance owners and come from the center of the Karuk World at Katim?in. He is at present the Operations Director of the Northern California Indian Development Council (www.ncidc.org), a non-profit that meets the community development needs of American Indians throughout California. He is a founding member of the Karuk Language Restoration Committee and currently serves as Chairman. He lives with his wife Wendy and children Kyle and Leah in Northern California and dreams of winning the lottery so he can work on language restoration full time. http://www.ncidc.org/karuk/index.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image005.png Type: image/png Size: 1351 bytes Desc: not available URL: From iackerman at ROSETTASTONE.COM Thu Apr 20 15:27:43 2006 From: iackerman at ROSETTASTONE.COM (Ilse Ackerman) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 11:27:43 -0400 Subject: Mohawk software release Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Apr 20 20:12:33 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 13:12:33 -0700 Subject: Native language survives, and thrives, at Ridpath P.S. (fwd) Message-ID: Native language survives, and thrives, at Ridpath P.S. Lauren Gilchrist 04/19/06 05:00:00 http://www.mykawartha.com/ka/news/peterborough/story/3450655p-3988255c.html For Merritt Taylor, teaching the Native as a Second Language program at Ridpath Public School involves more than having his students recite verbs and nouns. A typical student in his class learns Anishinaabemwin, which means not only learning how to speak Ojibwe but also learning the songs, stories, culture, history and ceremonies. "You can't separate them," explains Mr. Taylor. "The language is the glue that holds them together. That's why it's so important we do it -- so that the language carries on. A lot of the language has disappeared. When we were going to school, we weren't allowed to speak the language, so it died off." Mr. Taylor is from Curve Lake and is part of the Otter Clan. Across Canada, there are 11 aboriginal language families, 53 languages and more than 200 dialects. "Out of all these languages, probably only three will survive," Mr. Taylor estimates. Ojibwe is one of the surviving languages. Mr. Taylor teaches Ojibwe, or Anishinaabemwin, not only at Ridpath Public School but also at Lakefield Intermediate and Lakefield High School. According to Bev Moore, superintendent of teaching and learning for the local public school board, there are only three elementary schools in the entire board that offer the Native as a Second Language (NSL) program. Ridpath is unique because it offers three languages -- French immersion, NSL and English. Students can begin taking NSL in Grade 1. Steve Girardi, principal of both Ridpath and Young's Point schools, says the NSL program teaches the students understanding, acceptance and the value of other cultures. The NSL program began at Ridpath in the late 1980s. Mr. Taylor says although most of his students are from Curve Lake, many are not. "My classes are getting bigger," notes Mr. Taylor. Grade 2 students Ryerson Whetung and Gabby Hoggarth enjoy Mr. Taylor's class. "I like learning the animal words," says Gabby. Ryerson says he now goes home and teaches his parents new words. Mr. Taylor says one of the differences between learning Anishinaabewmin and learning English is that the Anishinaabewmin language is 80 per cent verbs. "In our world view, everything is moving and changing all the time, it's not just there," he explains. Although his students may never speak the language fluently, Mr. Taylor says they will gain a greater appreciation for the culture. "The most important part to me is knowing I'm doing a little bit to make sure this language continues," he says. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Apr 20 20:16:53 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 13:16:53 -0700 Subject: Mohawk software release In-Reply-To: <4447A86F.2050401@rosettastone.com> Message-ID: That is exciting!? Thanks Ilse, Phil Quoting Ilse Ackerman : > > Hi all, > > Excuse the press release hype below, but I _am _excited about announcing the > release of Mohawk language-learning software! 'Thought you'd want to > know. It > will be available from Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa in > Kahnawake. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET Fri Apr 21 00:31:04 2006 From: pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 17:31:04 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of the same posted to ILAT. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > Language Is Life? > > Andr? P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Apr 21 00:35:09 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 17:35:09 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <4F97BA50-7479-4E55-BDBE-134A4B9D3354@dakotacom.net> Message-ID: Darn there I go making people feel good. lol thanks On Apr 20, 2006, at 5:31 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of the same posted to ILAT. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > Language Is Life? > > Andr? P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 14:33:01 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 08:33:01 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <11CB9BB3-9883-40E7-B8CB-02397F9853F2@ncidc.org> Message-ID: People don?t seem to realize that when you teach something, it really, really, really needs to relate to Something. I watch people try to teach mathematics in abstraction . . . as if the abstractions were born independent of the hundreds of years of stories and references that provided the objects-to-think-with. Of course it fails :-) It?s not funny that it fails, just that people who have gone through years of education to be teachers have somehow missed the fact that our ?knowledge? relates to our worlds. Yes, multiple worlds. Gary Witherspoon writes wonderfully on this, not the topic of mathematics exactly, but on the topic of how information and knowledge makes sense within the culture where it is happening (like Din? and mathematics, for example) but not from the culture from which it is being observed. I wonder where he is now (he was at Rough Rock for a long time). Once upon a time, I asked if people had mathematical terms in their dictionaries. I got some responses, but it turns out that there is not much recorded. However, I have figured out how to go back into the culture and construct Indigenous mathematics. There is a tremendous amount of it, you know. There is math and science in sculpture, in sand paintings, in pottery, in art, in story, in home building and food preparation. There is math and science in calendricality, in architecture, in road building, in sailing, in astronomy, in dance . . . it?s all over. This is my dissertation :-) It?s working. :-) The important and interesting thing to my mind is to see how it looks in the culture, not to grab out a few pieces and say, See, Indigenous people have {this/these} concept(s) too. That destroys the picture of Indigenous math, and implies (again, and aren?t we tired of this yet [Oh dear I?ll never get a job with that kind of an attitude :-)]) that Western Mathematics is the ONLY Mathematics. Not. The Arab world and the Chinese worlds had zero, infinity, and probably even calculus long before western europe. Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 6:35 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Darn there I go making people feel good. lol thanks On Apr 20, 2006, at 5:31 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of the same posted to ILAT. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: Language Is Life? Andr? P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rzs at TDS.NET Fri Apr 21 16:17:55 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:17:55 -0500 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Mia, thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with because even though the class sizes are way TOO big they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. When i asked the 2nd graders "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without help: "t?ndi em?'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahsh?' ashehk" (200 and 60 and 3) these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! richard Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 16:24:09 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:24:09 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <20060421161755.HJRH12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! I guess this is another "good news" item. You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you have done you would like to share . . . :-)? Best always, Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Mia, thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with because even though the class sizes are way TOO big they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. When i asked the 2nd graders "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without help: "t?ndi em?'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahsh?' ashehk" (200 and 60 and 3) these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! richard Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Fri Apr 21 17:16:04 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:16:04 -0400 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: A couple of basic math notions are built into sound symbolism at the segmental level. For instance graves tend to represent wider, acutes narrower things or processes. Within the graves diffuse labials tend to represent 3D ideas, but compact velars (or uvulars depending on system) 2D (from 3D). Within acutes the diffuse dental/alveolar sets tend to represent creation of 0D (from 1D), while compact palatals (etc.) a more 1D (from 2D) situation. No dimensionality is 'pure'-each feeds off into the others. Consonantal manner also seems to have geometric/topological significance often- in Salishan the fricatives represent local 2D surface to surface contact with motion (Gladys Reichard first noticed this in Coeur d'Alene almost 80 years ago). And part of the work on Vantage Theory done by the late Robert MacLaury involved similar ideas in one of the Mesoamerican languages he was working on. It has been widely recognized that reduplication also deals with numericity in a gross fashion- and it is interesting that it tends to interact very strongly with sound symbolic processes, especially augmentative/diminutive ones. So not just dimensionality but multiplicity and scale seem to be associated together strongly at this level. In some Chinook dialects augmentative/diminutive shifting operates along several different phonological dimensions- and its unlikely that each pair gives exactly the 'same' reading. But extinction means we'll never know now. It would have been interesting to know how such deep (pre?)-math encodings would color the more formal systems that arise on top of them- for instance is there any link to numeral classifiers (as there is with shape classifying terms such as found in Mayan languages which, like expressive verbs, tend to be very transparent phonosemantically)? Formal math systems would fall into the grammatical side of the equation, whereas the much less tangible (but maybe more deeply felt?) sound symbolisms would be, in my model, 'antigrammatical'- that is, standing in processual opposition. Jess Tauber From rzs at TDS.NET Fri Apr 21 17:20:39 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:20:39 -0500 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Hi Mia, hey that sounds exciting what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? sure, lets talk about creating something special When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery (see below) http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 I met some native film makers doing some creative things also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday what an inspiring man! so many possibilitites...the future is wide open Richard > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you have > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > Best always, > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Mia, > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > When i asked the 2nd graders > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > help: > "t?ndi em?'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahsh?' ashehk" > (200 and 60 and 3) > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > richard > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 17:29:30 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:29:30 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <20060421172039.IGVQ12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Ideally, video or Flash movie with sound and motion. Practically: anything from PowerPoint with voice over on up. What a wonderful event. Is that you with the beautiful pot? The caption didn't identify the person, only the 2nd pot. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 11:21 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Hi Mia, hey that sounds exciting what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? sure, lets talk about creating something special When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery (see below) http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 I met some native film makers doing some creative things also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday what an inspiring man! so many possibilitites...the future is wide open Richard > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you have > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > Best always, > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Mia, > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > When i asked the 2nd graders > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > help: > "t?ndi em?'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahsh?' ashehk" > (200 and 60 and 3) > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a week) > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > richard > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From rzs at TDS.NET Fri Apr 21 19:24:14 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 14:24:14 -0500 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: Mia, I'll bring up the idea with our Culture Committee I think they'll love the idea Yep,thats me with the John Deere cap with my pots.... made from good ol oklahoma clay from Vinita area. which reminds me....i need to get back rolling coils! rzs > > From: Mia Kalish > > Ideally, video or Flash movie with sound and motion. Practically: anything > from PowerPoint with voice over on up. > > What a wonderful event. Is that you with the beautiful pot? The caption > didn't identify the person, only the 2nd pot. > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 11:21 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Hi Mia, > hey that sounds exciting > what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? > sure, lets talk about creating something special > When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery > (see below) > http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 > I met some native film makers doing some creative things > also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday > what an inspiring man! > so many possibilitites...the future is wide open > Richard > > > > From: Mia Kalish > > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you > have > > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > > > Best always, > > Mia > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Mia, > > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > > When i asked the 2nd graders > > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > > help: > > "t?ndi em?'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahsh?' ashehk" > > (200 and 60 and 3) > > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a > week) > > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > > > richard > > > > > > Richard Zane Smith > > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > > Wyandotte Oklahoma > > 74370 > > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Fri Apr 21 19:29:47 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:29:47 -0600 Subject: Language Is Life In-Reply-To: <20060421192414.NPSI31057.outaamta01.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Verrrry Nice :-) Give my best to your culture committee -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 1:24 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life Mia, I'll bring up the idea with our Culture Committee I think they'll love the idea Yep,thats me with the John Deere cap with my pots.... made from good ol oklahoma clay from Vinita area. which reminds me....i need to get back rolling coils! rzs > > From: Mia Kalish > > Ideally, video or Flash movie with sound and motion. Practically: anything > from PowerPoint with voice over on up. > > What a wonderful event. Is that you with the beautiful pot? The caption > didn't identify the person, only the 2nd pot. > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 11:21 AM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > Hi Mia, > hey that sounds exciting > what would you like... a video clip , a sound recording? > sure, lets talk about creating something special > When i was recently in Palm Springs in Feb showing with Blue Rain Gallery > (see below) > http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412812 > I met some native film makers doing some creative things > also got to talk a little with Scott Mommaday > what an inspiring man! > so many possibilitites...the future is wide open > Richard > > > > From: Mia Kalish > > Date: 2006/04/21 Fri AM 11:24:09 CDT > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Richard, It is so heart-warming to hear about your success!!!!!!!!!!! > > > > I guess this is another "good news" item. > > > > You know we are doing a big digital poster in Anaheim in January, to show > > the work people are doing in revitalization. If you have something you > have > > done you would like to share . . . :-)? > > > > Best always, > > Mia > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > > On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith > > Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 10:18 AM > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Mia, > > thanks for sharing this colorful personal insight > > > > I'm so proud of the little ones i'm working with > > because even though the class sizes are way TOO big > > they are catching the patterns in Wyandotte numbers > > We sing a little catchy song :1-10 (even the kindergardners have it down) > > now they easily pick up the "teens" and the rest. > > When i asked the 2nd graders > > "Ok,who wants to try a REALLY hard one!?" > > half of them were waving so hard it was hard to choose one > > When i wrote "263" on the board one little girl said it perfectly without > > help: > > "t?ndi em?'gyaweh-wazha'-ewahsh?' ashehk" > > (200 and 60 and 3) > > these kids have had less than six full hours of teaching (20 minutes a > week) > > and most of THAT time is storytelling and singing . > > > > Our living hope for language reknewal is these bright-eyed kids > > We are going to show off next week with a small school assembly! > > > > richard > > > > > > Richard Zane Smith > > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > > Wyandotte Oklahoma > > 74370 > > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 21 19:43:48 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:43:48 -0700 Subject: Saving Sencoten (fwd) Message-ID: SAVING SENCOTEN [1] Brennan Clarke/Victoria News JOHN ELLIOTT IS CONTINUING HIS FATHER\'S EFFORTS TO PRESERVE THE SENCOTEN LANGUAGE, ONCE WIDELY SPOKEN AMONG ALL THE COAST SALISH PEOPLES. ? By Brennan Clarke Victoria News _Apr 21 2006_ Central Saanich teacher leading charge to save local indigenous language from extinction. To many people, language is little more than the words we use to communicate thoughts. For John Elliott, it's a lifeline to preserving 10,000 years of aboriginal culture. "The language is the voice of the land. It's about our whole environment and how we interact with nature," he said. "The language is all about your beliefs and your whole world view." Elliott, a teacher at Lau'Welnew tribal school, has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to preserving Sencoten, an indigenous language spoken by Coast Salish First Nations on both sides of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with the Saanich Peninsula at the heart of the ancient culture. Elliott's crusade to save the language is a continuation of work his father began in the early 1970s. Dave Elliott, a longtime fisherman, was working as a janitor with the Saanich Indian School Board when he decided to create a phonetic alphabet for Sencoten. It was a difficult task since Sencoten, like many indigenous languages, contains a range of sounds that are difficult to capture with the conventional 26-letter Roman alphabet used around the world. "My father used to say the language was dying and people were losing the whole value system," Elliott recalled. "I'm taking his work one step further." When Europeans first arrived on Vancouver Island in the mid-1800s, there were an estimated 7,000 Sencoten speakers. Today, Elliott said that number has shrunk to a mere two dozen elders, due in large part to a residential school system that prohibited aboriginal children from speaking their native tongue. "There's only 23 or 24 fluent speakers remaining," said Elliott. "Usually they're older people and some of them aren't that healthy. (The language) could die with the elders that are here today." But the bid to save Sencoten (pronounced Sen-Cho-then) is yielding some encouraging results. All 200 of the school's students study the language, and the program has been around long enough that former students are now parents who speak the language around their children. "The fluency's coming, but it's slow. It took 50 years to take it out of us through the boarding schools," Elliott said. "After a couple of generations it's going to make a difference. In the past there's been nobody at home to speak the language." One of the most useful teaching tools for young aboriginal students is First Voices (firstvoices.ca), a three-year-old website that allows First Nations to record and archive their native languages. First Voices, a co-operative venture between the Saanich Indian School Board and the provincially funded First People's Heritage Language and Culture Council, contains still pictures, video clips, recorded voices, games and other features to pique the interest of young learners. Elliott said the website is just a tool, not the saviour of his people's language. "It's only a tool kit really. There has to be a personal commitment to really knowing the language," Elliott said, noting the irony of using modern technology to save an ancient language. "It really is ironic. A lot of these things that are taking our kids' minds away and now we come along with an Internet tool." First People's Heritage Language and Culture Council executive director Tracy Herbert, said so far 134 B.C. languages and three Yukon languages have been archived on the site. It's also attracted interest from other indigenous groups in Canada, such as the Mi'kmaq. "There are about 32 languages and 70-plus dialects in B.C. alone," she said. The provincial government, which provides about $600,000 a year to help the council support First Nations arts, recently handed over an extra $1 million in one-time funding specifically for languages. Herbert said the federal government hasn't been quite so supportive. Although B.C. is home to 60 per cent of Canada's aboriginal languages, the Department of Canadian Heritage provides just $232,000 a year for language programs in B.C. Four years ago, former Heritage Minister Sheila Copps pledged $160 million to preserve native languages, but the federal government has yet to follow through on that commitment Herbert added. "It is a race against time and we really need to work co-operatively with the communities and the language stakeholders," she said. For Elliott, there's no distinction between saving the language and saving the culture, since many of the words refer to creation stories and legends. bclarke at vicnews.com[2] EXAMPLES OF SENCOTEN LANGUAGE TENEW: land, earth or soil; can also mean "a wish for the people." SNANET: rock, mountain or boulder; can also mean "gift," since mountains are considered sacred places that the creator gave to the people. STEME: rain; but also means "a person falling from the sky," a reference to the first person who came to earth. TETACES: island; also means relatives of the deep in reference to humans who were turned into islands by the creator and told to look after the people. SCAANEW: salmon; also means "working people," which relates to a creation story in which the creator transformed a group of hard-working people into salmon. Links: ------ [1] http://www.saanichnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=28&cat=23&id=&more= [2] mailto:bclarke at vicnews.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 21886 bytes Desc: not available URL: From lachler at UNM.EDU Fri Apr 21 20:10:20 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:10:20 -0800 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <4F97BA50-7479-4E55-BDBE-134A4B9D3354@dakotacom.net> Message-ID: More flash fun for a Friday: http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/flash/my_house.swf Jordan From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sat Apr 22 09:16:21 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 02:16:21 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not necessarily involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal the importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and relevant. One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of visiting an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was in a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do first-grade arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote asked the teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out something, and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute the odds in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students quickly responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their heads with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, and were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the teacher, who had no idea that they could do this. Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, often exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor by teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not rewarded nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry Gilmore's famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black teen- age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in class, during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were regularly spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for letter- names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware that this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this knowledge to enhance classroom learning. Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers in West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a total failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly being ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them false information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a knowledge of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became highly motivated to learn. On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual pleasures of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to greatly underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some mid- level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual game. Rudy Troike University of Arizona Department of English From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Sat Apr 22 13:10:05 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:10:05 -0400 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: With regard to Rudy's post and mine, just wondering whether language TYPE might also have any relevance as to what kind of mathematical knowledge and operations might be found, statistically, in a normal cultural setting (that is unmodified by formal Western-style or other imposed-from-outside training)- how much does level of culture influence? Jess Tauber From rzs at TDS.NET Sat Apr 22 13:33:22 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 08:33:22 -0500 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: Rudy and Mia raise issues the public schools somehow haven't slowed down enought to consider. I think Western math ,like everything else is becoming so "specialized" that today it creates its own wake of ignorance. Have you ever watched an Asian store cleric using an abacus? Compare that image to our typical Walmart clerk on the computer. Its obvious which one is actually using math and its even more obvious when the computer fails. Computers are excellent tools,but mass dependance upon them to "do our thinking" can create a very fragile culture of its own. Some people still see indigenous cultures as merely offering spice, color and frybread. It still hasn't dawned on the mainstream american,that keys to survival may lie within the enduring cultures it has sought to replace. Richard > > From: Rudy Troike > Date: 2006/04/22 Sat AM 04:16:21 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Indigenous math > > This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not > necessarily > involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal the > importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and relevant. > > One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of visiting > an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was in > a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the > Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do first- grade > arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote asked the > teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out > something, > and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute the odds > in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students quickly > responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their heads > with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, and > were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the teacher, > who had no idea that they could do this. > > Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, often > exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor by > teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not rewarded > nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry Gilmore's > famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black teen- > age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in class, > during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were regularly > spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for letter- > names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware that > this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this knowledge > to enhance classroom learning. > > Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers in > West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a total > failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly being > ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them false > information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a knowledge > of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became highly > motivated to learn. > > On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual pleasures > of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to greatly > underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some mid- > level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they > enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another > with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual game. > > Rudy Troike > University of Arizona > Department of English > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sat Apr 22 13:51:22 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 06:51:22 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <9625944.1145711406307.JavaMail.root@elwamui-muscovy.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: Thanks Rudy, Jess and Mia This discussion is very interesting but, to me, what it underscores is the need to have more fluent, trained Native teachers involved in curriculum development. (an old refrain...) Years ago, I was heavily involved with training teachers for public schools which served tribal communities. These cullturally-appropriate math stories were shared, and may have served to raise awareness, but did little to really change the way math was taught overall. The only places where real active involvement and inclusion of culturally grounded math activities happened were in the rare classrooms where the teacher was a member of the community. Although the numbers of certified Native American teachers have increased since then, there are still not nearly enough and it is still such an up hill battle for them to make substantial changes to established and, now, standardized test-driven curricula of most schools. Certainly, the charter school movement offers more potential for the inclusion of culturally-appropriate and guided math activities and certainly there are some such curricula developed for non-public schools serving reservation communities, but it is still a difficult task to lay out more than a few isolated lessons, i.e., establish a complete set of lessons, which reflect a range of culturally-grounded math activities. Susan On 4/22/06, jess tauber wrote: > > With regard to Rudy's post and mine, just wondering whether language TYPE > might also have any relevance as to what kind of mathematical knowledge and > operations might be found, statistically, in a normal cultural setting (that > is unmodified by formal Western-style or other imposed-from-outside > training)- how much does level of culture influence? > > Jess Tauber > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sat Apr 22 15:29:41 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 08:29:41 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <20060422133322.QGLB12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Amen! Thanks, Richard! On 4/22/06, Richard Zane Smith wrote: > > Rudy and Mia raise issues > the public schools somehow haven't slowed down enought to consider. > I think Western math ,like everything else is becoming so "specialized" > that today it creates its own wake of ignorance. > Have you ever watched an Asian store cleric using an abacus? > Compare that image to our typical Walmart clerk on the computer. > Its obvious which one is actually using math > and its even more obvious when the computer fails. > Computers are excellent tools,but mass dependance upon them to > "do our thinking" can create a very fragile culture of its own. > Some people still see indigenous cultures as merely offering spice, color > and frybread. It still hasn't dawned on the mainstream american,that keys > to > survival may lie within the enduring cultures it has sought to replace. > Richard > > > > > > > From: Rudy Troike > > Date: 2006/04/22 Sat AM 04:16:21 CDT > > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > Subject: [ILAT] Indigenous math > > > > This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not > > necessarily > > involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal > the > > importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and > relevant. > > > > One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of > visiting > > an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was > in > > a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the > > Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do > first- > grade > > arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote > asked the > > teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out > > something, > > and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute > the > odds > > in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students > quickly > > responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their > heads > > with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, > and > > were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the > teacher, > > who had no idea that they could do this. > > > > Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, > often > > exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor > by > > teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not > rewarded > > nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry > Gilmore's > > famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black > teen- > > age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in > class, > > during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were > regularly > > spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for > letter- > > names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware > that > > this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this > knowledge > > to enhance classroom learning. > > > > Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers > in > > West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a > total > > failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly > being > > ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them > false > > information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a > knowledge > > of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became > highly > > motivated to learn. > > > > On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual > pleasures > > of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to > greatly > > underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some > mid- > > level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they > > enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another > > with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual > game. > > > > Rudy Troike > > University of Arizona > > Department of English > > > > Richard Zane Smith > 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. > Wyandotte Oklahoma > 74370 > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 15:30:02 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:30:02 -0600 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <20060422133322.QGLB12877.outaamta02.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: This is such a good discussion. Rudy presents an example similar to the examples raised over and over and over by Ethnomathematicians. (And I liked the story, too, Rudy.) Lilly Wong Fillmore talks often of how Alaskan students in SPED classes (98% of the students, in some schools) know astounding and sophisticated details of kayak making and sailing, fishing, surviving on the ice floes, migration patterns, and staying warm when wet. Of course, they didn't know anything about jumping horses in Virginia, and this was how they got to be SPED kids (along with the extra dollars to the school, of course). There is something very strange - I never really noticed it before, because when you build software for people, it always reflects their corporate culture - about how people seem to think that there is only one kind of academic knowledge. Math comes only in one flavor. Botany comes in one flavor, and so on. In fact, Math comes in as many flavors as there are cultures, and so do botany, biology, and chemistry. Some things are common, like eltse thingy + eltse thingy == naaki thingies. Other things, like apples and oranges are not common, nor are ways of building kayaks. Traditionally, kayaks have been custom built to the physical dimensions of the person who owns it, rather than to a one-size-fits-all form of typical manufacturing plants. But it seems to me that it has to be up to us, both to produce the articles to show the world that there are more worlds, and that things are similar but different in those worlds. We need to produce the materials and do the research. :-) Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 7:33 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Indigenous math Rudy and Mia raise issues the public schools somehow haven't slowed down enought to consider. I think Western math ,like everything else is becoming so "specialized" that today it creates its own wake of ignorance. Have you ever watched an Asian store cleric using an abacus? Compare that image to our typical Walmart clerk on the computer. Its obvious which one is actually using math and its even more obvious when the computer fails. Computers are excellent tools,but mass dependance upon them to "do our thinking" can create a very fragile culture of its own. Some people still see indigenous cultures as merely offering spice, color and frybread. It still hasn't dawned on the mainstream american,that keys to survival may lie within the enduring cultures it has sought to replace. Richard > > From: Rudy Troike > Date: 2006/04/22 Sat AM 04:16:21 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Indigenous math > > This is in response to Mia's note on native math. While it does not > necessarily > involve native language in computing (though it might), it does reveal the > importance of her point about math being culturally embedded, and relevant. > > One of my favorite stories is from Barney Old Coyote, who told me of visiting > an elementary school with a number of Crow youngsters attending. He was in > a third-grade class, and the teacher was demonstrating how miserable the > Crow students' math skills were, by showing that they could not do first- grade > arithmetic problems of adding apples and oranges. Barney Old Coyote asked the > teacher if he could take over the class for a few minutes to try out > something, > and the teacher agreed. So he asked the class if anyone could compute the odds > in a stick-ball game, giving them the parameters. The Crow students quickly > responded to a number of these, computing the odds entirely in their heads > with amazing speed. Their Anglo peer hadn't a clue as to how to do this, and > were astounded at their classmates' mathematical skill, as was the teacher, > who had no idea that they could do this. > > Culturally-embedded and relevant skills like this, not just in math, often > exist but are not recognized by the formal educational curriculum, nor by > teachers trained only to recognize and teach that, and hence are not rewarded > nor built upon for more advanced development. Relevant here is Perry Gilmore's > famous example of "Spelling Mississippi", in which she found that Black teen- > age girls in Philadelphia, who were failing abysmally in spelling in class, > during their lunch hour were doing jump-rope in which they were regularly > spelling out complicated words using a semi-special vocabulary for letter- > names (e.g. s = "crooked letter"), but the teachers were totally unaware that > this activity was going on, and hence were not able to harness this knowledge > to enhance classroom learning. > > Motivation is also sometimes relevant, as when rural development workers in > West Africa found that attempts to teach basic math to farmers was a total > failure, until they hit on the fact that the farmers were regularly being > ripped off by middlemen to whom they sold their produce, who gave them false > information on the weights of their goods. Once they realized that a knowledge > of numbers would enable them to protect their interests, they became highly > motivated to learn. > > On the other hand, people can also enjoy the simple intellectual pleasures > of abstract math, and to say that native people can't do this is to greatly > underestimate them. I recall a story by someone who was teaching some mid- > level abstract math to some rural Mayan speakers, and found that they > enjoyed remaining in the classroom after school to challenge one another > with math computation problems, which they treated as an intellectual game. > > Rudy Troike > University of Arizona > Department of English > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 15:31:05 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:31:05 -0600 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060421120913.020295f8@unm.edu> Message-ID: I wonder, did anyone look at this Flash movie Jordan sent us the link to? I did. I thought and thought about this, and I have to say something: Why, with all the technology to avoid using a bridge language, did the developers include English? Does anyone - besides me - think that including English when its parenthetical demeans the Indigenous language? Mary Eunice Romero wrote at great length about how Indigenous languages are lower in status because they are not studied in school. She talked about how Indigenous youth - and even their parents - tend to migrate toward what she calls "the higher status language". So I wonder why, since with Flash, the immersion style environment people did a good job creating, motion, sound. . . why the English? -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jordan Lachler Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 2:10 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] more flash fun More flash fun for a Friday: http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/flash/my_house.swf Jordan From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 15:35:10 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:35:10 -0600 Subject: Indigenous math In-Reply-To: <39a679e20604220651x5008a78ak9639cab0dccbe125@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: I absolutely agree, Susan, and I am working on the materials issue in my dissertation. Being a techie, and recognizing the difficulty with incorporation the culturally appropriate math stories, I am developing a technical structure so that stories can be related directly to the curriculum, and with a few grants for community involvement in the development of curricular materials, we can make massive amounts of materials in Indigenous languages. We can make them fast, we can make them good, and we can encourage families and communities all to take part. And with a little help from some hardware geeks, we can make them portable, like game boys, PSP2s, and cell phones. (Yep, cell phones. Kids have those great eyes, you know :-)). Happily, Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Susan Penfield Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 7:51 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Indigenous math Thanks Rudy, Jess and Mia This discussion is very interesting but, to me, what it underscores is the need to have more fluent, trained Native teachers involved in curriculum development. (an old refrain...) Years ago, I was heavily involved with training teachers for public schools which served tribal communities. These cullturally-appropriate math stories were shared, and may have served to raise awareness, but did little to really change the way math was taught overall. The only places where real active involvement and inclusion of culturally grounded math activities happened were in the rare classrooms where the teacher was a member of the community. Although the numbers of certified Native American teachers have increased since then, there are still not nearly enough and it is still such an up hill battle for them to make substantial changes to established and, now, standardized test-driven curricula of most schools. Certainly, the charter school movement offers more potential for the inclusion of culturally-appropriate and guided math activities and certainly there are some such curricula developed for non-public schools serving reservation communities, but it is still a difficult task to lay out more than a few isolated lessons, i.e., establish a complete set of lessons, which reflect a range of culturally-grounded math activities. Susan On 4/22/06, jess tauber wrote: With regard to Rudy's post and mine, just wondering whether language TYPE might also have any relevance as to what kind of mathematical knowledge and operations might be found, statistically, in a normal cultural setting (that is unmodified by formal Western-style or other imposed-from-outside training)- how much does level of culture influence? Jess Tauber -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sat Apr 22 16:11:27 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:11:27 -0700 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060421120913.020295f8@unm.edu> Message-ID: All, I tend to concur with Mia on this -- I think it is really a great example of how technology can offer a clear immersion-style teaching environment -- but using English kind of defeats that purpose. It might, however, depend on the actual goals of the community and, since I know nothng about that, nor who the specific audience is, I'd like to hear from Jordan more about it... S. On 4/21/06, Jordan Lachler wrote: > > More flash fun for a Friday: > > http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/flash/my_house.swf > > Jordan > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliations: Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion and Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From annier at SFU.CA Sat Apr 22 16:13:10 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:13:10 -0700 Subject: Indigenous math Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From lachler at UNM.EDU Sat Apr 22 21:21:03 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:21:03 -0800 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <39a679e20604220911v5df11874vd901edf92a44a24a@mail.gmail.co m> Message-ID: Hi all, >I tend to concur with Mia on this -- I think it >is really a great example of how technology can >offer a clear immersion-style teaching >environment -- but using English kind of defeats >that purpose. It might, however, depend on the >actual goals of the community and, since I know >nothng about that, nor who the specific audience >is, I'd like to hear from Jordan more about it... I suspect English is included because it's not always 100% clear what each of the objects is. For example, when you click on the top of the house in the first screen and hear the word , it seems reasonable to me that some students would think that means "roof" and not "house", since that is what they clicked on. Unless they then decide to click elsewhere on the "house", there isn't anything in the program that dissuades them from their first hypothesis. There are lots of potential confusions like that... Does mean "firewood", or any kind of "wood"? Does mean "bowl with fruit in it", "fruit in a bowl", "fruit", or "bowl"? Does mean "cupboard", "cupboard door", "yellow cupboard door", or just "door" of any kind? Does mean "dog" or does it mean "border collie"? While it may seem unlikely that students would get confused in this way, my experience tells me that it does happen from time to time, no matter how clear the material seems to other people. Clearly, adding English translations is not the "best" possible solution to this problem -- it would be better to develop more and better flash programs which would carefully disambiguate all the possible meanings. On the practical side, of course, that would be extremely time consuming when compared to simply slipping in some English to make sure the students are following along. (I'm leaving aside the issue here of whether, for instance, *really* means "dog", or whether *really* means "firewood". That's obviously an important, but much more complex, topic.) In the end, though, the main goal of the program is just to show people that they can in fact learn some Tlingit and have fun while doing it. And if they feel successful and realize that language learning doesn't have to be stressful and frightening, they may just sign themselves and their children up for some community language classes. Jordan From lachler at UNM.EDU Sat Apr 22 21:31:10 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:31:10 -0800 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <000c01c66621$cc75e470$6401a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: Hi again, >Does anyone - besides me - think that including English when its >parenthetical demeans the Indigenous language? While I understand and appreciate this viewpoint, and even sympathize with it to some extent, I have not heard this viewpoint expressed by any community members. Basically their reactions have been that they are excited to see and hear their language used on the Web (just like English is), and to have a fun tool to help them and their kids learn a few words of it (just like they have for Spanish and French, etc.). Given how many other far-less-subtle ways the language has been demeaned over the past century or so, the community members seem to prefer to focus on the ways in which the language is empowered by tools such as this... Jordan From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sat Apr 22 21:38:53 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 15:38:53 -0600 Subject: more flash fun In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060422132124.00f25378@unm.edu> Message-ID: Okay, so who made it? Are you working at the Sealaska Heritage Institute? And, would they like to submit for our Global Revitalization Digital Poster session? It is really very nice :-) And I assume the Tlingit people actually made it? That would be very, very nice :-) :-) Thanks, Jordan, Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jordan Lachler Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 3:31 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] more flash fun Hi again, >Does anyone - besides me - think that including English when its >parenthetical demeans the Indigenous language? While I understand and appreciate this viewpoint, and even sympathize with it to some extent, I have not heard this viewpoint expressed by any community members. Basically their reactions have been that they are excited to see and hear their language used on the Web (just like English is), and to have a fun tool to help them and their kids learn a few words of it (just like they have for Spanish and French, etc.). Given how many other far-less-subtle ways the language has been demeaned over the past century or so, the community members seem to prefer to focus on the ways in which the language is empowered by tools such as this... Jordan From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 21:12:11 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 14:12:11 -0700 Subject: Lesson Book Message-ID: The lesson book includes exercises to familiarize children with animals and their Karuk names. The exercises also encourage children to learn Karuk names. http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal? _nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED300194 &ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b80044cee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 21:15:56 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 14:15:56 -0700 Subject: Names Message-ID: ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 21:51:35 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 14:51:35 -0700 Subject: What Is In A Name Message-ID: LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS 4.4:669-681, 2003 2003-0-004-004-000059-1 What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics* William Bright University of Colorado Onomastics, as the study of proper names, has been of concern to many branches of scholarship, including philosophy and history. The present paper takes the viewpoint of anthropological linguistics, as applied especially to personal names and place names among North American Indians. The question is raised as to whether terms which embody a DESCRIPTION can be considered proper names, e.g., whether a term meaning literally ?man living by the stream? can be a personal name, or whether a term meaning ?rock standing by the stream? can be a placename. Grammatical peculiarities of placenames are also considered, and examples are given from Karuk (California), Creek (Oklahoma), and Nahuatl (Mexico). Key words: onomastics, toponyms, anthroponyms, North American Indians ?You are sad,? the Knight said in an anxious tone: ?let me sing you a song to comfort you.? ?Is it very long?? Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day. ?It?s long,? said the Knight, ?but very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it?either it brings the tears into their eyes, or else?? ?Or else what?? said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause. ?Or else it doesn?t, you know. The name of the song is called ?Haddocks? Eyes?.? ?Oh, that?s the name of the song, is it?? Alice said, trying to feel interested. ?No, you don?t understand,? the Knight said, looking a little vexed. ?That?s what the name is called. The name really is ?The Aged Aged Man?.? ?Then I ought to have said ?That?s what the song is called??? Alice corrected herself. * This paper was delivered as a lecture at the Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, on 24 February 2003. I am grateful for helpful comments from my audience, especially from Dr. Ho Dah-an and from my wife, Lise Menn. I would like to dedicate this paper to the memory of two great Chinese linguists who were my teachers and friends: Professor Chao Yuen-ren and Professor Li Fang-kuei. William Bright 670 ?No, you oughtn?t: that?s quite another thing! The song is called ?Ways and Means?: but that?s only what it?s called, you know!? ?Well, what is the song, then?? said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered. ?I was coming to that,? the Knight said. ?The song really is ?A-Sitting on a Gate?: and the tune?s my own invention.? ?Through the Looking-Glass 1. Terms and definitions Many books and articles have taken as their title the famous line from Shakespeare?s Romeo and Juliet: ?What?s in a name?? I choose to raise a slightly different question: ?What IS a name???not to answer the question definitively, of course, but simply to focus attention on some aspects of the problem. In doing so, I also want to focus attention on the field of onomastics, understood as the study of names. Such study is, in fact, carried out as part of several larger fields, including linguistics, ethnography, folklore, philology, history, geography, philosophy, and literary scholarship. In Europe, especially in Germany, it is a well recognized branch of philology, as witness the three-volume encyclopedic survey of the field recently published there (Eichler et al. 1996, 2,259 pp.) By contrast, in the US, onomastics is scarcely recognized as a scholarly field at all. To be sure, there is an organization called the American Name Society, which publishes a small journal called Names, but only a few linguists belong to the society, and most linguists have probably never heard of the organization or the journal. I myself have been interested in onomastics since my student days, and I have published articles in the journal Names; but even so, in 1992, when I edited the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, it never occurred to me to plan for an article on names. Fortunately, the forthcoming second edition of that encyclopedia will repair my omission. To begin with, the word name is often used to mean a term which can refer to anything, as when we say: ?Banana is the name of a fruit,? or ?Murder is the name of a crime.? In this sense, the word name is virtually synonymous with the word noun; indeed, in some languages, the same term can used for both, e.g., French nom. In this sense, the relationship between a name and that to which it refers has been the topic of an extensive literature written by philosophers specializing in semantics (cf. Zabeeh 1968, Lehrer 1992, Lamarque 1994). These writers have had much to say about the material in the famous quotation from Through the Looking Glass. I must admit to ignorance of this large topic, and so I will go on to more limited aspects of names and naming. What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 671 Within the general category of names, people often use the word name for what we can more precisely call proper names. Within this subdivision, it is common to distinguish two principal types. One of these is place names or toponyms; another is PERSONAL NAMES, for which we have no commonly used term derived from Greek, but which are sometimes called anthroponyms. My discussion is limited to these two types, but it can be noted that other varieties exist, such as ethnonyms? terms referring to nationalities or ethnic groups?and glottonyms, referring to languages. An English example of both these types is Chinese, referring not only to the nationality, but also to the language that corresponds to the toponym China. It is not easy to define the term proper name (Algeo 1973). In English and some other European languages, such words often appear in writing with initial capital letters; but obviously this cannot define the term for spoken language, or for writing systems like Chinese which have no capital letters. Are there grammatical criteria to identify the proper name? In English, it is often observed that it is unusual for proper names to occur with articles ? either indefinite (a, an) or definite (the). A sentence like The George and a Henry come from England is hard to interpret unless someone explains that it is intended to mean ?The one person in this group named George, and one of the people named Henry, come from England.? Such usage may be made clearer by the use of spoken or written emphasis: He?s not THE George (who was King of England), he?s just A George (one of many people named George). But of course other languages have very different rules for using definite and indefinite articles; and many languages, such as Chinese, do not use articles at all. It may be that, for a universal concept of the proper name, we must seek semantic and pragmatic definitions. To put it briefly, we may say that a proper name represents a social convention for brief reference to a specific entity, as opposed to a class of persons or places. For example, George may refer to ?my cousin who is legally designated as George Baker; the Bakers refers to a family of people named Baker (as contrasted with the bakers ?the people who bake bread?); America may refer to ?the nation which is legally and politically designated as the United States of America?. Much more could be?and has been?said about this (cf. Lehrer 1994), but I only want to establish this simple understanding as a basis for further discussion. As I?ve said, the types of proper names which are most often discussed are personal names and placenames. I wish to focus here, first, on a proposed characteristic of personal names, namely their universality; and second, on a frequently remarked characteristic of placenames, namely their descriptiveness. As we shall see, there is a relationship between these two topics. William Bright 672 Finally, at the end of this paper, I wish to point out that, in some languages, placenames may function not only as nouns, but also as adverbs. I believe that this may the case in many more languages than have been reported. 2. Personal names and universality There is a piece of folklore current among anthropologists regarding the question of whether personal names exist in all societies. So far I have not been able to trace this to a printed source, but it is somewhat as follows: Somewhere in the world there is a society where people live in very small, isolated communities. In such a community, people have no personal names; i.e., individuals have no name which other people use to refer specifically to them. Instead, they are referred to by descriptive expressions, e.g., ?the blacksmith? or ?the man who lives by the stream?. A woman will be referred to as, e.g., ?the blacksmith?s wife?. Children will be referred to by expressions such as ?the blacksmith?s elder daughter?; when this daughter gets married, she may be referred to as, e.g., ?the wife of the man who lives by the stream?. The question arises: Is there such a society? Or more to the point: Is such a society possible? In discussing such a question, we need to realize that many people in the world do not have such highly organized systems of personal naming as we are accustomed to in our own societies. In European societies, as well as China and Japan, every person is assigned a public, legal name, in written form, around the time of birth; part of this usually reflects the child?s father?s name. The individual normally has that same legal name through life?with exceptions, e.g., where married women take on their husband?s family names. In addition, a person may have informal ?nicknames? during different parts of life. Sometimes these are used only by close relatives or intimates; in any case, they do not replace the public and legal names. By contrast, in non-literate societies, where names remain unwritten, there is greater variety in naming customs (cf. the anthropological studies in Tooker 1984). A child may be given a ?real? name at birth, but this may be kept a secret throughout life. Elsewhere, such a ?real? name may be publicly known, but not used for everyday purposes; most of the time, a nickname?perhaps descriptive, e.g., Shorty?may be used. A person may be called by different names at different periods of life, or by different people under changing conditions. Use of certain names under particular circumstances may be forbidden by religious taboo; or then again, such names may be replaced by descriptive nicknames. Because of these factors, it may be difficult for the outside investigator of such a society to determine what a person?s ?real? name is, or even what name is commonly used in the community; taboos are likely to be especially strict when one is talking to outsiders. What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 673 I suggest then, that the apocryphal community I mentioned?in which nobody has a personal name, and people are referred to only by ad-hoc descriptions?does not exist. I suggest that any anthropologist who might have reported such a community was misled by the operation of taboos on uttering personal names. I suggest, in fact, that the use of personal names, having varying levels of descriptiveness, is a sociolinguistic universal of the human species. Of course, I will be glad if any colleague can provide evidence to prove me wrong. However, the concept of ?descriptiveness? must itself be discussed, and I will do this in the following section, in relation to placenames. 3. Placenames and descriptiveness In many parts of the world, it is a commonplace that some placenames have no etymologies that we can discover, e.g., European names like Rome, Paris, and London. It is possible that these were once descriptive expressions in European languages, but they became eroded, phonetically and semantically, so that their origins were no longer apparent. It is also possible that these names were borrowed in ancient times from other languages, of which we have imperfect knowledge, such as Etruscan in Italy or Gaulish in France, and this is why we do not understand their original meaning. But other European placenames have clear descriptive origins, in England, we find examples like Newmarket and Whitechurch. In North America, many placenames were simply transferred from places in Europe, such as London and Paris?or, indeed, Newmarket and Whitechurch. Other American placenames do not have clear etymologies in English, but this is because they were borrowed from American Indian languages, in which they were descriptive formations. Examples are Massachusetts, meaning ?big hill?, and Connecticut, meaning ?long river?, both from an Algonquian language. In addition, however, North America has many placenames which simply describe the American locations to which they were applied, e.g., Long Island (New York State), Great Falls (Montana), and Grand Canyon (Arizona). In other parts of the world, it is likely that placenames also have a variety of origins; some are transferred, some are borrowed, and many are descriptive coinages. However, the placenames of China and Japan present a special problem. On the surface, it seems possible to find etymologies for most of them in terms of the characters with which they are written; e.g., the Chinese placename Taiwan is written with characters meaning ?platform? and ?bay?; and superficially, that might be a correct etymology. In fact, however, the name is a folk-etymology, based on the name of an aboriginal (Austronesian) tribe. Again, in Japanese, historical study reveals that some names were not formerly written with the same characters that are used today. For example, the William Bright 674 name of Mount Fuji has been written with a variety of characters over the centuries, and its original meaning is controversial; it may be derived from a language spoken in the area before Japanese. It seems possible that, in mainland China also, some placenames were borrowed from non-Chinese languages, such as Manchu (in the north) or Thai (in the south), and it may not be possible to arrive at precise etymologies for them. 3.1 American Indian placenames: Must every name have an etymology? I?ve worked for many years with American Indian languages, and I?ve been especially interested in the placenames used in those languages?many of which, as I?ve noted, have been borrowed into English. (For valuable recent studies of the sociolinguistics of placenames among American Indians and other peoples, see Feld & Basso 1996, Basso 1996; for etymological considerations, cf. Bright 2002.) However, especially when one reads discussion of placename origins, one finds the persistent bit of folklore that the meaning of words is, on some essential level, to be found in their histories, rather than in their use. Such belief in the covert significance of etymology is also especially common in discussions of Native American placenames. One of the most prominent scholars in the field of American placenames was Erwin G. Gudde (1889-1969), a professor of German literature at Berkeley who became an authority on California history; he was the founding editor of Names (the journal of the American Name Society), and the author of California Place Names, one of the most respected among state placename dictionaries. Gudde?s dictionary, published by the University of California Press, went through three editions between 1949 and 1969 ? and the third edition was, surprisingly, translated into Chinese and published in Taiwan (1989). A fourth edition, revised by myself, came out in 1998. However, Gudde often seemed reluctant to examine possible American Indian etymologies for California placenames, and indeed his views of Native American cultures in general were often rather strange. Thus he stated, in his Preface: ?The original inhabitants had very few geographical names, and practically all of these were descriptive... Mountains themselves were of no practical importance to the Indians and probably had no names.? This statement is remarkable, considering that Gudde was familiar with such works as T.T. Waterman?s Yurok Geography (1920), which lists over 900 placenames (including mountains) used in the rather limited territory of the Yurok tribe and language, in northwestern California. For years I was puzzled as to how Gudde could have said that American Indians ?had very few geographical names.? Only more recently, while reading extensively on American placenames, I?ve realized that Gudde?s statement reflects a long-standing attitude among onomastic scholars. In recent years, Leonard Ashley has written (1996:1403): ?What we think of as placenames may differ What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 675 considerably from names Amerindians put upon the land. The red man [sic] considered himself a part of nature, not the master of it... The names he gave were more like descriptions: any large river might be ?big river?... It is arguable that an Amerindian name that translates ?where there is a heap of stones? ... is no more a name in our strict sense than the expression ?the corner grocery that stays open until midnight?.? The ethnocentric message of these quotations seems to be that American Indians, seen by Whites as ?children of nature,? did not have real placenames; to the extent that such names had clear etymologies, they could be regarded as mere ?descriptions.? Of course, we might say the same of American English placenames like Long Island, Great Falls, or Grand Canyon. But two other points can be made. First, many Native American placenames were indeed morphologically complex and semantically ?descriptive,? but they are not fairly represented by such translations as ?where there is a heap of stones?. Thus the Karuk placename as?naamkarak, on the Klamath River in northwestern California, can be interpreted etymologically as ?where a rocky flat place extends into the water??but thanks to the ?polysynthetic? character of the Karuk language, the native name is a single word and a single lexical item, and thus is as much a proper name as ?Rocky Flats?. At this point I want to return to the notion of what, in terms of grammar, constitutes a ?merely descriptive? phrase vs. a ?placename?. Obviously, in any language, one can put together a descriptive phrase to describe a place, like Ashley?s ?corner grocery that stays open until midnight?. But abundant examples can be found, in Karuk or any other American Indian language, of placenames which, although descriptive, are not cumbersome phrases; rather, they are tight-knit words, sometimes quite short; thus the Karuk placename inaam means ?place of performing the world-renewal ceremony?. In the Navajo language, spoken in Arizona, the placename Ch?nl?n means ?the stream flows outward? (Wilson 1995). Furthermore, Native Americans used many placenames that were not descriptive. They consisted of single morphemes, with no meaning except their toponymic reference. Among the Karuk tribe, village names included terms such as P?ptaas, K?inik, ?tkee, T?ih, K?uyiv, T?uyvuk, and V?pam. These are just as unanalyzable, whether by the linguist or the native speaker, as European placenames such as London, Paris, or Rome. To be sure, all these names may have once been ?descriptive??but their etymologies, whether American Indian or European, have long been irrelevant to their usage. Their meanings are, to quote one of my favorite clich?s, ?lost in the mists of antiquity.? The same principle applies to many names of Native American tribes and languages, such as those of the Cherokee and Choctaw, who now live in Oklahoma. (Some of these have also come to be used by whites as placenames.) It?s clear that English borrowed the first of these terms from the Cherokee self-designation Tsalagi, and the William Bright 676 second from the Choctaw self-designation Chahta. In their respective languages, these words mean nothing more or less than ?Cherokee? and ?Choctaw?. However, some commentators on Indian ethnic names and placenames have strained their imaginations to propose fanciful etymologies. So it has been said that Cherokee comes from a word of the neighboring Creek language, meaning ?people of a different speech?. However, the Creek word for ?Cherokee? is /cal?:kki/, probably borrowed from Cherokee Tsalagi; whereas the unrelated word meaning ?to speak a different language? is /cilo:kk-it?/ (Martin & Mauldin 2000). As for the Choctaw word Chahta, it has been said that ?its meaning is unknown?; but as my colleague Pamela Munro points out, one might as well say that the meaning of the Choctaw word Chahta is ?Choctaw?. Of course such names must have had SOME remote historical origins; but those are lost to us, and they are irrelevant to the speakers of Cherokee or Choctaw. The same label, ?Meaning unknown,? could be attached to European ethnic names such as German or Greek. 3.2 The case of Creek The Creek or Muskogee language, a member of the Muskogean language in the southeastern US, presents interesting toponymic data, in particular because of a fact of recent history: the language was spoken in Georgia and Alabama until the early 19th century, but at that time the US government carried out a forcible removal of the speakers to the western territory which is now called Oklahoma. The results as regards toponymy are reflected in a recent Creek dictionary (Martin & Mauldin 2000), which is unusual in that it contains two sections on placenames: one on native Creek toponyms, the other on English placenames of Creek origin. The first of these gives not only geographical names currently used in Oklahoma, but also the hereditary groups called etvlwv /it?lwa/, translated as ?tribal town? or ?band?, which correspond to towns that existed earlier in Georgia and Alabama. Among American Indian languages, it is true that descriptive names often predominate, especially where certain language families are involved (e.g., Athabaskan); but the names of Creek tribal towns show a different pattern. Martin & Mauldin list 55 such names. Of these, 5 are ?modified? derivatives of simpler names, such as Yofalv-Hopay? ?Eufaula-distant?, comparable to English names like West Virginia. There are 16 clearly descriptive names, like Tvlv- hasse ?town-rancid? (Tullahassee in Oklahoma, Tallahassee in Florida), plus 5 which can be analyzed only in part. But 17 names are monomorphemic and etymologically opaque, mostly consisting of only three syllables, e.g., Apehkv (Eng. ?Arbeka?), Helvpe (?Hillabee?), Kasihta (?Cussetah?), Osuce (?Osochee?), and Task?ke (?Tuskegee?). We may hope that future dictionaries of American Indian languages will also include sections on placenames, to give us further insights into Native naming patterns. What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 677 Recall now that the issue of ?descriptive expressions? has come up in the discussion of both personal names and placenames. Let me summarize: All human beings can create such expressions, which may be long and syntactically complex. But I believe that all human beings also use proper names, which are typically shorter; these sometimes consist of single morphemes, but also often consist of morphologically close-knit, lexicalized terms. The failure to recognize this, as in the remarks by Gudde and Ashley, may in fact be thinly disguised racism. 4. Placenames as nouns and/or adverbs The first American Indian language that I studied, starting in 1947, was Nahuatl, spoken by the Aztecs of ancient Mexico, and still used by perhaps a million people. The Nahuatl language happens to have a very large number of descriptive placenames, many of which have been borrowed into Spanish, and some of which have become known internationally, such as the name of the volcano Popocatepetl, lit. ?smoking mountain?, and indeed the name Mexico itself, from Nahuatl Mexihco, meaning ?the place of the god Mexihtli?. A feature of the Nahuatl language which surprised me from the beginning was that placenames seemed to have the characteristics of both nouns and adverbs. Morphologically, placenames normally end in locational elements such as -c (after vowels) or -co (after consonants), meaning ?at, to?, as well as -pan ?on? and - tlan ?near?; these then act like the case suffixes of Latin, or like the prepositions of Spanish or English. Such elements occur in clearly descriptive combinations such as Atoya-c ?at the river?, Anal-co ?at the opposite shore?, Tlal-pan ?on the land?, and Ati-tlan ?near the water?. Since these resemble locational case forms of nouns, one would expect them to behave like adverbial expressions, and indeed they do: (1) Atoyac ihcac, lit. ?at-the-river he-is-standing? (2) Tlalpan ihcac ?on-the-land he-is-standing? (3) Atitlan ihcac ?near-the-water he-is-standing? Note that the ordinary Spanish and English translations of these sentences would use prepositions: ?Est? parado a Atoyac, He is standing at Atoyac, at Tlalpan, at Atitlan?; the locational elements are PART of the Nahuatl placename, but they have to be expressed by prepositions in the European languages. What surprised me about Nahuatl in 1947 is something that has been more recently pointed out in print by the Mexican scholar Miguel Le?n- Portilla (1982): A William Bright 678 Nahuatl placename can not only function as an adverb, but also as a subject or object noun, like its Spanish or English counterpart. Thus we can say the following: (4) Atoyac nican ca ?(The town of) Atoyac is here.? (5) Tlalpan huey altepetl ?(The town of) Tlalpan is a big city.? (6) Atitlan quittac ?He saw (the town of) Atitlan.? That is, Nahuatl Tlalpan corresponds both to English ?at Tlalpan? and ?Tlalpan?. Thus Nahuatl placenames are syntactically ambivalent in a way not found elsewhere in the language. Another way of describing this would be to say that a Nahuatl form *Tlalpan-pan does not occur. This could be called a kind of morphological dissimilation. It would be comparable to a Russian example: the city name Tomsk means ?pertaining to the river Tom?; but the adjective Tomskij means both ?relating to the River Tom? and ?relating to the city Tomsk?; there is no *Tomsk-skij, just as there is no Nahuatl *Tlalpan-pan (cf. Menn & MacWhinney 1984). I received another surprise in the 1950s, when I was doing my dissertation research on the Karuk language in northwestern California. I discovered that this language had the same trait as Nahuatl, but with an extension: in Karuk, not just placenames, but ALL locational expressions are capable of functioning both as adverbs and as nouns. For example, the word for ?door? is chivchaksur?raam, lit. ?closing- place?, as in 7; but it also functions as an adverbial meaning ?at the door?, as in 8: (7) H?oy chivchaksur?raam? ?Where?s the door?? (8) Chivchaksur?raam u??ihya ?He?s standing at the door.? English has one word, home, which functions this way, both as a noun and as a locational adverb, as in This is home and He went home. In fact, we may point to the example of a Karuk word which can either be a placename or not: The word for ?bowl? is ?sip. The expression ?in the bowl? has a locational suffix ?sip-ak, but this word is also the name of a native village, Asipak, so called because it?s in a bowl-shaped hollow; and the locational form can be used EITHER as a descriptive adverbial expression OR as a placename. Thus we have locational usage in a sentence like 9, and the locational expression can occur as a noun: (9) Xuun ?sipak u??ithra ?The soup is in the bowl?, or ?The soup is in (the village of) Asipak.? (10) H?oy ?sipak? ?Where is (the village of) Asipak?? What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 679 The Nahuatl and the Karuk languages are spoken about 2000 miles apart, and there is no known historical relationship between them. I have the impression that placenames in some other American Indian languages can function as both nouns and adverbs, but so far I have not found evidence; I will be grateful if any colleagues can point out such cases to me. I will also be grateful if colleagues can point out comparable phenomena in other parts of the world, e.g., Australia. I believe that placenames, and indeed personal names, have interesting and widespread properties, both grammatical and sociolinguistic, which make them deserving of linguists? attention. References Algeo, John. 1973. On Defining the Proper Name. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Ashley, Leonard R. N. 1996. Amerindian toponyms in the United States. Namenforschung / Name Studies / Les Noms Propres, ed. by Eichler, 1401-1408. Berlin: de Gruyter. Basso, Keith H. 1996. Landscape and Language among the Western Apache. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Bright, William. 1957. The Karuk Language. University of California Studies in Linguistics 13. Berkeley: University of California Press. Bright, William. (ed.) 1992. International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. New York: Oxford University Press. Bright, William. 2002. The NAPUS (Native American Placenames of the United States) Project: Principles and problems. Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas, ed. by William Frawley et al., 322-335. Berkeley: University of California Press. Eichler, Ernst, et al. (eds.) 1996. Namenforschung / Name Studies / Les Noms Propres. 3 vols. Handb?cher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft 11. Berlin: de Gruyter. Feld, Steven, and Keith H. Basso. (eds.) 1996. Senses of Place. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press. Ge?de?ng (??). 1989. Jia?zho?u D?m?ng Z?dia?n. T?ibe?i: Li?nji?ng. [Chinese translation of the following by Ma? Qu?nzho?ng.] Gudde, Erwin G. 1969. California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names (3rd edition). Berkeley: University of California Press. [4th edition, ed. by W. Bright, 1999.] Lamarque, P. V. 1994. Names and descriptions. Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, ed. by R. E. Asher, 2667-2672. Oxford: Pergamon. Lehrer, Adrienne. 1992. Names and naming: Why we need fields and frames. Frames, Fields, and Contrasts: New Essays in Semantic and Lexical Organization, ed. by A. Lehrer and E. F. Kittay, 123-142. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Lehrer, Adrienne. 1994. Proper names: Linguistic aspects. Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, vol.6, ed. by R. E. Asher, 3372-3374. Oxford: Pergamon. Le?n-Portilla, Miguel. 1982. Los nombres de lugar en n?huatl: Su morfolog?a, sintaxis y representaci?n gl?fica. Estudios de Cultura N?huatl 15:37-72. Martin, Jack B., and Margaret McKane Mauldin. 2000. A Dictionary of Creek/Muskogee, with Notes on the Florida and Oklahoma Seminole Dialects of Creek. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. Menn, Lise, and Brian MacWhinney. 1984. The repeated morph constraint: Towards an explanation. Language 60:419-541. Tooker, Elisabeth. (ed.) 1984. Naming Systems: Proceedings of the American Ethnological Society 1980. Washington, DC: American Ethnological Society. Waterman, T. T. 1920. Yurok Geography. University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 16.5:177-314. Berkeley: University of California Press. Wilson, Alan. 1995. Navajo Place Names. Guilford, CT: Jeffrey Norton. Zabeeh, Farhang. 1968. What Is in a Name? An Inquiry into the Semantics and Pragmatics of Proper Names. The Hague: Nijhoff. [Received 26 February 2003; revised 14 April 2003; accepted 21 April 2003] 1625 Mariposa Avenue Boulder, CO 80302 USA William.Bright at colorado.edu What IS a Name? Reflections on Onomastics 681 ??????????????? William Bright (??????) ?????? ??????????????????????? ???????? ??????????????????????? ?????????? ???????:??????????????? ??????,??? ????????????????????, ???????????? ???????,????????Karuk?????? ???Creek?? ????Nahuatl?????????????? ???:???,??,??,?????? ?????,???????:????????? ??? ??????????????,????????? ????? ????,?????:????????????? ????????? ?,??...? ???????????,??????????? ?????????,????????????? ??????? ???????????,????????,???? ??????? ?? ??,???,?????????:???????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????:???????????????? ??????? ??,???,????????!????????? ???,???? ?????????,????!? ??,????????????????????? ????? ?????,????:???????????? ??,??????? ???? ???????? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 23 23:02:26 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 16:02:26 -0700 Subject: Saving Languages Message-ID: The Impassioned Fight to Save Dying Languages More and more voices are speaking up to keep them from being overwhelmed by English and global pressures. By ROBERT LEE HOTZ, Times Science Writer LOSING CALIFORNIA'S LANGUAGES Of 100 Native American languages once spoken in California, 50 have been wiped out completely. An additional 17 have no fluent speakers. The remainder are spoken by only a few people. An enlarged version of the map below shows the surviving languages, the areas in which they are spoken and the number of native speakers. HILO, HAWAII--It was not the teachers bearing baskets of feather leis, the fanfares played on conch shells or the beating of the sacred sharkskin drum that made Hulilauakea Wilson's high school graduation so memorable. It was this: For the first time in a century, a child of the islands had been educated exclusively in his native Hawaiian language, immersed from birth in a special way of speaking his mind like a tropical fish steeped in the salt waters of its nativity. It was a language being reborn. More than an academic rite of passage, the graduation last May of Wilson and four other students at the Nawahiokalani'opu'u School on the Big Island of Hawaii signaled a coming of age for one of the world's most ambitious efforts to bring an endangered language back from the brink of extinction. The world has become a hospice for dying languages, which are succumbing to the pressure of global commerce, telecommunications, tourism, and the inescapable influence of English. By the most reliable estimates, more than half of the world's 6,500 languages may be extinct by the end of this century. "The number of languages is plummeting, imploding downward in an altogether unprecedented rate, just as human population is shooting straight upward," said University of Alaska linguist Michael Krauss. But scattered across the globe, many ethnic groups are struggling to find their own voice, even at the risk of making their dealings with the broader world they inhabit more fractious. From the Hoklo and Hakka in Hong Kong to the Euskara in Spain's Basque country, thousands of minority languages are clinging precariously to existence. A few, like Hebrew and Gaelic, have been rejuvenated as part of resurgent nationalism. Indeed, so important is language to political and personal self-determination that a people's right to speak its mind in the language of its choice is becoming an international human right. California once had the densest concentration of indigenous languages in North America. Today, almost every one of its 50 or so surviving native languages is on its deathbed. Indeed, the last fluent speaker of Chumash, a family of six languages once heard throughout Southern California and the West, is a professional linguist at UC Santa Barbara. More people in California speak Mongolian at home than speak any of the state's most endangered indigenous languages. "Not one of them is spoken by children at home," said UC Berkeley linguist Leanne Hinton. None of this happened by accident. All Native American languages, as well as Hawaiian, were for a century the target of government policies designed to eradicate them in public and in private, to ensure that they were not passed from parent to child. Until 1987, it was illegal to teach Hawaiian in the islands' public schools except as a foreign language. The language that once claimed the highest literacy rate in the world was banned even from the islands' private schools. Indeed, there may be no more powerful testimony to the visceral importance of language than the government's systematic efforts to destroy all the indigenous languages in the United States and replace them with English. No language in memory, except Spanish, has sought so forcefully to colonize the mind. Of an estimated 300 languages spoken in the territorial United States when Columbus made landfall in 1492, only 175 are still spoken. Of those, only 20 are being passed on to children. In 1868, a federal commission on Indian affairs concluded: "In the difference of language today lies two-thirds of our trouble. . . . Their barbarous dialect should be blotted out and the English language substituted." The commission reasoned that "through sameness of language is produced sameness of sentiment, and thought. . . . In process of time the differences producing trouble would have been gradually obliterated." Not until 1990 did the federal government reverse its official hostility to indigenous languages, when the Native American Languages Act made it a policy to preserve native tongues. Policies against indigineous languages were once in effect in many developed nations. Only the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 ended that government's efforts to force its ethnic minorities to adopt Russian. Policies in other nations aimed at eliminating minority languages such as Catalan in Spain, Kurdish in Turkey, Inuktitut in Canada and Lardio in Australia, to name just a few. Silencing a language does much more than eliminate a source of "differences producing trouble." A language embodies a community of people and their way of being. It is a unique mental framework that gives special form to universal human experiences. Languages are the most complex products of the human mind, each differing enormously in its sounds, structure and pattern of thought, said UCLA anthropologist Jared Diamond. As a prism through which perceptions are reflected, there is almost no end to the variations. In some languages, gender plays a relatively minor role, allowing sexually neutral forms of personal pronouns, and in others it is so overriding that men and women must use completely different forms of speech. Other tongues infuse every phrase with the structure of ownership, while others make cooperation a key grammatical rule. Some see only a category where another sees the individuals that constitute it. There are languages in which verities of time, cardinal directions, even left and right--as English conceives them--are almost wholly absent. "If we ever want to understand how the human mind works, we really want to know all the kinds of ways that have evolved for making sense out of the kaleidoscope of experience," said linguist Marianne Mithun at UC Santa Barbara. Suffocating in Silence ? More than an ocean separates Katherine Silva Saubel on the Morongo Reservation at the foot of the arid, wind-swept San Gorgonio Pass near Banning from the language renaissance underway in Hawaii. The silence suffocating many languages is almost tangible in her darkened, cinder-block living room. There, in a worn beige recliner flanked by a fax machine, a treadmill and a personal computer, Saubel, a 79-year-old Cahuilla Indian activist and scholar, marshals her resistance to time and the inroads of English. Saubel is the last fluent speaker of her native tongue on this reservation. "Since my husband died," she said, "there is no one here I can converse with." For 50 years, this broad-shouldered great-grandmother has worked almost single-handedly to ensure the survival of Cahuilla. Her efforts earned her a place in the National Women's Hall of Fame and a certificate of merit from the state Indian Museum in Sacramento. Even so, her language is slipping away. "I wanted to teach the children the language, but their mothers wanted them to know English. A lot of them want the language taught to them now," Saubel said. "Maybe it will revive." If it does, it will be a recovery based almost solely on the memories she has pronounced and defined for academic tape recorders, the words she has filed in the only known dictionary of Cahuilla, and the songs she has helped commit to living tribal memory. Tribal artifacts and memorabilia are housed in the nearby Makli Museum that she founded, the first in North America to be organized and managed by Native Americans. Born on the Los Coyotes Reservation east of Warm Springs, Saubel did not even see a white person until she was 4 years old--"I thought he was sick," she recalled--and English had no place in her world until she was 7. Then her mother--who spoke neither English nor Spanish--sent her to a public school. She was, she recalled, the only Indian girl in the classroom. She could not speak English. No one tried to teach her to speak the language, she said. Mostly, she was ignored. "I would speak to them in the Indian language and they would answer me in English. I don't remember when I began to understand what was being said to me," Saubel said. "Maybe a year." Even so, by eighth grade she had discovered a love of learning that led her to become the first Indian woman to graduate from Palm Springs High School. But she also saw the other Indian children taken aside at recess and whipped if they spoke their language in school. In time, the child of an Indian medicine woman became an ethno-botanist. For linguists as far away as Germany and Japan, she became both a research subject and a collaborator. She is working now with UC San Diego researchers to catalog all the medicinal plants identified in tribal lore. "My race is dying," she said. "I am saving the remnants of my culture in these books." "I am just a voice in the wilderness all by myself," Saubel said. "But I have made these books as something for my great-grandchildren. And I have great-grandchildren." In its broadest outlines, her life is a refrain repeated on many mainland reservations. "Basically, every American Indian language is endangered," said Douglas Whalen at Yale University's Haskins Laboratory, who is chairman of the Endangered Languages Fund. As a matter of policy, Native American families often were broken up to keep children from learning to speak like their parents. Indian boarding schools, founded in the last century to implement that policy, left generations of Indians with no direct connection to their language or tribal cultures. Today, the federal Administration for Native Americans dispenses about $2 million in language grants to tribes every year. But even the best efforts to preserve the skeletons of grammar, vocabulary and syntax cannot breathe life into a language that its people have abandoned. Still, from the Kuruk of Northern California to the Chitimacha of Louisiana and the Abenaki of Vermont, dozens of tribes are trying to rekindle their languages. Mohawk is taught in upstate New York, Lakota on the Oglala Sioux reservation in South Dakota, Ute in Utah, Choctaw in Mississippi, and Kickapoo in Oklahoma. The Navajo Nation--with 80,000 native speakers-- has its own comprehensive, college-level training to produce Navajo- speaking teachers for the 240 schools in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah that have large numbers of Navajo students. Some tribes, acknowledging that too few tribal members still speak their language, have switched to English for official business while trying to give children a feel for the words and catch-phrases of their native language. Even when instruction falls short of achieving fluency, it can inspire pride that, in turn, translates into lower school dropout rates and improved test scores, several experts said. Like the Hawaiian students, Mohawk children near Montreal, who are taught in their native language, do better academically than their tribal schoolmates taught in English. But revitalization efforts often founder on the political geography of the reservation system, economic pressure and the language gap that divides grandparent from grandchild. As many tribes assert the prerogatives of sovereignty for the first time in generations, some tribal leaders are jarred to discover themselves more at ease in English than in the language of their ancestors. "Often people who are now in power in Indian communities are the first generation that does not speak the language, and it can be very, very hard for them," Mithun at UC Santa Barbara said. "It is hard to be an Indian and not being able to prove it with language. You have to be a big person to say I want my kids to be more Indian than I am." When people do break through to fluency, they tap a hidden wellspring of community. "I was in my own language, not just saying the words, but my own thoughts," said Nancy Steele of Crescent City, an advanced apprentice in the Karuk language. "It is a way of being, something that has been here for a long, long time, a sense of balance with the world." An All-Out Effort to Save Hawaiian ? The effort to revive Hawaiian today is a cultural battle for hearts and minds waged with dictionaries, Internet sites, children's books, videos, multimedia databases and radio broadcasts. At its forefront are a handful of parents and educators determined to remake Hawaiian into a language in which every aspect of modern life--from rocket science to rap--can be expressed. Spearheading the revival is a nonprofit foundation called the Aha Punano Leo, which means the "language nest" in Hawaiian. Inspired by the Maori of New Zealand and the Mohawks of Canada, Punano Leo teachers use the immersion approach, in which only the language being learned is used throughout the school day. In 15 years, the Punano Leo has grown from a few volunteers running a preschool with 12 students to a $5-million-a-year enterprise with 130 employees that encompasses 11 private Hawaiian language schools, the world's most sophisticated native language computer network, and millions in university scholarships. It works in partnership with the state department of education, which now operates 16 public Hawaiian language schools, and the University of Hawaii, which recently established the first Hawaiian language college in Hilo. So far, it is succeeding most in the place where so many other revitalization efforts have failed: in the homes that, all too often, are the first place a language begins to die. To enroll their children in a Punano Leo immersion school, parents must pledge to also become fluent in Hawaiian and promise that only Hawaiian will be spoken at home. The effort arose from the frustration of seven Hawaiian language teachers, amid a general political reawakening of Hawaiian native rights, and one couple's promise to an unborn child. The couple was University of Hawaii linguist William H. Wilson and Hawaiian language expert Kauanoe Kamana, who today is president of Punano Leo and principal of the Nawahiokalani'opu'u School. The child was their son: 1999 graduating senior Hulilauakea Wilson. Their daughter Keli'i will graduate next year. "When we married, my wife and I decided we wanted to use Hawaiian when our children were born because no one was speaking it," William Wilson said. "It was a personal thing for us. We were building the schools for us, almost, as well as for other people. We started with a preschool and now they are in college." They planted the seed of a language revival and cultivated it. Like many others, Wilson and Kamana were frustrated that Hawaiian could be taught only as a foreign language, even though it was, along with English, the official language of a state in which the linguistic landscape had been redrawn repeatedly by annexation, immigration and tourism. It must compete with more than 16 languages today to retain a foothold in the island state, from Japanese and Spanish to Tagalog and Portuguese. Hawaiian ranks only eighth in its homeland, census figures show, trailing Samoan in the number of households where it can be heard. It was not always so. Although Hawaiian did not even acquire an alphabet until the early 1800s, the islanders' appetite for their language proved so insatiable that missionary presses produced about 150 million pages of Hawaiian text between 1820 and 1850. At least 150 Hawaiian- language newspapers also thrived. In 1880, there were 150 schools teaching in Hawaiian. A decade later-- after the islands were forcibly annexed by the U.S.--there were none. As part of a small group of committed language teachers, inspired by influential University of Hawaii linguist Larry Kimura, Wilson and and Kamana vowed to restore the language to a central place among Hawaiians. "This is the most exciting thing I can do for my people," Kamana said of the foundation's mission. "This is the core of Hawaiian identity: the Hawaiian way. The Hawaiian language is the code of that way." Updating Old Language With New Vocabulary ? Many reviving languages, however, face the new world of the 21st century with a 19th century vocabulary. "A living language means you have to be able to talk about everything," said Kamana. "If you can't talk about everything, you will talk in English. It is simple." The task of updating Hawaiian falls to a group called the Lexicon Committee. Once a year, the committee issues a bright yellow dictionary called the Mamaka Kaiao, which defines new words created to fill gaps in Hawaiian's knowledge of the contemporary world, from a noun for the space shuttle's manned maneuvering unit--ahikao ha awe--to a term for coherent laser light: malamalama aukahi. This year's edition runs to 311 pages, with 4,000 terms. A is for aeolele: pogo stick; Z is for Zimababue: a citizen of Zimbabwe. Whenever possible, the new words relate to traditional vocabulary and customs. The Hawaiian word for rap music--Paleoleo--refers to warring factions who would trade taunts. The word for e-mail--Lika uila-- merges words for lightning and letter. The word for pager-- Kele' O-- echoes the idea of calling someone's name. Like so many other aspects of the Hawaiian language revival--from translating the state educational curriculum to organizing an accredited school system--the committee has the authority to shape the future of Hawaiian only because its linguists, native speakers and volunteers simply started doing it. "It exists; that is its authority," said Wilson. But many of those whose languages are undergoing such resuscitation efforts don't want to accommodate the present. They worry that grafting new verbs and nouns will violate the sanctity of the ancient language they hope will draw them back into a world of their own. At Cochiti Pueblo, in New Mexico, where the Keresan language is spoken, the tribal council decided in 1997 that it would not develop a written form of the language. The language itself was a sacred text too closely tied to the pueblo's religion and traditional societies to be changed in any way. Under the onslaught of new technology and new customs, however, even the most well-established languages are pushed off balance by the natural evolution of words and grammar. Certainly, the 40 intellectuals of the Academie Francaise in Paris and the Office de la Langue Francaise in Quebec are fiercely resisting the inroads of Franglais, as a matter of national pride and linguistic purity. But a thousand leaks spring from the linguistic dikes they maintain with such determination, if not from the engineering patter of the Internet, then from the international slang of sports. Recently, the prestigious Pasteur Institute in Paris started publishing its three most important scientific journals in English. Earlier this year, the Quebec French office felt obliged to post an officially approved dictionary of French substitutes for English golf terms. In the same way, many indigenous tribes feel that their native tongues must be made to encompass every aspect of a world that continued to change long after the language itself stagnated. The vocabulary of Karuk stopped growing naturally more than half a century ago, said Nancy Steele. Even the words for auto parts stopped with the models of the 1930s. As her tribe coins words today, they reflect the spirit of their language. The new Karuk word for wristwatch, for example, translates as "little sun worn on the wrist." "If you do not allow a language to be spoken as a living language," Steele said, "it will, in a sense, be a dead language. You have to allow it to be alive and animated." Schools Funded by Donations, Grants ? In eighth-grade science class, Hui Hui Mossman's students are conducting germination experiments. Down the hall, Kaleihoku Kala'i's math class wrestles with the arithmetic of medians and averages. In social studies class, Lehua Veincent taps the floor with a yardstick for emphasis as his students recite their family genealogies. And Caroline Fallau is teaching her 13 11th-graders English--as a foreign language. So the school day hits its stride at the Nawahiokalani'opu'u immersion high school, where 84 teenagers, with only an occasional adolescent yawn, are hitting the books. But for the sound of Hawaiian in the hallways, computer workstations and classrooms, this could be any well-funded private school in America. The appearance of prosperity is deceptive. The Punano Leo schools are sustained year to year by a fragile patchwork of donations, state education aid and federal grants. The lush, well-manicured campus, with its complex of immaculate blue classroom buildings, itself is the work of parent volunteers, aided by an island flora in which even the weeds are as ornamental as orchids. Several miles away, the younger children are arriving at the public Keukaha Elementary School, which offers both English and Hawaiian immersion classes under one roof. Those in English classes walk directly to their homerooms, while the Hawaiian immersion students--almost half the school--gather in nine rows on the school steps for a morning ceremony. Chanting in their native language, they formally seek permission to enter and affirm their commitment to their community. They will not encounter English as a subject until fifth grade, where it will be taught one hour a day. Running an elementary school with two languages "is a delicate balance and not always an easy one," said Principal Katharine Webster. There is competition for resources and the demand for immersion classes increases every year, while--in a depressed island economy--the education budget does not, she said. "Teaching in an immersion environment is not easy at all," said third- grade teacher Leimaile Bontag. "You spend weekends and hours after school to prepare lessons. We often need to translate on our own, find the new vocabulary. It takes hours and hours." But it is a proud complaint. Clearly, the teachers are sustained by their love for Hawaiian and the community it has fostered. And it appears to be having a beneficial effect on the native Hawaiian students, who traditionally test at the bottom of the educational system and have the highest dropout rate. Given the difficulty in comparing the language groups, an objective yardstick of student performance is hard to come by. But one set of Stanford Achievement Tests taken by sixth-graders at Keukaha Elementary educated since preschool in Hawaiian suggests that they are doing as well or better than their schoolmates. In tests given in English, all of the Hawaiian-educated students scored average or above in math while only two-thirds of the students in all-English classes scored as well. In reading, two-thirds of Hawaiian-educated students scored average or above, compared to half of the English-educated students. Getting an Early Start on Hawaiian ? In the shade of the African tulip trees, Kaipua'ala Crabbe is leading 22 toddlers in song: a lilting Hawaiian translation of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Four other teachers and two university students help the children pronounce the Hawaiian lyrics at the Punano Leo immersion preschool in Hilo. Hulilauakea Wilson, who volunteers regularly at the preschool when he is not attending university classes, helps a little boy tie his shoes. The child climbs onto his lap and listens attentively, not yet sure of the meaning of every word he hears in school. "Every child reacts differently," said Alohalani Housman, who has been teaching Hawaiian immersion classes for 13 years. "The students might listen for months and not say anything. But all of them soon become speakers." And so the seeds of a language revival are cultivated. "It is the language of this land," young Wilson said. "It is like growing the native plants. This is their land. We are the plants of this land too." The success of the Hawaiian program raises a larger question of longevity: How well can such diverse languages coexist and how much should the majority culture do to accommodate them? Foundation officials and parents said their embrace of Hawaiian is no rejection of English. They are only insisting on their right to be bilingual, determined to ensure that Hawaiian is their first language of the heart. "Everybody is so concerned about whether they are going to learn English and whether we are parenting them properly," said Kau Ontai, cradling her 2-year-old daughter Kamalei in one arm. Her two older children attend the Punano Leo preschool. Her husband teaches the language. She studied it in high school, then achieved fluency as a Punano Leo volunteer. Hawaiian is the voice of their home, yet the native language they speak marks them as alien to many in their island homeland. "When we walk through a mall in Hawaii speaking Hawaiian, people are shocked," she said. "They stop us and ask: What about English? We hear Chinese being spoken, Japanese spoken, Filipino spoken. Nobody ever stops them in their tracks and says why are you speaking that?" "For now, their first and only language is Hawaiian," she said of her children. She is confident that they will learn English easily enough when the time comes. "But my husband and I will never look into our children's eyes and speak English to them," she said. "That is something I could never do." ? 2000 Los Angeles Times -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Yahgan (a stone's throw from Antarctica) also has the same ambiguity between noun and adverb status for geographical terms, but also for temporal ones. Like Karuk, Yahgan has complex verbs with instrument/bodypart prefixation, and pathway/locational suffixation. I am wondering whether such traits (and similar ones) are one of the reasons for the ambiguity- or is it the ambiguity that comes first? In Mark Baker's version of polysynthesis many nominals become adjunctive in status- adverbials are often (usually?) adjunctive. Somehow the class boundary has dissolved. But the direction of status movement seems to be opposite from that found in the languages above- there adverbs seem to have moved in the direction of nouns, and can now be glommed onto verbs lending specificity to the stem in a way that is absent in Bakerian polysynthetic languages- where incorporated elements seem more generic. But I'm just blowing smoke here. Thoughts? Jess Tauber phonosemantics at earthlink.net From dzo at BISHARAT.NET Mon Apr 24 16:01:30 2006 From: dzo at BISHARAT.NET (Don Osborn) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:01:30 -0000 Subject: Fwd: measuring language vitality Message-ID: Forwarding this item on the chance anyone on ILAT may have some comments / info. TIA... Don --- In AfricanLanguages at yahoogroups.com, Hussein Saeed wrote: Dear Friends, I am interested in any information on measuring language vitality.What are the techniques in gathering the data about language vitality.Thanks in advance. Hussein --------------------------------- --- End forwarded message --- From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Apr 24 18:31:03 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:31:03 -0700 Subject: Oneida holy men stress harmony in life (fwd) Message-ID: ONEIDA HOLY MEN STRESS HARMONY IN LIFE By Jean Peerenboom[1] jpeerenb at greenbaypressgazette.com[2] April 22, 2006 http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060422/GPG0406/604220524/1250/GPGlife DE PERE ? Deacon Everett Doxtator and Leander Danforth spent Thursday morning telling stories ? the same kind of stories that enabled the Oneida Tribe of Indians and other tribes to hand down their religion and culture even though the government was trying to silence them. Doxtator, a deacon with St. Joseph Catholic Church in Oneida, and Danforth, a faithkeeper with the Longhouse religion of the Oneidas, were the speakers at the Spirituality in Retirement Forum at St. Anne's Episcopal Church. Most Oneidas came to Wisconsin as Methodists or Episcopalians, Doxtator said. For many years, the government and Christian churches did not allow them to practice the rituals of their culture. "When we came into a Christian church, we had to take a Christian name. People usually took their sponsor's name." It wasn't until 1977 that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops allowed Native American symbols in Catholic churches. In 1978, the government allowed Native Americans to practice their native spirituality, Doxtator said. "Having our symbols in church is important. We have them so people can feel a part of it. That's nice. Other (mainline Christian) churches also allow these symbols in church," he said. Both men emphasized the importance of finding harmony and balance in life. "When we have balance, we have fullness of life," Doxtator said. "We're all in the world together. We all journey together. I can't help it if you're white and I'm brown. We're all on a journey to the Creator." Danforth, who is involved in an effort to revitalize the Oneida language, said the language is important because the Longhouse ceremonies are done in native tongue. "When I was young, we didn't know anything about our own identity. Nowhere in the stories we were told repeatedly are the stories of our ceremonies. This tells me that most of the people here came as Christian. But some of our ceremonies are for medicine ? for healing. That's important for us." The Longhouse religion and sweat lodges that are conducted here today date back to 1981, Danforth said. "The Longhouse community is a small group, but it is acknowledged by our own people. Last year, the chiefs of five nations acknowledged us." "What I see is the importance of well-being ? body, mind and spirit. These are things people need to be healthy. We have medicine societies to take care of our people," Danforth said. Included in the Longhouse religion are thanksgiving ceremonies "that were given to us by the Creator." The four ceremonies are the Feather Dance, the Men's Dance, the Drum Dance and the Peach Dance. The thanksgiving ceremonies go in cycles that coincide with harvest, planting, mid-winter, and more. Doxtator explained the sweat lodge, which can be a six-hour ceremony. "Women sit on the south side; men on the north side. When the door is closed, it's like being back in the womb." Throughout the ceremony, there are prayers and songs. The doors are opened four different times. The ceremony focuses on purifying, prayer and healing. "When the door is opened for the fourth time, everything is let out. You are cleansed," he said. When the ceremony is over, everyone takes some berries, meat and corn that are laid out at the beginning as part of the ritual. These are shared and people shake hands. "It ends with breaking bread ? a potluck," he said. "As I learn about my culture, the sweat lodge and Christianity, I find there is not a lot of difference," Doxtator said. Links: ------ [1] mailto:jpeerenb at greenbaypressgazette.com [2] mailto:jpeerenb at greenbaypressgazette.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 03:51:08 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:51:08 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: Message-ID: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nu?ez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Din? Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 04:01:25 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:01:25 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <006b01c6681b$7fdbba30$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your should bring it up with Bill On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nu?ez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Din? Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 14:00:50 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:00:50 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <8E0B9C80-6644-4426-94C8-5BDBB9FBBD2B@ncidc.org> Message-ID: I don't actually know him, although I am familiar with some of his work in Karuk. I have the Karuk dictionary. Perhaps you could forward this along to him? I would be interested to hear what he says. Freeman, by the way, was a cognitive neurobiologist. In fact, he still is, at maybe UCLA. Lakoff is famous for his work in English metaphors. Turner is a cognitive psychologist, while Nu?ez is multidisciplinary, with a degree in psychology, and his work in metaphoric structures touching on computer representation. The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn languages, and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? I think it's Powell, in his prescriptive 1880 document about words to be collected. There are lots of anthropological categories, and none for math, science, and technology. ?dn astronomy and complex lunar calendricality preceded Western accomplishments in these areas by hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, but we hear nothing of it in the language in which the knowledge developed. So perhaps you should forward this along to him. Perhaps he would like to join our list and have a discussion with the other people here as well. I would speculate that a lot of our list would much appreciate the opportunity. I know I would. Best, Mia Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:01 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your should bring it up with Bill On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nu?ez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Din? Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 14:09:23 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:09:23 -0600 Subject: FW: Fibonacci poetry Message-ID: Check this out. This came in on my ISGEM list, which is a group of wonderful ethnomathematicians. The Fibonacci series is essentially a spiral, so when you visualize the words of the poems the way they would have to look, and then spin them, you get something that looks like a galaxy. I am imagining this in Din? Bizaad. It would also be good as Fibonacci poems of sounds, an actualization of what Jess Tauber was talking about the other day, but from a different perspective. Mia _____ Subject: Fibonacci poetry This isn't exactly ethnomathematical, but . A blending of poetry structure and mathematics: the "Fib" = poems with line-lengths of the Fibonacci sequence. See: http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/2006/04/i_love_strict_p.html Trying writing some yourself! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 15:09:58 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:09:58 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <008901c66870$ab5bbde0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: I sent it to Bill and to our Tribal Linguist/language Program Director Susan Gehr , will post any replies they may have On Apr 25, 2006, at 7:00 AM, Mia Kalish wrote: I don't actually know him, although I am familiar with some of his work in Karuk. I have the Karuk dictionary. Perhaps you could forward this along to him? I would be interested to hear what he says. Freeman, by the way, was a cognitive neurobiologist. In fact, he still is, at maybe UCLA. Lakoff is famous for his work in English metaphors. Turner is a cognitive psychologist, while Nu?ez is multidisciplinary, with a degree in psychology, and his work in metaphoric structures touching on computer representation. The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn languages, and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? I think it's Powell, in his prescriptive 1880 document about words to be collected. There are lots of anthropological categories, and none for math, science, and technology. ?dn astronomy and complex lunar calendricality preceded Western accomplishments in these areas by hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, but we hear nothing of it in the language in which the knowledge developed. So perhaps you should forward this along to him. Perhaps he would like to join our list and have a discussion with the other people here as well. I would speculate that a lot of our list would much appreciate the opportunity. I know I would. Best, Mia Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:01 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your should bring it up with Bill On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not to the stimulus. Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nu?ez and Lakoff have developed structures that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi has words for Time. So does Din? Bizaad. They just show up in ways very different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was talking about humor. Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House construction? Tool making? Navigation? I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning quotes, and some other combination of both of these characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Names ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA William Bright University of Colorado www.ncidc.org/bright/ Abstract Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form part of the status of native northwestern California not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Tue Apr 25 15:11:30 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:11:30 -0400 Subject: FW: Fibonacci poetry Message-ID: Hoo boy! Don't *even* get me started on Phi. Did somebody say "Da Vinci Code"? Jess Tauber From rzs at TDS.NET Tue Apr 25 15:13:14 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:13:14 -0500 Subject: Names Message-ID: Mia, Genoicide of the Mind sounds like a very insightful book i've been also concerned about these things for years. I created a piece of pottery which depicted an anthropologist and a missionary tumbling in a knock down fistfight the pot can be seen , http://blueraingallery.com/art_details/3895 The missionary has on his tee-shirt "Jesus is is Life" the anthropologist is wearing a "DNA is life" tee-shirt It is a battle for soul-capture....and neither realize the damages they themselves inflict because each is working from deeply mindset presumptions of intellectual or spiritual superiority,even without realizing it. Anthropological fascination over a given culture is not necessarily flattering .There is one anthropologist ( swearshe was Wendat in a past life) has intimidated elders till he was "named" and then uses it as status to invite himself to sacred ceremonies because he wants to "help" us. it wasn't ONLY the punishment of children for speaking their indigenous languages that caused so much damage . Gratifying REWARDs and FLATTERY for "correct" student behavior were devestating because children are hungry to please an adult and often yield more to the smile than to the whip Richard Zane Smith Wyandot > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/24 Mon PM 10:51:08 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William > Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this > is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is > saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive > conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still > shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea > has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create > meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not > to the stimulus. > > Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all > time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the > linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff > began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years > later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nu?ez and Lakoff have developed structures > that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic > objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is > no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have > references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in > the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. > > There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi > has words for Time. So does Din? Bizaad. They just show up in ways very > different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English > speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss > them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was > talking about humor. > > Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor > taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House > construction? Tool making? Navigation? > > I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and > its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by > Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we > struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and > mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are > methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our > memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, > America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. > > So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed > of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning > quotes, and some other combination of both of these > characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of > "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). > And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California > not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". > > Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. > > Mia > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Names > > ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA > William Bright > University of Colorado > www.ncidc.org/bright/ > > Abstract > > Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, > Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak > entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for > the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as > closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the > light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that > the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single > morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations > of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. > A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of > verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the > deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant > terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the > latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form > part of the status of native northwestern California not as a > linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 15:44:16 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 09:44:16 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <20060425151314.WLWW31057.outaamta01.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Hi, Richard, It is a hard, hard book to read; things you know as evil in the aggregate become things that tear your heart in the individual. Very insightful pottery. Very philosophical. (Also very sold :-) ). One of the things I notice, and find curious, is that everyone shows up in ?dn country sure that they have the answer to all the problems. In all my travels, I have only seen a few people who think that Tribes should develop the skills and gather the resources to actualize their ideas, hopes and goals. I find, working with people, that once they find out they can do it themselves, for themselves, they do very well, even with challenging and scary technology. Maybe some of the difference in views happens because in systems analysis, if you walk in and tell a client what he needs without first asking and looking carefully at the situation, you get thrown right out. :-) And I know what you mean about the children. There are people who write about pleasing, and the joy of reward, but usually in the context of manipulation at the boarding schools. I mentioned Dave Stephenson because his piece made me cry, and this was really hard. You go around the world, you see and talk to numerous people, you see things that maybe no one should have to see, and then, one small chapter in a new book tears your heart out. 'z too bad someone hasn't thought of doing a movie story - instead of a documentary - on life in the boarding schools. It could have "real people" or be an animation. [On a slightly different note, the 10 year old child of a friend of mine was talking about ScoobyDoo, which has been re-released as an animation. She said, "Oh, yeah, you know that was an Ooolllddd movie because it had real people in it." I was floored! This is how far things have come. I wasn't there, but I know stories of how getting real people in real movies with real voices was an enormous challenge. Getting things in color was another major advance; now its all pass?. Surprising, huh? Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 9:13 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names Mia, Genoicide of the Mind sounds like a very insightful book i've been also concerned about these things for years. I created a piece of pottery which depicted an anthropologist and a missionary tumbling in a knock down fistfight the pot can be seen , http://blueraingallery.com/art_details/3895 The missionary has on his tee-shirt "Jesus is is Life" the anthropologist is wearing a "DNA is life" tee-shirt It is a battle for soul-capture....and neither realize the damages they themselves inflict because each is working from deeply mindset presumptions of intellectual or spiritual superiority,even without realizing it. Anthropological fascination over a given culture is not necessarily flattering .There is one anthropologist ( swearshe was Wendat in a past life) has intimidated elders till he was "named" and then uses it as status to invite himself to sacred ceremonies because he wants to "help" us. it wasn't ONLY the punishment of children for speaking their indigenous languages that caused so much damage . Gratifying REWARDs and FLATTERY for "correct" student behavior were devestating because children are hungry to please an adult and often yield more to the smile than to the whip Richard Zane Smith Wyandot > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: 2006/04/24 Mon PM 10:51:08 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important William > Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think that this > is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What Bright is > saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive > conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. This still > shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the idea > has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures create > meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the individual, not > to the stimulus. > > Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined for all > time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the > linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that Lakoff > began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years > later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nu?ez and Lakoff have developed structures > that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic > objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if there is > no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language will have > references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are needed in > the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. > > There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. Hopi > has words for Time. So does Din? Bizaad. They just show up in ways very > different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English > speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure miss > them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she was > talking about humor. > > Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor > taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House > construction? Tool making? Navigation? > > I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo Moore and > its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far is by > Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, and we > struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and > mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are > methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing our > memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, > America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. > > So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being composed > of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in warning > quotes, and some other combination of both of these > characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of > "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. (Not). > And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern California > not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area". > > Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre-modernity. > > Mia > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Names > > ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA > William Bright > University of Colorado > www.ncidc.org/bright/ > > Abstract > > Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, > Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak > entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for > the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as > closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the > light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that > the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single > morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations > of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. > A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of > verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the > deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant > terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the > latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form > part of the status of native northwestern California not as a > linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. > Richard Zane Smith 18474 S.Cayuga Rd. Wyandotte Oklahoma 74370 From coyotez at UOREGON.EDU Tue Apr 25 15:51:17 2006 From: coyotez at UOREGON.EDU (David Gene Lewis) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:51:17 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <20060425151314.WLWW31057.outaamta01.mail.tds.net@smtp.tds.net> Message-ID: Mia, a very interesting discussion. Along with Genocide of the Mind, I have enjoyed Ngugi Wa Thiongo's work on "Decolonizing the Mind" along with his other writings about similar colonial situations in Africa. I love his critique of African Literature as not being really African unless it is written by Indigenous Africans, and in an African Language. This is a blind spot in Universities worldwide. David ------------------- > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 16:00:03 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:00:03 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <200604251551.k3PFpHSA006289@smtp.uoregon.edu> Message-ID: Hi, David, That does sound interesting. The issue of materials in Indigenous languages seems to be huge and hidden. I think we need more materials in Indigenous languages regardless of whether monolingual white people can read them or not. I don't know how many people on this list know H. Russell Bernard, at U. Florida up in Gainesville. We are creating a web location where Indigenous writers can publish and sell their work. We don't have the first one quite up yet, because it's a beautiful, several hundred page book, with illustrations. I figure by August or September. . . but I thought I would let people know we are doing this. This seems to fit with what Thiongo is saying, yes? Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of David Gene Lewis Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 9:51 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names Mia, a very interesting discussion. Along with Genocide of the Mind, I have enjoyed Ngugi Wa Thiongo's work on "Decolonizing the Mind" along with his other writings about similar colonial situations in Africa. I love his critique of African Literature as not being really African unless it is written by Indigenous Africans, and in an African Language. This is a blind spot in Universities worldwide. David ------------------- > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From hardman at UFL.EDU Tue Apr 25 16:16:46 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:16:46 -0400 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <00b901c6687f$1e925680$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: Along these lines, actually written up for a gender conference, I have three rules that I attempt to teach my students here at UF in all my course: field methods, language and culture/gender/violence, morphology, phonology -- everywhere. Almost none of my students are Ndn. These I published in terms of gender. I just used the article for L&Violence. I have edited it one word for here: 1. When we look towards other people and say what they DON?T have may we also, simultaneously and with equal energy say what they DO have. 2. When we seek to teach others what we now know may we simultaneously and with equal interest learn what they know. 3. When we tell/show others what we DO have may we simultaneously and with equal detail tell them what we do NOT have. The point, of course, is that contact is a two-way street, or should be, or is whether wished or not. Human respect requires that we recognize and know so -- or at least thus do I carry on in my classes. MJ reference: Hardman, MJ 2004 Feminism as an Imperialist Construct Women and Language 27:1 Spring 2004. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 16:35:08 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 09:35:08 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: White Privilege by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and tangible we could call white privilege. So, if we live in a world of white privilege ? unearned white privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has affected me. I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American Indians. I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white privilege. What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am cut some slack. After all, I'm white. My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of that time the university could have as many mediocre minority professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding me to those myths. Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we will live with that fear. White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day white supremacy is erased from this society. [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. Last year I published an article about white privilege in the Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the backs of non-white people. The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying attention to? My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my privilege, which is in large part tied to race. Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at stake. The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic categories, around the following claims: 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from understanding racial issues. 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we continue to live with. 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and II, and then ask what "civilized" means. 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The Klan isn't dead. There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am more interested in one common assumption that all these correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require radical solutions. And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view instead of a moral and political one. So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such unearned privilege is eliminated. Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball nor do we eliminate their advantage. The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that violence as well as more subtle means. I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been created by one group to keep others down. Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being white, I might want to make myself black. But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it upon us, no matter what we want. So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage in collective political activity to try to change the society because I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I don't wallow in it. What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to the folks who live without the privilege." It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. How We Are White By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching Tolerance The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear that other White teachers feel similar confusion." As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, yet I continue to benefit from its possession. But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury condemned this act of racist violence. In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat all my students the same." Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I thought I was the answer, rather than the question. Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race and multicultural education in the classroom. White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have returned several times to work with the elementary staff who experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; Page A01 AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege walk, and she wasn't happy about it. The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another step forward. "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so separated." The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for two centuries. Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start looking at whiteness as a group." Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white people as evil," Horowitz said. "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just despicable." Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in whiteness studies. The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea come from?" At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies courses Cairns took last semester. The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a political act to control the country. Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of them had. Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, blacks and Hispanics still are?' " A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. The students listened without objection, but they don't always. Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves and our country without knowing this history." Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of Virginia": "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind." >From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians. "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," five years before the American Revolution started. But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its place. "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you are white." In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped build white suburbs. Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, this would be a different country." "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the national narrative." After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think it's important to have friends of color," she said. Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings to light that white people, too, are racialized." Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the negative." Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've started to look beyond my group." ? 2003 The Washington Post Company From AEROWE at AOL.COM Tue Apr 25 16:37:56 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:37:56 EDT Subject: Names Message-ID: In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely a historian. But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the debate to which she was referring. In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they determined that math and science would exist separately from other activities in daily life. Just a few random ideas. Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hardman at UFL.EDU Tue Apr 25 16:54:13 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:54:13 -0400 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <5D467342-EDBE-4C88-AB0E-FF314B74888E@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Thanks for sharing this. There is also 'Unpacking the White Knapsack' by Peggy MacIntosh, which I also use. In my own case, I was born and raised white, but the family I built is not white, so I have lived on both sides now. And, though white privilege is clearly part of who I am, in terms of identity my Ndn family takes precedence when it comes to things like salary decisions here at the university, as well, of course, as being a woman. On occasion I am with a white group that sees me as white, period. The ensuing conversation reminds me of Lisa at the races in My Fair Lady. But most of my life today is lived in the borderlands, and my scholarship as well. MJ On 04/25/2006 12:35 PM, "Andre Cramblit" wrote: > White Privilege > > by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas > Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, > [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] > > Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University > of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white > student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he > opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing > field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he > thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have > either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run > mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and > tangible we could call white privilege. > > So, if we live in a world of white privilege ? unearned white > privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing > field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't > matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate > white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned > privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to > rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove > home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white > people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, > some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and > anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its > roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and > honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. > > White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white > supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not > they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but > such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other > aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other > kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white > privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has > affected me. > > I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern > European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the > whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white > world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because > I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the > state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American > Indians. > > I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my > culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip > over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the > institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" > myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white > privilege. > > What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission > to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't > look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me > they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a > racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of > them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am > cut some slack. After all, I'm white. > > My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some > complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled > with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority > faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry > Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were > in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of > that time the university could have as many mediocre minority > professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as > an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white > privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have > slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of > solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. > > Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a > bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real > people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I > know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, > I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full > time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of > scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to > get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked > hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every > once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like > I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't > feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by > merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. > That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't > white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all > through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. > > All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was > accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a > teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, > headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and > in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one > nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and > I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my > work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white > people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that > in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from > white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able > to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was > due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the > heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by > the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding > me to those myths. > > Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I > didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had > more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't > heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that > fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was > still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know > that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until > we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their > fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we > will live with that fear. > > White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to > keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man > and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am > benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all > the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but > it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day > white supremacy is erased from this society. > > [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of > the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on > the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the > politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded > to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs > deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. > > The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. > > Last year I published an article about white privilege in the > Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other > newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on > Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. > > As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a > dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not > only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks > can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White > people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world > mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the > backs of non-white people. > > The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions > of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the > most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly > African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is > white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- > workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but > everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." > > Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. > Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on > the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager > who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white > folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is > invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying > attention to? > > My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a > Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I > speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will > take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will > not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral > authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. > > Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my > privilege, which is in large part tied to race. > > Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- > white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring > realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the > white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at > stake. > > The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic > categories, around the following claims: > > 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made > being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited > attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually > nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that > pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real > disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from > understanding racial issues. > > 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is > natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst > manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes > human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to > avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we > continue to live with. > > 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing > because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some > bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to > non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued > the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their > cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is > superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider > five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and > II, and then ask what "civilized" means. > > 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and > I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The > Klan isn't dead. > > There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am > more interested in one common assumption that all these > correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action > were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two > out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In > political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real > solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and > structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of > oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These > systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require > radical solutions. > > And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged > another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I > have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, > even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt > because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, > focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it > leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view > instead of a moral and political one. > > So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud > about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control > over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a > privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to > enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and > understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such > unearned privilege is eliminated. > > Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, > people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed > out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in > basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball > nor do we eliminate their advantage. > > The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they > carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create > and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. > The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that > violence as well as more subtle means. > > I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that > everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, > I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could > erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to > change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been > created by one group to keep others down. > > Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most > creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was > the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a > brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note > or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I > assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being > white, I might want to make myself black. > > But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only > motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am > not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these > matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral > and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there > is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it > upon us, no matter what we want. > > So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist > society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage > in collective political activity to try to change the society because > I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, > though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may > be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night > feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I > don't wallow in it. > > What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that > means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned > privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means > learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably > not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. > > It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original > article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a > campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of > racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been > alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on > that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to > the folks who live without the privilege." > > It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a > bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. > > How We Are White > > By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching Tolerance > > The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four > hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and > staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces > turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to > address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop > immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in > their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. > > After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my > planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants > begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, > blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has > been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are > experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and > their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. > What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" > > In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered > an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. > Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": > White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their > stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize > that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not > being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White > teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear > that other White teachers feel similar confusion." > > As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably > complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically > favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was > in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually > stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- > grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am > inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, > yet I continue to benefit from its possession. > > But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police > officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the > Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the > marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther > King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men > dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is > also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury > condemned this act of racist violence. > > In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered > there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by > fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a > single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist > hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist > White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- > intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other > perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high > school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. > Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat > all my students the same." > > Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where > differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully > accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their > apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and > condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we > prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, > rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and > unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to > students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real > connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I > first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I > thought I was the answer, rather than the question. > > Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a > place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing > growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a > paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable > privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to > dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers > know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race > and multicultural education in the classroom. > > White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, > denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a > river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous > rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic > multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a > function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to > the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not > choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This > is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have > returned several times to work with the elementary staff who > experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage > they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the > reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have > come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural > vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event > was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, > "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story > we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." > > Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for > Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't > Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 > > > Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger > > "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says > University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian > > By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; > Page A01 > > AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege > walk, and she wasn't happy about it. > > The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a > course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When > the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped > forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if > you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, > Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another > step forward. > > "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, > a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with > other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near > the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so > separated." > > The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a > controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change > how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- > leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of > race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has > been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for > two centuries. > > Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who > hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are > so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see > themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to > see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity > as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of > sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a > strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start > looking at whiteness as a group." > > Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint > white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical > record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. > > But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David > Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness > studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black > studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, > women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white > people as evil," Horowitz said. > > "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of > whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just > despicable." > > Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for > Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think > "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in > removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, > director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. > > "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way > to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually > misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks > for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." > > Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black > intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field > did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight > years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite > widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in > the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University > to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in > whiteness studies. > > The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have > determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and > the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple > racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The > Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and > "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study > whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a > documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." > > "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different > answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed > that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea > come from?" > > At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social > Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies > courses Cairns took last semester. > > The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and > unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. > The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: > Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that > the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a > political act to control the country. > > Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies > department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the > class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort > and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the > privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of > them had. > > Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained > her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely > think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, > she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor > on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is > another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you > ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, > blacks and Hispanics still are?' " > > A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to > a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she > didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who > is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel > comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are > white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan > Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never > say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." > > The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something > white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The > dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. > > The students listened without objection, but they don't always. > Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, > questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian > recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. > > Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm > interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves > and our country without knowing this history." > > Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for > different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. > > That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social > class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not > only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of > Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of Virginia": > > "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether > originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and > circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of > body and mind." > >> From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was > invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying > slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics > and Asians. > > "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" > said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He > wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority > in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." > > Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen > in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, > Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an > interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," > five years before the American Revolution started. > > But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's > presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, > allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race > in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its > place. > > "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," > Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right > now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you > are white." > > In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme > Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various > Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, > black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped > build white suburbs. > > Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, > this would be a different country." > > "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, > and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson > presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how > slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the > national narrative." > > After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the > sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not > choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think > it's important to have friends of color," she said. > > Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course > "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, > because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." > > Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that > explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that > "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about > whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said > later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am > racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear > racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." > > Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings > to light that white people, too, are racialized." > > Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade > wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is > blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the > negative." > > Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness > studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group > has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've > started to look beyond my group." > > ? 2003 The Washington Post Company From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 17:01:04 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:01:04 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Could you please forward me a text copy of the White Knapsack On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:54 AM, MJ Hardman wrote: Thanks for sharing this. There is also 'Unpacking the White Knapsack' by Peggy MacIntosh, which I also use. In my own case, I was born and raised white, but the family I built is not white, so I have lived on both sides now. And, though white privilege is clearly part of who I am, in terms of identity my Ndn family takes precedence when it comes to things like salary decisions here at the university, as well, of course, as being a woman. On occasion I am with a white group that sees me as white, period. The ensuing conversation reminds me of Lisa at the races in My Fair Lady. But most of my life today is lived in the borderlands, and my scholarship as well. MJ On 04/25/2006 12:35 PM, "Andre Cramblit" wrote: > White Privilege > > by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas > Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, > [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] > > Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University > of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white > student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he > opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing > field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he > thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have > either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run > mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and > tangible we could call white privilege. > > So, if we live in a world of white privilege ? unearned white > privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing > field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't > matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate > white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned > privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to > rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove > home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white > people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, > some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and > anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its > roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and > honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. > > White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white > supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not > they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but > such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other > aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other > kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white > privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has > affected me. > > I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern > European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the > whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white > world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because > I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the > state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American > Indians. > > I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my > culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip > over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the > institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" > myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white > privilege. > > What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission > to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't > look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me > they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a > racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of > them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am > cut some slack. After all, I'm white. > > My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some > complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled > with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority > faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry > Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were > in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of > that time the university could have as many mediocre minority > professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as > an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white > privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have > slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of > solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. > > Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a > bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real > people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I > know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, > I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full > time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of > scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to > get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked > hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every > once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like > I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't > feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by > merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. > That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't > white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all > through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. > > All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was > accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a > teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, > headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and > in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one > nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and > I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my > work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white > people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that > in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from > white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able > to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was > due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the > heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by > the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding > me to those myths. > > Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I > didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had > more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't > heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that > fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was > still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know > that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until > we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their > fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we > will live with that fear. > > White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to > keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man > and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am > benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all > the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but > it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day > white supremacy is erased from this society. > > [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of > the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on > the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the > politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded > to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs > deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. > > The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. > > Last year I published an article about white privilege in the > Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other > newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on > Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. > > As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a > dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not > only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks > can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White > people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world > mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the > backs of non-white people. > > The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions > of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the > most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly > African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is > white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- > workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but > everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." > > Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. > Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on > the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager > who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white > folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is > invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying > attention to? > > My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a > Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I > speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will > take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will > not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral > authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. > > Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my > privilege, which is in large part tied to race. > > Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- > white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring > realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the > white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at > stake. > > The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic > categories, around the following claims: > > 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made > being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited > attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually > nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that > pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real > disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from > understanding racial issues. > > 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is > natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst > manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes > human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to > avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we > continue to live with. > > 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing > because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some > bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to > non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued > the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their > cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is > superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider > five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and > II, and then ask what "civilized" means. > > 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and > I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The > Klan isn't dead. > > There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am > more interested in one common assumption that all these > correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action > were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two > out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In > political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real > solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and > structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of > oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These > systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require > radical solutions. > > And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged > another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I > have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, > even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt > because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, > focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it > leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view > instead of a moral and political one. > > So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud > about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control > over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a > privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to > enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and > understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such > unearned privilege is eliminated. > > Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, > people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed > out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in > basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball > nor do we eliminate their advantage. > > The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they > carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create > and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. > The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that > violence as well as more subtle means. > > I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that > everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, > I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could > erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to > change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been > created by one group to keep others down. > > Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most > creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was > the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a > brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note > or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I > assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being > white, I might want to make myself black. > > But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only > motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am > not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these > matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral > and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there > is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it > upon us, no matter what we want. > > So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist > society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage > in collective political activity to try to change the society because > I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, > though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may > be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night > feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I > don't wallow in it. > > What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that > means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned > privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means > learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably > not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. > > It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original > article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a > campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of > racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been > alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on > that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to > the folks who live without the privilege." > > It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a > bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. > > How We Are White > > By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching > Tolerance > > The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four > hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and > staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces > turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to > address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop > immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in > their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. > > After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my > planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants > begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, > blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has > been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are > experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and > their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. > What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" > > In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered > an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. > Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": > White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their > stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize > that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not > being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White > teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear > that other White teachers feel similar confusion." > > As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably > complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically > favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was > in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually > stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- > grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am > inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, > yet I continue to benefit from its possession. > > But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police > officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the > Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the > marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther > King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men > dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is > also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury > condemned this act of racist violence. > > In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered > there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by > fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a > single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist > hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist > White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- > intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other > perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high > school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. > Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat > all my students the same." > > Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where > differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully > accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their > apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and > condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we > prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, > rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and > unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to > students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real > connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I > first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I > thought I was the answer, rather than the question. > > Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a > place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing > growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a > paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable > privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to > dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers > know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race > and multicultural education in the classroom. > > White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, > denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a > river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous > rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic > multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a > function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to > the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not > choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This > is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have > returned several times to work with the elementary staff who > experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage > they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the > reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have > come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural > vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event > was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, > "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story > we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." > > Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for > Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't > Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 > > > Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger > > "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says > University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian > > By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; > Page A01 > > AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege > walk, and she wasn't happy about it. > > The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a > course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When > the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped > forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if > you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, > Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another > step forward. > > "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, > a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with > other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near > the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so > separated." > > The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a > controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change > how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- > leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of > race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has > been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for > two centuries. > > Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who > hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are > so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see > themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to > see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity > as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of > sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a > strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start > looking at whiteness as a group." > > Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint > white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical > record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. > > But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David > Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness > studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black > studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, > women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white > people as evil," Horowitz said. > > "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of > whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just > despicable." > > Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for > Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think > "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in > removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, > director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage > Foundation. > > "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way > to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually > misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks > for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." > > Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black > intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field > did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight > years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite > widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in > the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University > to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in > whiteness studies. > > The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have > determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and > the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple > racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The > Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and > "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study > whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a > documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." > > "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different > answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed > that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea > come from?" > > At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social > Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies > courses Cairns took last semester. > > The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and > unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. > The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: > Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that > the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a > political act to control the country. > > Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies > department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the > class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort > and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the > privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of > them had. > > Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained > her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely > think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, > she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor > on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is > another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you > ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, > blacks and Hispanics still are?' " > > A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to > a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she > didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who > is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel > comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are > white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan > Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never > say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." > > The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something > white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The > dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. > > The students listened without objection, but they don't always. > Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, > questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian > recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. > > Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm > interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves > and our country without knowing this history." > > Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for > different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. > > That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social > class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not > only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of > Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of > Virginia": > > "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether > originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and > circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of > body and mind." > >> From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was > invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying > slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics > and Asians. > > "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" > said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He > wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority > in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." > > Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen > in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, > Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an > interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," > five years before the American Revolution started. > > But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's > presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, > allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race > in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its > place. > > "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," > Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right > now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you > are white." > > In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme > Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various > Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, > black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped > build white suburbs. > > Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, > this would be a different country." > > "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, > and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson > presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how > slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the > national narrative." > > After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the > sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not > choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think > it's important to have friends of color," she said. > > Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course > "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, > because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." > > Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that > explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that > "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about > whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said > later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am > racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear > racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." > > Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings > to light that white people, too, are racialized." > > Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade > wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is > blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the > negative." > > Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness > studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group > has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've > started to look beyond my group." > > ? 2003 The Washington Post Company From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 17:03:03 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:03:03 -0700 Subject: More On White Privilege In-Reply-To: Message-ID: How We Are White By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching Tolerance The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. Since the publication of my book ?We Can't teach What We Don't Know?: White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear that other White teachers feel similar confusion." As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, yet I continue to benefit from its possession. But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury condemned this act of racist violence. In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat all my students the same." Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I thought I was the answer, rather than the question. Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race and multicultural education in the classroom. White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have returned several times to work with the elementary staff who experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of ?We Can't Teach What We Don't Know?, available from REACH 206-545-04977 Permission granted to repost from Christine Rose; list owner of "STAR" - Students and Teachers Advocating Respect" From jtucker at STARBAND.NET Tue Apr 25 17:12:45 2006 From: jtucker at STARBAND.NET (Jan Tucker) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:12:45 -0400 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <06173914-04A8-47D0-ABBF-49B57435C20E@ncidc.org> Message-ID: White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible Knapsack. http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html PDF file http://www.cwru.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf I use this in my Race and Ethnicity course. I have students read aloud in class, each of the ways that white privilege is experienced, one by one when I teach face to face. jan -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 1:01 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) Could you please forward me a text copy of the White Knapsack On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:54 AM, MJ Hardman wrote: Thanks for sharing this. There is also 'Unpacking the White Knapsack' by Peggy MacIntosh, which I also use. In my own case, I was born and raised white, but the family I built is not white, so I have lived on both sides now. And, though white privilege is clearly part of who I am, in terms of identity my Ndn family takes precedence when it comes to things like salary decisions here at the university, as well, of course, as being a woman. On occasion I am with a white group that sees me as white, period. The ensuing conversation reminds me of Lisa at the races in My Fair Lady. But most of my life today is lived in the borderlands, and my scholarship as well. MJ On 04/25/2006 12:35 PM, "Andre Cramblit" wrote: > White Privilege > > by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism, University of Texas > Austin, TX 78712, work: (512) 471-1990, > [Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun ] > > Here's what white privilege sounds like: I'm sitting in my University > of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white > student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he > opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing > field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he > thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have > either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run > mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and > tangible we could call white privilege. > > So, if we live in a world of white privilege ? unearned white > privilege - how does that affect your notion of a level playing > field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't > matter." That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate > white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned > privilege but to ignore what it means. That exchange led me to > rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove > home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white > people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, > some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and > anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its > roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and > honestly about white supremacy and white privilege. > > White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white > supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not > they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but > such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other > aspects of one's identity (in my case, being male gives me other > kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white > privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has > affected me. > > I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern > European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the > whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white > world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because > I didn't live near a reservation, I didn't even have exposure to the > state's only numerically significant nonwhite population, American > Indians. > > I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my > culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip > over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the > institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I "fix" > myself, one thing never changes - I walk through the world with white > privilege. > > What does that mean? Perhaps most importantly, when I seek admission > to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I don't > look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me look like me > they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves - and in a > racist world, that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of > them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions, I am > cut some slack. After all, I'm white. > > My flaws also are more easily forgiven because I am white. Some > complain that affirmative action has meant the university is saddled > with mediocre minority professors. I have no doubt there are minority > faculty who are mediocre, though I don't know very many. As Henry > Louis Gates Jr. once pointed out, if affirmative action policies were > in place for the next hundred years, it's possible that at the end of > that time the university could have as many mediocre minority > professors as it has mediocre white professors. That isn't meant as > an insult to anyone, but it's a simple observation that white > privilege has meant that scores of second-rate white professors have > slid through the system because their flaws were overlooked out of > solidarity based on race, as well as on gender, class and ideology. > > Some people resist the assertions that the United States is still a > bitterly racist society and that the racism has real effects on real > people. But white folks have long cut other white folks a break. I > know, because I am one of them. I am not a genius - as I like to say, > I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have been teaching full > time for six years and I've published a reasonable amount of > scholarship. Some of it is the unexceptional stuff one churns out to > get tenure, and some of it, I would argue, is worth reading. I worked > hard, and I like to think that I'm a fairly decent teacher. Every > once in a while, I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like > I really accomplished something. When I cash my pay check, I don't > feel guilty. But, all that said, I know I did not get where I am by > merit alone. I benefited from among other things, white privilege. > That doesn't mean that I don't deserve my job, or that if I weren't > white I would never have gotten the job. It means simply that all > through my life, I have soaked up benefits for being white. > > All my life I have been hired for jobs by white people. I was > accepted for graduate school by white people. And I was hired for a > teaching position by the predominantly white University of Texas, > headed by a white president, in a college headed by a white dean and > in a department with a white chairman that at the time had one > nonwhite tenured professor. I have worked hard to get where I am, and > I work hard to stay there. But to feel good about myself, and my > work, I do not have to believe that "merit" as defined by white > people in a white country, alone got me here. I can acknowledge that > in addition to all that hard work, I got a significant boost from > white privilege. At one time in my life, I would not have been able > to say that, because I needed to believe that my success in life was > due solely to my individual talent and effort. I saw myself as the > heroic American, the rugged individualist. I was so deeply seduced by > the culture's mythology that I couldn't see the fear that was binding > me to those myths. > > Like all white Americans, I was living with the fear that maybe I > didn't really deserve my success, that maybe luck and privilege had > more to do with it than brains and hard work. I was afraid I wasn't > heroic or rugged, that I wasn't special. I let go of some of that > fear when I realized that, indeed, I wasn't special, but that I was > still me. What I do well, I still can take pride in, even when I know > that the rules under which I work in are stacked to my benefit. Until > we let go of the fiction that people have complete control over their > fate - that we can will ourselves to be anything we choose - then we > will live with that fear. > > White privilege is not something I get to decide whether I want to > keep. Every time I walk into a store at the same time as a black man > and the security guard follows him and leaves me alone to shop, I am > benefiting from white privilege. There is not space here to list all > the ways in which white privilege plays out in our daily lives, but > it is clear that I will carry this privilege with me until the day > white supremacy is erased from this society. > > [Note: A version of this essay ran in the Perspective section of > the Baltimore Sun on July 4, 1999. It is a follow-up to an essay on > the same subject that ran in July 1998. By writing about the > politics of white privilege--and listening to the folks who responded > to that writing--I have had to face one more way that privilege runs > deep in my life, and it makes me uncomfortable. > > The discomfort tells me I might be on the right track. > > Last year I published an article about white privilege in the > Baltimore Sun that then went out over a wire service to other > newspapers. Electronic copies proliferated and were picked up on > Internet discussion lists, and the article took on a life of its own. > > As a result, every week over the past year I have received at least a > dozen letters from people who want to talk about race. I learned not > only more about my own privilege, but more about why many white folks > can't come to terms with the truism I offered in that article: White > people, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in a world > mostly run by white people that has been built on the land and the > backs of non-white people. > > The reactions varied from racist rantings, to deeply felt expressions > of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity. But probably the > most important response I got was from non-white folks, predominantly > African-Americans, who said something like this: "Of course there is > white privilege. I've been pointing it out to my white friends and co- > workers for years. Isn't funny that almost no one listens to me, but > everyone takes notice when a white guy says it." > > Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I live with. > Who really does knows more about white privilege, me or the people on > the other side of that privilege? Me, or a black inner-city teenager > who is automatically labeled a gang member and feared by many white > folks? Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who is > invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying > attention to? > > My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man with a > Ph.D. who holds a professional job with status. In most settings, I > speak with the assumption that people not only will listen, but will > take me seriously. I speak with the assumption that my motives will > not be challenged; I can rely on the perception of me as a neutral > authority, someone whose observations can be trusted. > > Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce, my > privilege, which is in large part tied to race. > > Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the many non- > white people who took the time to tell me about the enduring > realities of racism in the United States. And, I want to talk to the > white people who I think misread my essay and misunderstand what's at > stake. > > The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic > categories, around the following claims: > > 1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative action has made > being white a disadvantage. The simple response: Extremely limited > attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative action, do virtually > nothing to erase the white privilege built over 500 years that > pervades our society. As a friend of mine says, the only real > disadvantage to being white is that it so often prevents people from > understanding racial issues. > > 2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because it is > natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the worst > manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach makes > human choices appear outside of human control, which is a dodge to > avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice we > continue to live with. > > 3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been a good thing > because white Europeans have civilized the world. Along the way some > bad things may have happened, and we should take care to be nice to > non-whites to make up for that. Response: These folks often argued > the curiously contradictory position that (1) non-whites and their > cultures are not inferior, but (2) white/European culture is > superior. As for the civilizing effect of Europe, we might consider > five centuries of inhuman, brutal colonialism and World Wars I and > II, and then ask what "civilized" means. > > 4. White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior, and > I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response: The > Klan isn't dead. > > There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for now I am > more interested in one common assumption that all these > correspondents made, that my comments on race and affirmative action > were motivated by "white liberal guilt." The problem is, they got two > out of the three terms wrong. I am white, but I'm not a liberal. In > political terms, I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism offers real > solutions because it doesn't attack the systems of power and > structures of illegitimate authority that are the root cause of > oppression, be it based on race, gender, sexuality, or class. These > systems of oppression, which are enmeshed and interlocking, require > radical solutions. > > And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one has wronged > another, when one has something to feel guilty about. In my life I > have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have said or done, > even when they were done unconsciously. But that is guilt I felt > because of specific acts, not for the color of my skin. Also, > focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive when it > leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point of view > instead of a moral and political one. > > So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel either guilty or proud > about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control > over. However, as a member of a society--and especially as a > privileged member of society--I have an obligation not simply to > enjoy that privilege that comes with being white but to study and > understand it, and work toward a more just world in which such > unearned privilege is eliminated. > > Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after all, > people have unearned privileges of all kinds. Several people pointed > out that, for example, tall people have unearned privilege in > basketball, and we don't ask tall people to stop playing basketball > nor do we eliminate their advantage. > > The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they > carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power create > and maintain the privilege for themselves at the expense of others. > The privilege is rooted in violence and is maintained through that > violence as well as more subtle means. > > I can't change the world so that everyone is the same height, so that > everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball player. In fact, > I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and boring world if we could > erase individual differences like that. But I can work with others to > change the world to erase the effects of differences that have been > created by one group to keep others down. > > Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. In fact, the most > creative piece of mail I received in response to the essay also was > the most confused. In a padded envelope from Clement, Minn., came a > brand-new can of Kiwi Shoe Polish, black. Because there was no note > or letter, I have to guess at my correspondent's message, but I > assume the person was suggesting that if I felt so bad about being > white, I might want to make myself black. > > But, of course, I don't feel bad about being white. The only > motivation I might have to want to be black -- to be something I am > not -- would be pathological guilt over my privilege. In these > matters, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt to avoid the moral > and political questions. As I made clear in the original essay, there > is no way to give up the privilege; the society we live in confers it > upon us, no matter what we want. > > So, I don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist > society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to engage > in collective political activity to try to change the society because > I benefit from the injustice. I try to be reflective and accountable, > though I am human and I make mistakes. I think a lot about how I may > be expressing racism unconsciously, but I don't lay awake at night > feeling guilty. Guilt is not a particularly productive emotion, and I > don't wallow in it. > > What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege. For me, that > means speaking, knowing that I speak with a certain unearned > privilege that gives me advantages I cannot justify. It also means > learning to listen before I speak, and realizing that I am probably > not as smart as I sometimes like to think I am. > > It means listening when an elderly black man who sees the original > article tacked up on the bulletin board outside my office while on a > campus tour stops to chat. This man, who has lived with more kinds of > racism than I can imagine through more decades than I have been > alive, says to me, "White privilege, yes, good to keep an eye on > that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't forget to pay attention to > the folks who live without the privilege." > > It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It takes only a > bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act. > > How We Are White > > By Gary Howard from the Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching > Tolerance > > The break is over and I am ready to begin the second half of a four > hour multicultural curriculum workshop. Twenty-five teachers and > staff are scrunched into 2nd grade desks, all eyes and White faces > turned toward their one African American colleague, who has asked to > address the group. He announces that he will be leaving this workshop > immediately and resigning at the end of the year. He has lost hope in > their willingness, and ability to deal with issues of race. > > After he leaves, a painful silence grips the room. I realize that my > planned agenda is no longer appropriate. Gradually the participants > begin to talk. Their comments are rife with guilt, shame, anger, > blame, denial, sadness and frustration. It becomes clear there has > been a long history leading to this moment. Together they are > experiencing a collective meltdown over the realities of race and > their own whiteness. One faculty member remarks, "I feel so helpless. > What am I supposed to do as a white teacher?" > > In my 25 years of work in multicultural education, I have encountered > an almost universal uneasiness about race among White educators. > Since the publication of my book "We Can't teach What We Don't Know": > White teachers, multiracial schools, many people have shared their > stories with me. A White teacher from California reports, "I realize > that I have contributed to the failure of my students of color by not > being able to drop the mask of privilege that I wear. Another White > teacher writes, "I thought I was going crazy. It was helpful to hear > that other White teachers feel similar confusion." > > As White educators, we are collectively bound and unavoidably > complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically > favored our racial group over others. In my own family, the farm was > in Minnesota that I cherish as part of our heritage was actually > stolen from the Ojibwe people only a few years before my great- > grandparents acquired it. This is only one of the countless ways I am > inextricably tied to privilege. I did not personally take the land, > yet I continue to benefit from its possession. > > But privilege and complicity are only part of the story. The police > officers who brutally assaulted civil rights activists during the > Selma march in 1965 were certainly White, but so were many of the > marchers who stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther > King Jr. on that awful Sunday. It is true that three White men > dragged James Byrd to a horrific death in Jasper , Texas, but it is > also true that many White townspeople and a predominantly White jury > condemned this act of racist violence. > > In the course of my work and personal reflection, I have discovered > there are many ways of being white. Some Whites are bound by > fundamentalist White orientation. They view the world through a > single lens that is always right and always white. White supremacist > hate groups represent one particularly hostile form of fundamentalist > White orientation, but there is also an uninformed and well- > intentioned version that simply has never been exposed to other > perspectives. This was my orientation from birth through my high > school years, when I had never met a person who wasn't white. > Fundamentalist White teachers often say, "I don't see color. I treat > all my students the same." > > Other Whites live from an integrationist White orientation, where > differences are acknowledged and tolerated but still not fully > accepted. Integrationist Whites are self-congratulatory in their > apparent openness to racial differences, yet often paternalistic and > condescending of people of color. In this way of being White, we > prefer to keep the peace, avoid confrontation and maintain control, > rather that actually get to the core of our separate truths and > unique racial perspectives. Integrationist White teachers say to > students of color, "I know how you feel," even when we have no real > connection to their reality. This was my first orientation when I > first began "helping" Black kids in the ghetto in the 1960s. I > thought I was the answer, rather than the question. > > Finally, there is the transformationist White identity, which is a > place of humility and active engagement in one's own continuing > growth and reformation. Transformationist Whites have acquired a > paradoxical identity, which allows us to acknowledge our inevitable > privilege and racism while at the same time actively working to > dismantle our legacy of dominance. Transformationist White teachers > know it is our place and our responsibility to engage issues of race > and multicultural education in the classroom. > > White educators do have a choice to grow beyond our ignorance, > denial, and guilt. There is a journey, which I envision is like a > river that carries us through many confusing currents and treacherous > rapids, but which eventually can lead to a place of authentic > multicultural White identity. Ultimately, good teaching is not a > function of the color of our skin. It is much more closely related to > the temperament of our mind and the hue of our heart. We did not > choose whether to be White, but we can effect how we are White. This > is both our challenge and our hope. In the last few years I have > returned several times to work with the elementary staff who > experienced such a painful meltdown over issues of race. With courage > they have stayed on the river, chosen to look deeply into the > reflective pool of their own difficult history together, and have > come to a place of honesty and renewed commitment to a multicultural > vision for their school. At our last meeting, when the painful event > was alluded to in discussion, a newly hired Asian American asked, > "What happened?" A veteran White teacher responded, "Its a long story > we need to share with you. It will help you know who we are." > > Gary Howard is currently President of the REACH Center for > Multicultural Education in Seattle. He is the author of "We Can't > Teach What We Don't Know", available from REACH 206-545-04977 > > > Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger > > "It's the suppressed history I'm interested in teaching," says > University of Massachusetts professor Arlene Avakian > > By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2003; > Page A01 > > AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege > walk, and she wasn't happy about it. > > The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a > course at the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When > the moderator read a statement that applied to you, you stepped > forward; if it didn't, you stepped back. After the moderator asked if > you were certain you could get a bank loan whenever you wanted, > Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and took yet another > step forward. > > "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, > a 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with > other white students. Asian and black students she admired were near > the back. "We all started together," she said, "and now were so > separated." > > The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a > controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change > how white people think about race. The field is based on a left- > leaning interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of > race was created by a rich white European and American elite, and has > been used to deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for > two centuries. > > Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who > hope to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are > so accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see > themselves as part of a race. "Historically, it has been common to > see whites as a people who don't have a race, to see racial identity > as something others have," said Howard Winant, a white professor of > sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a > strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to start > looking at whiteness as a group." > > Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint > white heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical > record. Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. > > But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David > Horowitz, a conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness > studies is leftist philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black > studies celebrates blackness, Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, > women's studies celebrates women, and white studies attacks white > people as evil," Horowitz said. > > "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of > whiteness," he said. "I have read their books, and it's just > despicable." > > Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for > Western civilization." Its study is important only to those who think > "black studies and Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in > removing the baggage of Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, > director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage > Foundation. > > "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way > to further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually > misleading," Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks > for certain outcomes. It's close-minded." > > Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black > intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field > did not coalesce until liberal white scholars embraced it about eight > years ago, according to some who helped shape it. Now, despite > widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major flaws in > the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton University > to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses in > whiteness studies. > > The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have > determined that there is scant genetic distinction between races, and > the 2000 Census allowed residents to define themselves by multiple > racial categories for the first time. Dozens of books, such as "The > Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish Became White" and > "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for people who study > whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a > documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." > > "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different > answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed > that documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea > come from?" > > At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social > Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies > courses Cairns took last semester. > > The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and > unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. > The books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: > Racial Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that > the collection of European immigrants into a white race was a > political act to control the country. > > Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies > department, sat on a wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the > class to discuss the ideas of racial privilege, environmental comfort > and social control. Not all of her students had taken part in the > privilege walk -- it was conducted in another course -- but many of > them had. > > Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained > her to deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely > think about it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, > she said, but he felt ambushed. "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor > on him," she said. "It is so difficult for them to think there is > another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I asked, 'Have you > ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, > blacks and Hispanics still are?' " > > A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to > a hall reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she > didn't feel comfortable. Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who > is black, rolled her eyes. "So what?" she asked. "I never feel > comfortable here. I'm a student at a school where most people are > white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm at home." Dan > Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never > say that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." > > The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something > white people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The > dominant group wants to control its environment, to own it. > > The students listened without objection, but they don't always. > Avakian said two students in an earlier semester had challenged her, > questioning why she taught the course. After some discussion, Avakian > recalled, they concluded her reason was white guilt. > > Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm > interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves > and our country without knowing this history." > > Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for > different courses, they draw on the same reading of history. > > That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social > class of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not > only that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of > Independence, but also this, from his "Notes on the State of > Virginia": > > "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether > originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and > circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of > body and mind." > >> From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was > invented, and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying > slavery and, later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics > and Asians. > > "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" > said historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He > wasn't in the majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority > in terms of class. The only majority he was in was race." > > Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen > in popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, > Crispus Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an > interracial mob confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," > five years before the American Revolution started. > > But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's > presidency in 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, > allowing white people at the bottom of society to vote based on race > in 1807. At the same time that was done, race laws were put into its > place. > > "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," > Horton said. "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right > now, but . . . the thing we want you to focus on is the fact that you > are white." > > In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme > Court justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various > Asian immigrants. In the housing boom that followed World War II, > black veterans were denied new federally backed mortgages that helped > build white suburbs. > > Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, > this would be a different country." > > "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, > and that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson > presided during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how > slavery existed alongside freedom, we would have to change the > national narrative." > > After Class Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the > sense of belonging corresponds to skin color. "I would never not > choose to be someone's friend because they are white, but I think > it's important to have friends of color," she said. > > Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course > "was really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, > because you really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." > > Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that > explicitly spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that > "other classes, like economics, politics and history, are about > whiteness. They are written by and are about white people." He said > later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I am > racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear > racist comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." > > Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings > to light that white people, too, are racialized." > > Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade > wondered: "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is > blackness? When you look at whiteness, blackness is always in the > negative." > > Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness > studies helped her understand race a little better. "My social group > has always been white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've > started to look beyond my group." > > ? 2003 The Washington Post Company From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 17:52:58 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:52:58 -0700 Subject: Response From William Bright Message-ID: Begin forwarded message: From: William Bright Date: April 25, 2006 10:24:47 AM PDT To: Cc: Susan Gehr , "cramblit.a" Subject: Re: Karuk Names hello mia kalish; the following correspondence was forwarded to me by our mutual friend andr? cramblit. let me try to clarify a few things: (1) your correspondence includes the abstract of my paper ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA, evidently taken from my website. but i wonder if you've read the entire paper, which is also there on the website. doing so might make the paper more understandable. furthermore, that paper is a follow-up to an earlier paper i did on animal names in northwestern california, which is also on my website. and both of these are follow-ups to a paper that i co- published many years ago, in 1965, with my late wife jane bright: Semantic structures in Northwestern California and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Formal semantic analysis, ed. by Eugene Hammel, AA (Special publication) 67:5, pt. 2, pp. 249?58. Reprinted in Cognitive anthropology, ed. by Stephen A. Tyler, 66?77. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969. Volume reprinted, Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 1987. ?all of this of course goes way back to a famous statement in sapir's 1921 book language about the ethnolinguistic relationship of karuk, yurok, and hupa. (2) my references to the whorf hypothesis in the above papers were not intended to subject that hypothesis to a close critical analysis. in fact there have been lots of papers about "what whorf really meant", and i think the conclusion is that he did not in fact state any single coherent hypothesis. but somehow the "whorfian notion" doesn't disappear. in recent years there have been some important books, by john lucy and by stephen levinson, on different varieties of "neo-whorfianism". (3) i'm very familiar with the work of george lakoff and of gilles fauconnier; but i've never heard of walter freeman, or ??? turner (presumably not the anthropologist victor turner, or the sociologist ralph turner), or ??? n??ez. my wife lise menn is much involved with cognitive psychology, from the viewpoints of language development and of aphasiology, but she also can't place freeman or turner or n??ez. ? it seems to me that "cognitive psychology" means different things to different people. with best wishes; bill bright On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:08 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > From: Mia Kalish > Date: April 25, 2006 7:00:50 AM PDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > Reply-To: Indigenous Languages and Technology > > > I don't actually know him, although I am familiar with some of his > work in > Karuk. I have the Karuk dictionary. > > Perhaps you could forward this along to him? I would be interested > to hear > what he says. > > Freeman, by the way, was a cognitive neurobiologist. In fact, he > still is, > at maybe UCLA. Lakoff is famous for his work in English metaphors. > Turner is > a cognitive psychologist, while Nu?ez is multidisciplinary, with a > degree in > psychology, and his work in metaphoric structures touching on computer > representation. > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still > ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the > people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered > "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, > understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization > in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn > languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find > them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, > but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the > vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is > almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > I think it's Powell, in his prescriptive 1880 document about words > to be > collected. There are lots of anthropological categories, and none > for math, > science, and technology. ?dn astronomy and complex lunar > calendricality > preceded Western accomplishments in these areas by hundreds, perhaps > thousands of years, but we hear nothing of it in the language in > which the > knowledge developed. > > So perhaps you should forward this along to him. Perhaps he would > like to > join our list and have a discussion with the other people here as > well. I > would speculate that a lot of our list would much appreciate the > opportunity. I know I would. > > Best, > Mia > > > > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:01 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > I am not a linguist and not reviewed the works you cite. Maybe your > should bring it up with Bill > > > On Apr 24, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: > > You know, Andre, I really hate to do this. I know how important > William > Bright is to the documentation of Northwest languages, but I think > that this > is an incorrect interpretation of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. What > Bright is > saying is very similar to the idea popular in the 1970s that cognitive > conceptualizations in the brain resembled the objects themselves. > This still > shows up in philosophy and psychology of consciousness. However, the > idea > has been debunked. Walter J. Freeman demonstrated that when creatures > create > meaning, the conceptual meaning structures are unique to the > individual, not > to the stimulus. > > Thus, while language and culture are closely linked, intertwined > for all > time, how they EXPRESS is a function of the relationship, not of the > linguistic forms. What Whorf was saying parallels the theories that > Lakoff > began to develop relating to cultural metaphors. Thirty or forty years > later, Fauconnier and Turner, and Nu?ez and Lakoff have developed > structures > that show these relational structures. Whorf was saying that semantic > objects are not going to spring up like mushrooms after a rain if > there is > no need for them in the culture. He was also saying that language > will have > references for all the things, physical and conceptual, that are > needed in > the culture. Hence the discussion of snow and sweet potatoes. > > There was a lot of misunderstanding because of the Hopi-Time fiasco. > Hopi > has words for Time. So does Din? Bizaad. They just show up in ways > very > different from how they show up (express) in English, and so English > speakers who have no idea of the differences in internal structure > miss > them. Margaret Mead said something very similar to this, except she > was > talking about humor. > > Looking at anthropological aspects is a bit tawdry these days, in poor > taste, rather. How about the register of boat construction? House > construction? Tool making? Navigation? > > I am reading the hardest book I ever read. It's edited by Marijo > Moore and > its called Genocide of the Mind. The hardest, hardest chapter so far > is by > Dave Stephenson. He's Tlingit. He writes, "These are our memories, > and we > struggle to retain them against a ferocious undertow of cruelty and > mass-marketed sophistry. Material pursuits and solitary avarice are > methodologically engendering a great forgetting. We are slowly losing > our > memories and sections of our souls" (p. 96). His chapter is called, > America's Urban Youth and the Importance of Remembering. > > So I have to say, this isn't right, describing languages as being > composed > of some "unanalyzable morphemes", some descriptive combinations in > warning > quotes, and some other combination of both of these undesirable> > characteristics. Further, there is the really questionable premise of > "status" being constructed of "areas". Math --> social psychology. > (Not). > And what does that mean, anyway, "status of native northwestern > California > not as a linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic > area". > > Maybe we could retitle the abstract, Karuk Resonances And Pre- > modernity. > > Mia > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:16 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: [ILAT] Names > > ?ANALYZABILITY? OF NOUNS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA > William Bright > University of Colorado > www.ncidc.org/bright/ > > Abstract > > Three American Indian tribes of northwestern California ? Yurok, > Hupa, and Karuk ? share a nearly uniform culture, but they speak > entirely distinct and unrelated languages. This is problematic for > the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which sees language and culture as > closely linked. In an earlier paper, the matter was considered in the > light of names for animals in the three languages. It was found that > the majority of such names in Yurok consist of unanalyzable single > morphemes, while the majority in Hupa are ?descriptive? combinations > of several morphemes; the Karuk language lies between the two others. > A possible explanation was proposed in the historical operation of > verbal taboo in the usage of hunters and on the names of the > deceased. In the present paper, the analysis is extended to plant > terms and to ?basic vocabulary?, but problems are noted in the > latter concept. It is suggested that the patterns presented here form > part of the status of native northwestern California not as a > linguistic area in a strict sense, but as an ethnolinguistic area. > William Bright Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Anthropology, UCLA Professor Adjoint of Linguistics, University of Colorado, Boulder 1625 Mariposa Ave., Boulder CO 80302 Tel. 303-444-4274 FAX 303-413-0017 URL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET Tue Apr 25 18:14:19 2006 From: pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:14:19 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <5D467342-EDBE-4C88-AB0E-FF314B74888E@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Dear ILAT, gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White privilege" here.. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > White Privilege > From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 19:35:02 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:35:02 -0600 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <30D9930C-C725-43E4-A216-7B04A961D19C@dakotacom.net> Message-ID: This is a wondrous event, is it not? Here on the Indigenous Languages and Technologies list, we are actually talking about how and why bad things have happened to ?dn people, ?dn languages and ?dn cultures and why white people seem to be totally and blithely unaware (or in serious denial) that they had anything to do with it. One link came through Richard's post . . . One of the experiments I did in psychology presented a text on place names to people who had Masters and PhD degrees, so there could be no argument about their reading and comprehension skills. In the text, I changed the expected order of English/other languages by using the local Indigenous place name in the text, and putting the English name in parenthesis. Do you know that the participants couldn?t name the places? The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of phil cash cash Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:14 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) Dear ILAT, gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White privilege" here.. ;-) later, Phil On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > White Privilege > From hardman at UFL.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:02:08 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:02:08 -0400 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <3df.87ead5.317faa64@aol.com> Message-ID: This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. Although I only mention it when pressed ? because of the viciousness and the distortions and the ridicule ? my theoretical construct of the linguistic postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the focus off of vocabulary ? far too easy a game to play ? and onto perceptual patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and singularity don?t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. MJ website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: > In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, > MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > > Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion > with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely a > historian. > > But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. > The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective > valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than > moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture > which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would be > spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if the > concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority > culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts > that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in > essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the > debate to which she was referring. > > In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as > simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science > and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage > cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not > require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" > in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its interpretation > goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, construction, and > the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was created) all modify the > meaning of that single word. Western European cultures had to create the > words to describe the concepts once they determined that math and science > would exist separately from other activities in daily life. > > Just a few random ideas. > > Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:11:25 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) Message-ID: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran[1] _Tribune Reporter_ APRIL 25, 2006 http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_education/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19857_4649142,00.html Navajo Shannon Johnson builds her students' vocabulary with words of the Navajo Code Talkers. NAVAJO LANGUAGE TEACHER SHANNON JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHS HER STUDENTS PERFORMING AS THE LA MESA FANCY SHAWL DANCERS IN A RECENT PERFORMANCE AT WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL. JOHNSON, WHO IS NAVAJO, SATISFIES A GROWING DEMAND FOR NATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING ACROSS THE CITY AND STATE, EDUCATORS SAY. (STEVEN ST. JOHN/TRIBUNE) NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: LA MESA ELEMENTARY LOWELL ELEMENTARY PAINTED SKY ELEMENTARY MANZANO HIGH RIO GRANDE HIGH WEST MESA HIGH CIBOLA HIGH In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. _Source: Albuquerque Public Schools_ _Gah, Dzeh, Wol-la-chee_ and _Be_ translate to "rabbit," "elk," "ant" and "deer." Her students, all Navajo children who live in Albuquerque, came to school knowing only English. In her La Mesa Elementary School language class, Johnson insists they learn the way their ancestors did. In Navajo. The demand for native languages is growing across the city and state, educators say. But teachers like Johnson are hard to find. The University of New Mexico and the tribes are responding to the demand by training and certifying more American Indians as language teachers. Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. She has 30 minutes a day with them to get the job done. Once they leave her, they are on their own. Few, if any, of their parents know their native language. And Albuquerque Public Schools does not offer any Navajo language classes for middle schoolers. "There's a big gap," Johnson said. "There's nothing in the middle for these students." The new Native American Academy, a charter school to be housed at Wilson Middle School, plans to fill that gap. Academy officials said they will hire a Navajo teacher. The academy is scheduled to open in August with 100 sixth- and seventh-graders. Academy organizers plan to tap the American Indian teaching talent being developed at UNM. "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." Johnson intends to apply for UNM's American Indian Education Scholarship to pay for expenses while she pursues a master's degree. The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. Suina said scholarships and workshops have drawn 40 prospective teachers to the program. An additional 20 UNM students are studying American Indian languages. In all, 47 undergraduates and 18 graduate students are enrolled in Suina's Institute of American Indian Education. Also, tribes and pueblos are starting to license their own language teachers under an agreement with the Public Education Department. Johnson was certified by the Navajo Nation to teach Navajo. She also has her elementary-school certification. After two years at of exclusively teaching Navajo at La Mesa, Johnson next year moves into a third-grade classroom at the Northeast Heights school, which counts about 10 percent of its 670 enrollment as American Indian. Johnson's replacement in the La Mesa language program may be recruited from UNM's American Indian scholarship group. She's asking Suina to help her recruit her successor. Unlike her Navajo students, Johnson, 32, spoke her native language before she went to preschool. At Head Start in Arizona, she learned English and by first grade was communicating in English with her teachers. "Prior to this, it was a hit-and-miss program," Suina said of training American Indian teachers, especially those wanting to teach their native languages. Federal funding for such training dried up in 1982. "Native languages were not viewed on the same level as foreign languages," he said. "They were treated as second class." BRETT MORGAN (TOP LEFT), 11, BREATHES IN INCENSE DURING A CEREMONY BEFORE HE PARTICIPATES WITH THE LA MESA SHARKS DRUM GROUP. THE SHARKS AND THE LA MESA FANCY SHAWL DANCERS PERFORMED AT WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL EARLIER THIS MONTH. (STEVEN ST. JOHN/TRIBUNE) The Indian Education Act adopted in New Mexico in 1998 fueled the effort to serve American Indians, Suina said. At UNM, students can study Keres, the language of six pueblos, including Suina's Cochiti Pueblo; Tewa, the language of six northern pueblos; Tiwa, the language of four pueblos, including those closest to Albuquerque, Sandia and Isleta; and Zunian, the language of the Zuni Pueblo. Also, they can study the Athebascan family of languages spoken by Navajos and the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apaches. At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. The pueblo intends to hire a third teacher and is working with the Bernalillo Public Schools to offer the Tiwa language, said Gov. Lawrence Gutierrez. Thirty-five percent to 50 percent of tribal members speak their native language. The pueblo wants to make sure the language stays alive, Gutierrez said. "As we lose our seniors, we can't replace them," he said. Native languages in the middle schools have been missed by American Indian families. "The first attention it's getting is from the new charter," UNM's Suina said. "No one in the middle schools even asked for our assistance until now." UNM and the charter school will complement each other, he said. "The school came to us and we're going to be working out the details. We have every intention to use it as a laboratory." Native American Academy founder Kara Bobroff said the university is a welcome resource for the new school. Suina and Johnson were among consultants called on to help develop the charter school. Johnson is one of three Navajo language teachers in the elementary schools. She doesn't blame Navajo parents for not teaching their native language to their children. Most of them didn't learn it themselves and are now afraid of losing it, she said. Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. She said the student attended one of her classes and "thought it was too hard." During her classes, Johnson rarely speaks a word of English. Her students develop vocabulary through songs, artwork, games, stories and life-skills instruction. Her students will be ready to break the Navajo code for the spring parent program. They'll also introduce themselves and their parents and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Navajo Nation, all in Navajo. Johnson said she is learning what works and what doesn't as she teaches her native language. "In a way, you can say they are my guinea pigs," she said of her Navajo students. Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. Links: ------ [1] mailto:sgran at abqtrib.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 33485 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 40100 bytes Desc: not available URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:16:09 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:16:09 -0700 Subject: CKRZ-FM is Six Nations' CNN (fwd) Message-ID: CKRZ-FM IS SIX NATIONS\' CNN IT HAS RESERVE\'S EAR ON THE CRISIS By Wade Hemsworth The Hamilton Spectator OHSWEKEN (Apr 24, 2006) http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1145829010142&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815 In these times of trouble at Six Nations, a small radio station is speaking with a big voice. CKRZ-FM, colloquially known as "Rez FM," has become a critical source of live information for the residents of Six Nations and interested listeners beyond. It plays everywhere on the reserve -- in pickup trucks and tobacco huts, restaurants and offices. The crisis over the occupation at Douglas Creek Estates has made CKRZ the CNN of Six Nations. Official communiques and breaking developments in the crisis are often heard there first. Six Nations has a cable station and two weekly newspapers that cover the community well, said CKRZ's Diane Keye, but the immediacy of radio has given the station a special role in the current crisis. "It's unfortunate that it takes an event like this, but it affirms that this community needs this radio station and we need to be here," said Keye, who is acting executive director. At best, the community-based, non-profit station (100.3 on the dial) reaches 50 kilometres from Ohsweken with its 250-watt transmitter. But streaming Internet audio (www.ckrz.com)[1] takes it to listeners well beyond southern Ontario. From far and near, they have been listening especially intently since police moved in on protesters occupying the construction site of a residential subdivision at the south end of Caledonia. Ever since Thursday morning when the OPP went in, the station has been staffing the occupation site full-time and will continue to do so as long as the situation remains tense. Despite the protesters' on-again, off-again relationship with the non-native media, CKRZ has kept communications open with all its sources. It's no small task for a small outfit with just 10 staff and about 30 volunteers, but covering the crisis is critical to the station's mandate of reflecting native life through music, information and education. "We're professional. We're trying to get the information out," Keye said. "If you want to get our perspective, tune us in." Since Thursday, announcers and reporters have frequently been breaking into regular programming with updates on the movements of police, announcements from native politicians and other developments. CKRZ operates from a bright storefront headquarters in the Iroquois Village Centre. The operation has the feel of a university radio station: informal but earnest, not slick, but sincere. The station is on the air 24 hours, with 20 hours of live broadcasting and recorded programming between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Regular programming features traditional and modern native music mingled with non-native music that ranges from bluegrass to rap, interspersed with current affairs. Twice a day, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., there are native language lessons. On Sunday evenings, the station earns its keep with radio bingo, where the caller reads numbers in Cayuga, Mohawk and English and listeners play along with tickets they buy at the station itself or stores on the reserve. Between the bingo and some commercials, the station supports itself, after starting up on federal grants. CKRZ studiously avoids aligning itself with either the elected band council or the confederacy of hereditary chiefs -- the two major political factions on the reserve. whemsworth at thespec.com[2] 905-526-3254 Links: ------ [1] http://www.ckrz.com/ [2] mailto:whemsworth at thespec.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aerowe at AOL.COM Tue Apr 25 20:18:50 2006 From: aerowe at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:18:50 -0400 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) In-Reply-To: <20060425131125.eck8ggwocskw0sos@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are there with the idea? If not, why not? Ann -----Original Message----- From: phil cash cash To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran Tribune Reporter April 25, 2006 http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_education/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19857_4649142,00.html Navajo Shannon Johnson builds her students' vocabulary with words of the Navajo Code Talkers. Navajo language teacher Shannon Johnson photographs her students performing as the La Mesa Fancy Shawl Dancers in a recent performance at Wilson Middle School. Johnson, who is Navajo, satisfies a growing demand for native language teaching across the city and state, educators say. (Steven St. John/Tribune) NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: La Mesa Elementary Lowell Elementary Painted Sky Elementary Manzano High Rio Grande High West Mesa High Cibola High In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. Source: Albuquerque Public Schools Gah, Dzeh, Wol-la-chee and Be translate to "rabbit," "elk," "ant" and "deer." Her students, all Navajo children who live in Albuquerque, came to school knowing only English. In her La Mesa Elementary School language class, Johnson insists they learn the way their ancestors did. In Navajo. The demand for native languages is growing across the city and state, educators say. But teachers like Johnson are hard to find. The University of New Mexico and the tribes are responding to the demand by training and certifying more American Indians as language teachers. Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. She has 30 minutes a day with them to get the job done. Once they leave her, they are on their own. Few, if any, of their parents know their native language. And Albuquerque Public Schools does not offer any Navajo language classes for middle schoolers. "There's a big gap," Johnson said. "There's nothing in the middle for these students." The new Native American Academy, a charter school to be housed at Wilson Middle School, plans to fill that gap. Academy officials said they will hire a Navajo teacher. The academy is scheduled to open in August with 100 sixth- and seventh-graders. Academy organizers plan to tap the American Indian teaching talent being developed at UNM. "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." Johnson intends to apply for UNM's American Indian Education Scholarship to pay for expenses while she pursues a master's degree. The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. Suina said scholarships and workshops have drawn 40 prospective teachers to the program. An additional 20 UNM students are studying American Indian languages. In all, 47 undergraduates and 18 graduate students are enrolled in Suina's Institute of American Indian Education. Also, tribes and pueblos are starting to license their own language teachers under an agreement with the Public Education Department. Johnson was certified by the Navajo Nation to teach Navajo. She also has her elementary-school certification. After two years at of exclusively teaching Navajo at La Mesa, Johnson next year moves into a third-grade classroom at the Northeast Heights school, which counts about 10 percent of its 670 enrollment as American Indian. Johnson's replacement in the La Mesa language program may be recruited from UNM's American Indian scholarship group. She's asking Suina to help her recruit her successor. Unlike her Navajo students, Johnson, 32, spoke her native language before she went to preschool. At Head Start in Arizona, she learned English and by first grade was communicating in English with her teachers. "Prior to this, it was a hit-and-miss program," Suina said of training American Indian teachers, especially those wanting to teach their native languages. Federal funding for such training dried up in 1982. "Native languages were not viewed on the same level as foreign languages," he said. "They were treated as second class." Brett Morgan (top left), 11, breathes in incense during a ceremony before he participates with the La Mesa Sharks drum group. The Sharks and the La Mesa Fancy Shawl dancers performed at Wilson Middle School earlier this month. (Steven St. John/Tribune) The Indian Education Act adopted in New Mexico in 1998 fueled the effort to serve American Indians, Suina said. At UNM, students can study Keres, the language of six pueblos, including Suina's Cochiti Pueblo; Tewa, the language of six northern pueblos; Tiwa, the language of four pueblos, including those closest to Albuquerque, Sandia and Isleta; and Zunian, the language of the Zuni Pueblo. Also, they can study the Athebascan family of languages spoken by Navajos and the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apaches. At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. The pueblo intends to hire a third teacher and is working with the Bernalillo Public Schools to offer the Tiwa language, said Gov. Lawrence Gutierrez. Thirty-five percent to 50 percent of tribal members speak their native language. The pueblo wants to make sure the language stays alive, Gutierrez said. "As we lose our seniors, we can't replace them," he said. Native languages in the middle schools have been missed by American Indian families. "The first attention it's getting is from the new charter," UNM's Suina said. "No one in the middle schools even asked for our assistance until now." UNM and the charter school will complement each other, he said. "The school came to us and we're going to be working out the details. We have every intention to use it as a laboratory." Native American Academy founder Kara Bobroff said the university is a welcome resource for the new school. Suina and Johnson were among consultants called on to help develop the charter school. Johnson is one of three Navajo language teachers in the elementary schools. She doesn't blame Navajo parents for not teaching their native language to their children. Most of them didn't learn it themselves and are now afraid of losing it, she said. Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. She said the student attended one of her classes and "thought it was too hard." During her classes, Johnson rarely speaks a word of English. Her students develop vocabulary through songs, artwork, games, stories and life-skills instruction. Her students will be ready to break the Navajo code for the spring parent program. They'll also introduce themselves and their parents and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Navajo Nation, all in Navajo. Johnson said she is learning what works and what doesn't as she teaches her native language. "In a way, you can say they are my guinea pigs," she said of her Navajo students. Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:19:39 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:19:39 -0700 Subject: fyi... Message-ID: fyi, here is a news tidbit about "talking dictionaries", Phil ~~~ EPTE Newsletter from Japan - Talking Dictionaries Monday, April 24, 2006|EPTE http://www.pcb007.com/anm/templates/article.aspx?articleid=6624&zoneid=145 From lachler at UNM.EDU Tue Apr 25 20:27:42 2006 From: lachler at UNM.EDU (Jordan Lachler) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:27:42 -0800 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <001d01c6689f$5c2fc0c0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: >The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about >description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it >looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, >Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . Trump Tower... you mean that tower that has TRUMP written on it? That one sounds pretty descriptive to me... :) Jordan From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 20:38:17 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 14:38:17 -0600 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.1.20060425122432.0209c6f0@unm.edu> Message-ID: ROTFL. Okay. -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jordan Lachler Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:28 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) >The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about >description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it >looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, >Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . Trump Tower... you mean that tower that has TRUMP written on it? That one sounds pretty descriptive to me... :) Jordan From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Tue Apr 25 21:24:01 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:24:01 -0400 Subject: Names Message-ID: All this technology- another small step on the great road to perdition- I mean 'Terminator' or 'Gray Goo' as you prefer. After all, this is what all this has been about hasn't it? All the greed and hatred and lust and suffering- for what? So the ideas (memes??) that are tired of being shackled to genes can get shiny new housings without all the biochemical garbage and inconvenient fluid emissions. And death. Immaculate Contraption. By-Your-Command.... Jess Tauber From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 22:26:21 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:26:21 -0600 Subject: Bright paper Message-ID: Hi, people. Here is the link to the paper about a trilingual analysis of Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk that Andre sent us the abstract for this morning: http://www.ncidc.org/bright/berkeley03-1-30.doc It is a pretty good paper. Dr. Bright writes beautifully. Its short and easy to read. It's even fun. :-) Mia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Apr 25 22:35:30 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:35:30 -0700 Subject: Bright paper In-Reply-To: <007301c668b7$4b0c9ee0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: William Bright Professor Emeritus of Linguistics & Anthropology, UCLA Professor Adjoint of Linguistics, University of Colorado, Boulder Editor, Written Language and Literacy Editor, Native American Placenames of the United States 1625 Mariposa Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302 Tel. 303-444-4274 * FAX 303-413-0017 Email william.bright at colorado.edu http://www.ncidc.org/bright/ This is the home page for my publications and ongoing research which I want to make available to the general public. It contains a copy of my resum? (CV), a list of published works, some unpublished pieces, and some supplementary items that complement both published and unpublished work. INcluding: * Resum? (CV) * Personal bibliography * Essays * Supplementary material (new IJAL index) * Karuk language section * Links to other relevant sites On Apr 25, 2006, at 3:26 PM, Mia Kalish wrote: Hi, people. Here is the link to the paper about a trilingual analysis of Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk that Andre sent us the abstract for this morning: http://www.ncidc.org/bright/berkeley03-1-30.doc It is a pretty good paper. Dr. Bright writes beautifully. Its short and easy to read. It?s even fun. J Mia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 22:49:11 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:49:11 -0600 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) In-Reply-To: <8C836BC99BD2366-1ACC-3252@FWM-R07.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: I read both articles twice, and I didn't see where they said they were only teaching the language to Native students. However, I was present in the ongoing discussions between the State and Cochiti, and yes, for Cochiti, ONLY Cochiti members learn Cochiti in the schools. Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ann Rowe Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:19 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are there with the idea? If not, why not? Ann -----Original Message----- From: phil cash cash To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran Tribune Reporter April 25, 2006 http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_education/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19857_4649142,0 0.html Navajo Shannon Johnson builds her students' vocabulary with words of the Navajo Code Talkers. Navajo language teacher Shannon Johnson photographs her students performing as the La Mesa Fancy Shawl Dancers in a recent performance at Wilson Middle School. Johnson, who is Navajo, satisfies a growing demand for native language teaching across the city and state, educators say. (Steven St. John/Tribune) NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: La Mesa Elementary Lowell Elementary Painted Sky Elementary Manzano High Rio Grande High West Mesa High Cibola High In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. Source: Albuquerque Public Schools Gah, Dzeh, Wol-la-chee and Be translate to "rabbit," "elk," "ant" and "deer." Her students, all Navajo children who live in Albuquerque, came to school knowing only English. In her La Mesa Elementary School language class, Johnson insists they learn the way their ancestors did. In Navajo. The demand for native languages is growing across the city and state, educators say. But teachers like Johnson are hard to find. The University of New Mexico and the tribes are responding to the demand by training and certifying more American Indians as language teachers. Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. She has 30 minutes a day with them to get the job done. Once they leave her, they are on their own. Few, if any, of their parents know their native language. And Albuquerque Public Schools does not offer any Navajo language classes for middle schoolers. "There's a big gap," Johnson said. "There's nothing in the middle for these students." The new Native American Academy, a charter school to be housed at Wilson Middle School, plans to fill that gap. Academy officials said they will hire a Navajo teacher. The academy is scheduled to open in August with 100 sixth- and seventh-graders. Academy organizers plan to tap the American Indian teaching talent being developed at UNM. "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." Johnson intends to apply for UNM's American Indian Education Scholarship to pay for expenses while she pursues a master's degree. The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. Suina said scholarships and workshops have drawn 40 prospective teachers to the program. An additional 20 UNM students are studying American Indian languages. In all, 47 undergraduates and 18 graduate students are enrolled in Suina's Institute of American Indian Education. Also, tribes and pueblos are starting to license their own language teachers under an agreement with the Public Education Department. Johnson was certified by the Navajo Nation to teach Navajo. She also has her elementary-school certification. After two years at of exclusively teaching Navajo at La Mesa, Johnson next year moves into a third-grade classroom at the Northeast Heights school, which counts about 10 percent of its 670 enrollment as American Indian. Johnson's replacement in the La Mesa language program may be recruited from UNM's American Indian scholarship group. She's asking Suina to help her recruit her successor. Unlike her Navajo students, Johnson, 32, spoke her native language before she went to preschool. At Head Start in Arizona, she learned English and by first grade was communicating in English with her teachers. "Prior to this, it was a hit-and-miss program," Suina said of training American Indian teachers, especially those wanting to teach their native languages. Federal funding for such training dried up in 1982. "Native languages were not viewed on the same level as foreign languages," he said. "They were treated as second class." Brett Morgan (top left), 11, breathes in incense during a ceremony before he participates with the La Mesa Sharks drum group. The Sharks and the La Mesa Fancy Shawl dancers performed at Wilson Middle School earlier this month. (Steven St. John/Tribune) The Indian Education Act adopted in New Mexico in 1998 fueled the effort to serve American Indians, Suina said. At UNM, students can study Keres, the language of six pueblos, including Suina's Cochiti Pueblo; Tewa, the language of six northern pueblos; Tiwa, the language of four pueblos, including those closest to Albuquerque, Sandia and Isleta; and Zunian, the language of the Zuni Pueblo. Also, they can study the Athebascan family of languages spoken by Navajos and the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apaches. At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. The pueblo intends to hire a third teacher and is working with the Bernalillo Public Schools to offer the Tiwa language, said Gov. Lawrence Gutierrez. Thirty-five percent to 50 percent of tribal members speak their native language. The pueblo wants to make sure the language stays alive, Gutierrez said. "As we lose our seniors, we can't replace them," he said. Native languages in the middle schools have been missed by American Indian families. "The first attention it's getting is from the new charter," UNM's Suina said. "No one in the middle schools even asked for our assistance until now." UNM and the charter school will complement each other, he said. "The school came to us and we're going to be working out the details. We have every intention to use it as a laboratory." Native American Academy founder Kara Bobroff said the university is a welcome resource for the new school. Suina and Johnson were among consultants called on to help develop the charter school. Johnson is one of three Navajo language teachers in the elementary schools. She doesn't blame Navajo parents for not teaching their native language to their children. Most of them didn't learn it themselves and are now afraid of losing it, she said. Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. She said the student attended one of her classes and "thought it was too hard." During her classes, Johnson rarely speaks a word of English. Her students develop vocabulary through songs, artwork, games, stories and life-skills instruction. Her students will be ready to break the Navajo code for the spring parent program. They'll also introduce themselves and their parents and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Navajo Nation, all in Navajo. Johnson said she is learning what works and what doesn't as she teaches her native language. "In a way, you can say they are my guinea pigs," she said of her Navajo students. Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Tue Apr 25 23:40:55 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:40:55 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I?m with MJ on this. . . especially about the ?humble?. Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled publication, people who wanted to be published (read ?funded?) needed to comply with Powell?s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization of native peoples in the document is chilling). Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of MJ Hardman Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:02 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. Although I only mention it when pressed ? because of the viciousness and the distortions and the ridicule ? my theoretical construct of the linguistic postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the focus off of vocabulary ? far too easy a game to play ? and onto perceptual patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and singularity don?t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. MJ website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn languages, and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely a historian. But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the debate to which she was referring. In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they determined that math and science would exist separately from other activities in daily life. Just a few random ideas. Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AEROWE at AOL.COM Wed Apr 26 00:18:32 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:18:32 EDT Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (... Message-ID: I took the reading I took from those statements which I have put in bold text from the articles. Those all seemed to indicate that the intention was to teach Navajo to Navajo children. I am still interested in learning why the approach seems to be to restrict the teaching of what are, after all, local area languages only to children of a specific cultural heritage. What is the motivation? What are the goals related to that kind of restriction? I realize this may all sound a bit peculiar, now that I stop and think about it. My intention is not to offend anyone, so perhaps a little detail on me might help? I am working on preparing my prospectus for my Ph.D and it deals with sovereignty issues among indigenous, native peoples in the territory of the present-day United States. As you can imagine - that covers a lot of ground. But it has come to be my opinion that, historically, one of the definitive ways that any sovereign nation defines itself is through its language. Among native peoples, this is coming to be more of an issue for all the reasons noted in the articles that stimulated this discussion. As a consequence, language revitalization has become a vital part of the revitalization and sustenance of all native cultures in the Americas. I would simply like to find out how people think about restricting or not restricting training in a language to members of the native population of the language. It seems a key point in building any thorough thesis of any sort about connections between sovereignty and language. I hope I am making sense. For example - I would love to know how and why the choice about Cochiti was made, Mia...how all of the people involved in the choice felt about the choice. If I have blundered somehow - please accept my apologies. Ann > I read both articles twice, and I didn?t see where they said they were only > teaching the language to Native students. > > However, I was present in the ongoing discussions between the State and > Cochiti, and yes, for Cochiti, ONLY Cochiti members learn Cochiti in the schools. > > > Mia > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of Ann Rowe > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:19 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo > language (fwd) > are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? > > what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be > taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are > there with the idea? If not, why not? > Ann > > -----Original Message----- > From: phil cash cash > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 > Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo > language (fwd) > > An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language > > By Susie Gran > Tribune Reporter > April 25, 2006 > .... > NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS > > Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: > La Mesa Elementary > Lowell Elementary > Painted Sky Elementary > Manzano High > Rio Grande High > West Mesa High > Cibola High > In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle > School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. > Source: Albuquerque Public Schools ... > > Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak > Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. > ... > "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, > director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in > their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." ... > The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public > Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue > teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their > pueblos or tribes. > ... > > At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 > children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. > ... > > Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission > form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. > ... > Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AEROWE at AOL.COM Wed Apr 26 00:23:19 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:23:19 EDT Subject: Names Message-ID: In a message dated 4/25/2006 5:41:43 PM Mountain Standard Time, MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > I?m with MJ on this. . . especially about the ?humble?. > Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his > document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled > publication, people who wanted to be published (read ?funded?) needed to comply with > Powell?s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization of native > peoples in the document is chilling). > Mia > Thank you, Mia - I will try to catch up.... -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From coyotez at UOREGON.EDU Wed Apr 26 00:32:19 2006 From: coyotez at UOREGON.EDU (David Gene Lewis) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:32:19 -0700 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <009001c668c1$b5b93af0$6501a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: Klahowya Tillikums, I have been looking at the Powell's document for years, yes I agree this is the case for how he characterizes Natives and the lack of science and math terms on his form. I'm wondering, has everyone seen one of Powell's forms, I think I have one available on a PDF that I can email to everyone, or those who ask. This is part of the Southwest Oregon Research Project Collection and the PDF was created for the Smith River Rancheria by Humboldt State University from their SWORP materials. Yet another example of how anthropology has biased information about Native peoples and created stereotypes that live on, probably forever, in society. Ie: anthropology creating the stereotypical image of the native as been simple, or recreating the Rousseauian image of the childlike savage. Thanks, David ------------------- > I?m with MJ on this. . . especially about the ?humble?. > > > > Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his > document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled > publication, people who wanted to be published (read ?funded?) needed to > comply with Powell?s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization > of native peoples in the document is chilling). > > > > Mia > > > > _____ > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of MJ Hardman > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:02 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > > > This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. > Although I only mention it when pressed ? because of the viciousness and the > distortions and the ridicule ? my theoretical construct of the linguistic > postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got > seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described > below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting > to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was > working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the > focus off of vocabulary ? far too easy a game to play ? and onto perceptual > patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and > singularity don?t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar > in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the > rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. > > MJ > website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ > > > On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: > > In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, > MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > > Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion > with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely > a historian. > > But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. > The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective > valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than > moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture > which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would > be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if > the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority > culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts > that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in > essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the > debate to which she was referring. > > In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as > simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science > and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage > cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not > require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" > in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its > interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, > construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was > created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European > cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they > determined that math and science would exist separately from other > activities in daily life. > > Just a few random ideas. > > Ann > > > > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 00:38:59 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:38:59 -0600 Subject: An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (... In-Reply-To: <323.335c67e.31801658@aol.com> Message-ID: Hi, Ann, I think your questions are fair. The issues are simply complex. It is probably true that people are teaching Navajo to Navajo children (myself included, except that I teach mostly adults). Here, at least in the Southwest and possibly in all areas of the country, Indigenous peoples are taking control of what?s theirs. There is an enormous sensitivity to having been ripped off, and people don?t want to spend their scarce resources teaching language to non-Tribal members. This is a reasonable way to go, I think. First, there are not many fluent speakers, comparatively. Second, Indigenous languages have been ignored, under-appreciated, and colonized, especially by the curricular materials in schools. Third, Indigenous peoples have different views of sharing their language and culture. Din? is published; Cochiti is protected. There is no ?general? or stereotypical approach to the language and culture issues. Some tribes have a broad, technology-based approach, like the Tsalagi (Cherokee), and some, like the Puebloans, frequently keep what?s theirs to themselves. Also, there was an enormous battle here in New Mexico to have a place for Indigenous languages in schools. Tribes had to fight very hard for that, and now they are fighting to certify their own teachers. The typical educational requirements for teachers that are enforced to not provide good language and culture teachers. Tribes have been fighting, and are still working out the details, for the rights to identify and certify their own teachers. This is all happening in a complex world where some languages, like Puebloan languages, are not written. Others, like Din?, have limited font, spell-check, and grammar checking. If you want a really good, insider-participant?s view, contact Joseph Suina. He was at UNM. I heard he retired. But you should be able to find him. Good luck and don?t hesitate if you have more questions. Mia _____ From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ann Rowe Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 6:19 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (... I took the reading I took from those statements which I have put in bold text from the articles. Those all seemed to indicate that the intention was to teach Navajo to Navajo children. I am still interested in learning why the approach seems to be to restrict the teaching of what are, after all, local area languages only to children of a specific cultural heritage. What is the motivation? What are the goals related to that kind of restriction? I realize this may all sound a bit peculiar, now that I stop and think about it. My intention is not to offend anyone, so perhaps a little detail on me might help? I am working on preparing my prospectus for my Ph.D and it deals with sovereignty issues among indigenous, native peoples in the territory of the present-day United States. As you can imagine - that covers a lot of ground. But it has come to be my opinion that, historically, one of the definitive ways that any sovereign nation defines itself is through its language. Among native peoples, this is coming to be more of an issue for all the reasons noted in the articles that stimulated this discussion. As a consequence, language revitalization has become a vital part of the revitalization and sustenance of all native cultures in the Americas. I would simply like to find out how people think about restricting or not restricting training in a language to members of the native population of the language. It seems a key point in building any thorough thesis of any sort about connections between sovereignty and language. I hope I am making sense. For example - I would love to know how and why the choice about Cochiti was made, Mia...how all of the people involved in the choice felt about the choice. If I have blundered somehow - please accept my apologies. Ann I read both articles twice, and I didn?t see where they said they were only teaching the language to Native students. However, I was present in the ongoing discussions between the State and Cochiti, and yes, for Cochiti, ONLY Cochiti members learn Cochiti in the schools. Mia From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ann Rowe Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:19 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) are they serious about only teaching it to Navajo students? what are your opinions on that idea? Should indigenous languages only be taught to persons of the respective blood heritage? If so, what problems are there with the idea? If not, why not? Ann -----Original Message----- From: phil cash cash To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:11:25 -0700 Subject: [ILAT] An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language (fwd) An American Indian charter school plans to teach Navajo language By Susie Gran Tribune Reporter April 25, 2006 .... NAVAJO TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS Navajo children in these schools are learning their native language: La Mesa Elementary Lowell Elementary Painted Sky Elementary Manzano High Rio Grande High West Mesa High Cibola High In August, the new Native American Academy, to be located at Wilson Middle School, will also offer Navajo language instruction. Source: Albuquerque Public Schools ... Johnson's goal for her Navajo kindergarteners at La Mesa is that they speak Navajo fluently by the time they leave fifth grade. ... "They are asking us for our best and brightest," said Joseph Suina, director of a 2-year-old program designed for American Indians who want to teach in their tribes or pueblos. "We have identified people we'll recommend highly." ... The scholarship program receives $900,000 annually from the Public Education Department for scholarships to encourage American Indians to pursue teaching careers. Those enrolled must spend at least three years teaching in their pueblos or tribes. ... At Sandia Pueblo, two teachers are bringing the Tiwa language to about 80 children in preschool and after-school programs at the pueblo. ... Only one Navajo parent in the past two years did not sign the permission form required to enroll children in Johnson's language classes. ... Copyright 2006, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AEROWE at AOL.COM Wed Apr 26 00:41:52 2006 From: AEROWE at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:41:52 EDT Subject: Names Message-ID: hello, David - I would be very glad to have a copy. Thank you for offering. Ann -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 00:43:12 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:43:12 -0600 Subject: Names In-Reply-To: <200604260032.k3Q0WJFq008996@smtp.uoregon.edu> Message-ID: Holy-schmoly. You don't happen to have the Whole Enchilada, do you? I have the whole descriptive part, on flaming orange paper, no less, but I thought the forms were so lame I wouldn't need them. I copied a few pages for reference, but now, I would love to have all of them. For reference: Powell, J.W. (1880). Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages with words phrases and sentences to be collected (sic.). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of David Gene Lewis Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 6:32 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names Klahowya Tillikums, I have been looking at the Powell's document for years, yes I agree this is the case for how he characterizes Natives and the lack of science and math terms on his form. I'm wondering, has everyone seen one of Powell's forms, I think I have one available on a PDF that I can email to everyone, or those who ask. This is part of the Southwest Oregon Research Project Collection and the PDF was created for the Smith River Rancheria by Humboldt State University from their SWORP materials. Yet another example of how anthropology has biased information about Native peoples and created stereotypes that live on, probably forever, in society. Ie: anthropology creating the stereotypical image of the native as been simple, or recreating the Rousseauian image of the childlike savage. Thanks, David ------------------- > I?m with MJ on this. . . especially about the ?humble?. > > > > Powell, by the way, for Ann, had no categories for math and science in his > document about which words should be collected. Since he controlled > publication, people who wanted to be published (read ?funded?) needed to > comply with Powell?s bigotry. (And Powell WAS a bigot; his characterization > of native peoples in the document is chilling). > > > > Mia > > > > _____ > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of MJ Hardman > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:02 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names > > > > This has been of serious concern to me the whole of my professional life. > Although I only mention it when pressed ? because of the viciousness and the > distortions and the ridicule ? my theoretical construct of the linguistic > postulate is a way to operationalize the Lee-Sapir-Whorf (Dorothy Lee got > seriously written out) in a way that did not lead to the ranking described > below and in a way that seemed to me to get at what they-all were attempting > to make understood. It was also a way for me to discuss the languages I was > working with without getting those ranking reactions. It also takes the > focus off of vocabulary ? far too easy a game to play ? and onto perceptual > patterns. And there, if you please to play the ranking game, linearity and > singularity don?t come off quite so nicely as fat dictionaries do. Grammar > in so many Ndn languages is so beautiful and complex and can leave the > rankers feeling a bit humble. Not bad. > > MJ > website: http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ > > > On 04/25/2006 12:37 PM, "Ann Rowe" wrote: > > In a message dated 4/25/2006 8:02:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, > MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US writes: > > The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them. I would speculate that one of the great difficulties in > revitalization is that American languages are considered "worthless" because > they ostensibly "lack so many concepts". So as you can see, understanding > what Whorf was saying maybe be critical to language revitalization in a lot > of ways: Documentation, conceptualization, analysis. > > I once sent out an email asking if there were math words in ?dn languages, > and you sent back a note telling me that I would be able to find them using > Western concepts and direct translation. This is in fact correct, but what I > began to realize from this and other responses is that despite the vast > physical representation of math and science around us, there is almost none > in the collected languages. And I said, Now why is that? > > > Hello, everyone and I hope you do not mind my barging into this discussion > with a minimally informed opinion. I am not a linguist by training, merely > a historian. > > But the two highlighted sentences in Mia's posting really jumped out at me. > The first clearly and absolutely deals with the question of subjective > valuation by the majority culture in a multicultural society. Rather than > moving toward understanding how those concepts are perceived in the culture > which created the language, and then to an understanding of how they would > be spoken of orally and in written form, the presumption becomes that, if > the concepts are not readily apparent from the presumptions of the majority > culture's interpretation of how they should be presented, they are concepts > that are "absent" from the cultural base of the "other" language. It is, in > essence, cultural imperialism at one of its worst phases as Mia noted in the > debate to which she was referring. > > In relation to the second statement - obviously, the reality could be as > simple as this: perhaps native peoples felt no need to separate out science > and math from the rest of living the way that western European heritage > cultures have. That would, in fact, mean that the language(s) would not > require additional terms. This would be very similar to the idea of "kaona" > in Hawaiian language use - meaning has layers of depth and its > interpretation goes beyond mere comprehension of a single word - context, > construction, and the purpose of the statement (why and for what it was > created) all modify the meaning of that single word. Western European > cultures had to create the words to describe the concepts once they > determined that math and science would exist separately from other > activities in daily life. > > Just a few random ideas. > > Ann > > > > David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From annier at SFU.CA Wed Apr 26 02:35:01 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 19:35:01 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Wed Apr 26 05:28:57 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:28:57 -0400 Subject: Names Message-ID: I discovered a Powell list of Yahgan terms at the Smithsonian or LOC (don't remember which)- again like the grammar manuscript nobody interested in the language knew it was there. It's one of the things I digitally scanned for archival use. I was surprised at how sparse it is. Jess Tauber From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 26 06:13:40 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 23:13:40 -0700 Subject: (Lee)-Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I've been puzzled by something Mia wrote: "The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who spoke them." As someone raised in anthropological linguistics, who had the rare opportunity to study with four of Sapir's students, I've always been interested in this famous hypothesis, and have read a fair amount of the discussion of it, pro and con, but I've never encountered any discussion that would qualify as "vicious", and I certainly have never seen anything that would be detrimental to the view of American languages or their speakers -- quite the contrary, in fact. While the hypothesis has taken an unfortunate beating over some of Whorf's hyper- imaginative interpretation of Hopi, the aim of Sapir's original view was the recognition of the unique genius of each language, whose grammar (and lexicon) channeled learners into perceiving and categorizing their world in ways that were different from those of learners of different languages. Some things CAN be more easily expressed in one language than in another, and some things that are regularly expressed in one language are virtually if not actually ineffable in another language. The first category involves mainly vocabulary, but vocabulary is an important part of the way the speakers of any language categorize their world. Many American languages, for example, have eight different terms for siblings, depending on whether they are male or female, younger or older, and whether the speaker is male or female. English, by contrast, has a very impoverished terminology, distinguishing only male and female. Does this observation "put down" American languages in any way? I hardly think so -- quite the opposite! But this kind of comparison is at the heart of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. A number of American languages have a grammatical category called "evidentials", by which a speaker essentially attests to the observed or hearsay knowledge of a reported event. In such languages, a person cannot even mention something having happened without attesting, by the choice of a grammatical element, whether he or she actually knows it to be true first-hand or only knows it by report or inference. While an English speaker CAN add this infor- mation, if pressed (as in a courtroom), it is not compulsory to be attested for every observation reported. Reporting this fact hardly implies that one is suggesting that American languages are "primitive" -- again, quite the opposite! It is English that comes off the worse in the comparison. But the point is NOT that one language is better or worse than another, but that LANGUAGES DIFFER, and these differences may affect the way that people think about the world around them. It is a view that leads to RESPECT for linguistic differences, and helps English speakers climb out of their linguicentrism and see their own language from a relativistic perspective as one of 6,000 different equally valid ways of talking about the world. This is the real message of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Rudy Troike University of Arizona From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Apr 26 08:01:31 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:01:31 -0700 Subject: Off-the-shelf materials In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Let me reinforce what Annie Ross says, which reflects very accurately the situation of teachers in elementary schools. Some years ago I worked with the Texas Education Agency in developing in-service workshops for teachers to prepare them for new textbooks then being adopted (since dumped by later more conservative state boards of education) which incorporated the latest results of linguistic research. While high shools around the state set up workshops, and we were very busy trying to meet the demand, when the texts for the elementary schools were being adopted two years later, we were ready for a flood of calls, and had workshop materials ready to respond. However, the calls never came, and after we got over the deafening silence, we started calling around ourselves to find out why there were no requests for workshops. The response was that the texts came with teachers' editions, which had all of the guidelines as to how to present each lesson, and activities to do, and the teachers felt that they did not need to know any more than that to get through their days. Sometime later I was at a conference in Arizona, listening to bilingual teachers report on curriculum development projects. On teacher from southern California reported that she and a colleague had worked hard for about three years to develop a large detailed syllabus for the bilingual program, but after three years they had abandoned it and "went with the flow" of just following the materials provided with their textbooks. So even idealistic teachers striving for educational innovation may get worn out after a time and just give up and take the route of least resistance. Obviously the answer is to provide as complete a "turnkey" system as possible if you want it to really be adopted and survive in use. Rudy Troike From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 14:03:57 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:03:57 -0600 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <200604260235.k3Q2Z1Yv002307@rm-rstar.sfu.ca> Message-ID: In critical theory, for which my Department of Education is famous, the unnamed category is the referent against which all others are compared. So when you Name the category, then you create a situation with inhibits the better-worse comparison. I don't have time today to collect the really good references, because I have too much to do, but perhaps later. There is a complex and rich body of literature on the politics of being white. There is, for example, an interesting piece that discusses the "whiteness" in a conceptual battle between the Japanese and the Chinese. Whiteness is political, it is about privilege, it is about expectation, comparison, rates of pay, writing skills, literacy, fluency, who gets listened to. The selections Andre sent yesterday really open up some of the issues around whiteness, but doesn't cover them all. Whiteness has to be seen through the eyes of people who are "not white". Gloria Anzald?a writes extensively on the construction of the Mestizaje; Devon Mihesuah and Linda Tuhiwai Smith write about research conducted by white people in Indigenous communities and the damage that has been done. Mihesuah in some of her edited books, and also people like Vine Deloria, Jr., and Daniel Wildcat write over and over about how white people restrict the developments of an Indigenous canon. The rule is that if there are no Indigenous references, you have to use something else that has been published. Since most "white" writing is considered outsider writing, and Indigenous people are very unhappy at having been misrepresented and having their spiritual ceremonies appropriated - by white people. Perhaps you should look up some of these writers, and read what they have to say. You could also look at some of the critical theorists. Sandy Grande (Quecha) is a Red pedagogist; read what she has to say. Read almost anything by DeLoria, Jr. Better yet, get yourself a copy of Genocide of the Mind, and read what the people have to say. I think if you do this, then the application of the term "white" will move from a simple labeling to a complex discussional area the encompasses issues of power, privilege, gate-keeping, suppression, and colonization. I would like to say before ending, Annie, that my comments are meant kindly. I have written a lot, some of it very briefly, and I am extremely busy today, so I apologize in advance if anything sounds abrupt or critical. Best always, Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of annie ross Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 8:35 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) please stop labeling people 'white', what does it mean? anyway?, or 'priveledged', all westerners are 'priveledged', relatively speaking on a global scale, or 'unaware'. not true that all 'whites' are p and u. and awareness is certainly relative. an aware person, arguably, does not waste time compartmentalizing others into categories in order to dismiss their value. Pulllleeeeeeeez ( a word for my linguist brothers and sisters) try to not label, when labeling de-humanizes, no... i should say, de-spiritualizes others. human-made classifications muddy the clear stream. we have so much work to do. and people who can be labeled 'white' and 'priveledged' and 'unaware' have done good work and do matter in the grand scheme of things. thank you for the favor. a On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:35:02 -0600 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: > This is a wondrous event, is it not? > > Here on the Indigenous Languages and Technologies list, we are actually > talking about how and why bad things have happened to ?dn people, ?dn > languages and ?dn cultures and why white people seem to be totally and > blithely unaware (or in serious denial) that they had anything to do with > it. > > One link came through Richard's post . . . > > One of the experiments I did in psychology presented a text on place names > to people who had Masters and PhD degrees, so there could be no argument > about their reading and comprehension skills. In the text, I changed the > expected order of English/other languages by using the local Indigenous > place name in the text, and putting the English name in parenthesis. Do you > know that the participants couldn?t name the places? > > The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about > description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it > looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's Ferry, > Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . > > Mia > > -----Original Message----- > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] > On Behalf Of phil cash cash > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:14 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) > > Dear ILAT, > > gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White > privilege" here.. ;-) > later, Phil > > On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > > White Privilege > > > annie g. ross First Nations Studies School for the Contemporary Arts Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6 annier at sfu.ca Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Wed Apr 26 14:57:49 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:57:49 -0600 Subject: Excerpt from Genocide of the Mind Message-ID: This is a selection from Carol Snow Moon Bachnofer (pp. 141-147); she is Abenaki, and lives in New England, where I was born. Watch what happens in this selection in her interaction with people in the ?unnamed category?. But I am still discriminated against at every turn. Four years ago, I was registering at a local college for a couple of classes I needed to complete a degree program. I dutifully and proudly checked the box ?Native American Indian? and presented the forms to the lady at the registration window. She took and eraser and unchecked the box, checking instead ?Caucasian.? I must have checked the box in error and she had fixed that for me. I told her I had not made an error, and she said, Well, you don?t look Indian.? No beads, feathers, or hooked nose: obviously not Indian. I offered to go to my car and bring her my Jay Treaty papers, to show here that the United States government had admitted that I am Abenaki, authentic as Sitting Bull. I told her I smoked a pipe like my great-grandmother and that I didn?t wear y feathers around campus. My level of sarcasm was rising by the minute along with my level of hurt. She grudgingly changed the form. Now in graduate school, I am planning to write my thesis on the Native poets of the northeastern tribes. I want to show that they are not second-class citizens in the world of literary accomplishment or talent. This school is prestigious and is located in an area fairly near where the Abenaki live. It amazed me, however, that no one there seemed aware that there are any Indians anywhere close by. In fact, the former governor of Vermont had recently asserted that ?there are no Abenakis in Vermont today, only Vermonters.? His weak and demeaning remarks may be interpreted by some to be generous and inclusive. But they are the same disclaiming and wounding remarks as ever. They are remarks that serve to wipe out a culture. Despite the proximity of this college to tribal lands and Abenaki people, and despite my assertion that I have a responsibility to my culture,, of the college I attend, the faculty adviser to whom I first mentioned the proposed topic failed to see its importance or seriousness. He attempted to hold me off from getting started on it, and referred to it as my ?little Native American project.? At one point he actually told me that I didn?t have a proper grasp on how to write within the culture, suggesting changes that made the poem distinctly white in outlook and style. Age fifty-six and still the discrimination, the cultural genocide, continue. . . . I can also share my person experiences. I am Eastern European Jewish and Irish. Lots of people like to think that the Irish and Jews are ?white?. I don?t ascribe to that, because I don?t like being co-opted. Also, it was my father?s desperate wish to be ?American? that caused me not to learn my grandmother?s Eastern European languages. The battle wasn?t won easily: At 3 and a half, I stopped speaking to my father for four months. When I came to New Mexico, I was stunned that Din? and Apache people couldn?t create modern documents in their languages because there was no support in terms of easily accessible fonts, or spell-checking or grammar checking, so I started developing the technology. My department, which like I said is famous for its Critical Pedagogy, has sent ?messages? to let me know that my moral and intellectual character are suspect because I work with Indian tribes. New Mexico is 55.5% non-White, 10.5% Native American, 42% Hispanic, less than 2% Black, and less than 3% Asian/Pacific Islander. In this state, with this demographic, in a land grant institution, in a department famous for its Critical Theory, I am pressured to ascribe to the ways and means of the dominant WHITE culture. I don?t THINK so. Does any of this help, Annie? Really going now, Mia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From annier at SFU.CA Wed Apr 26 18:09:00 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:09:00 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET Wed Apr 26 18:42:25 2006 From: pasxapu at DAKOTACOM.NET (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:42:25 -0700 Subject: ILAT discussions... Message-ID: ta'ts halaXp, (good day!), I appreciate very much the recent discussions that are presently taking place on ILAT. As many of you know, ILAT is an unmoderated list and, only in the past year or so, ILAT has become an engaging/ great place to discuss ideas relating to technology, indigenous languages, and language revitalization. In my capacity as list manager, however, I wish to request that a discussion thread be ended or come to its natural conclusion: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) To the brilliant minds found only here on ILAT, thanks! Phil Cash Cash ILAT listserv mg -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hardman at UFL.EDU Wed Apr 26 18:50:37 2006 From: hardman at UFL.EDU (MJ Hardman) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:50:37 -0400 Subject: (Lee)-Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis In-Reply-To: <20060425231340.h02ssc0gcw8oooks@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Thank you for the lovely statement. I also studied with a student of Sapir's and you state clearly exactly what I learned, and have lived. If you have managed to avoid the viciousness Mia refers to, I would say very very lucky you. A great deal of it has reached us, both myself and the people I work with, and yes, it continues. Some popular theories of linguistics through out entirely the position you articulate, as you must be aware. I feel fortunate in my preparation, and that there still are some of us anthropological linguists about -- preparing some for the future. MJ On 04/26/2006 2:13 AM, "Rudy Troike" wrote: > I've been puzzled by something Mia wrote: > > "The discussion of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was vicious, is still ongoing, > and is very detrimental to the view of American languages and the people who > spoke them." > > As someone raised in anthropological linguistics, who had the rare opportunity > to study with four of Sapir's students, I've always been interested in this > famous hypothesis, and have read a fair amount of the discussion of it, > pro and > con, but I've never encountered any discussion that would qualify as > "vicious", > and I certainly have never seen anything that would be detrimental to the view > of American languages or their speakers -- quite the contrary, in fact. While > the hypothesis has taken an unfortunate beating over some of Whorf's hyper- > imaginative interpretation of Hopi, the aim of Sapir's original view was the > recognition of the unique genius of each language, whose grammar (and lexicon) > channeled learners into perceiving and categorizing their world in ways that > were different from those of learners of different languages. Some things CAN > be more easily expressed in one language than in another, and some things that > are regularly expressed in one language are virtually if not actually > ineffable > in another language. > > The first category involves mainly vocabulary, but vocabulary is an > important part of the way the speakers of any language categorize their > world. Many American languages, for example, have eight different terms > for siblings, depending on whether they are male or female, younger or > older, and whether the speaker is male or female. English, by contrast, > has a very impoverished terminology, distinguishing only male and female. > Does this observation "put down" American languages in any way? I hardly > think so -- quite the opposite! But this kind of comparison is at the > heart of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. A number of American languages > have a grammatical category called "evidentials", by which a speaker > essentially attests to the observed or hearsay knowledge of a reported > event. In such languages, a person cannot even mention something having > happened without attesting, by the choice of a grammatical element, > whether he or she actually knows it to be true first-hand or only knows > it by report or inference. While an English speaker CAN add this infor- > mation, if pressed (as in a courtroom), it is not compulsory to be > attested for every observation reported. Reporting this fact hardly > implies that one is suggesting that American languages are "primitive" > -- again, quite the opposite! It is English that comes off the worse > in the comparison. But the point is NOT that one language is better > or worse than another, but that LANGUAGES DIFFER, and these differences > may affect the way that people think about the world around them. It > is a view that leads to RESPECT for linguistic differences, and helps > English speakers climb out of their linguicentrism and see their own > language from a relativistic perspective as one of 6,000 different > equally valid ways of talking about the world. This is the real message > of the Lee-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. > > Rudy Troike > University of Arizona > From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Wed Apr 26 19:39:12 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:39:12 -0400 Subject: (Lee)-Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Message-ID: It is a sad fact that diversity often seems to attract negative agendas, either to be exploited for divisive purposes, or calls for wiping it out in the name of irrational uniformity. Victims justifiably become very wary, when they should be able to celebrate their uniqueness. Though interested in AI/NLP I cut my first linguistic teeth on the dusty works of Whorf, Sapir, Boaz, Newman, Haas, Reichard and others of that tradition- this experience strongly shaped the way I look at language, despite the best efforts of the formalist purists. As such I at least like to think of myself as an adopted child of the Sapir lineage. Jess Tauber From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Thu Apr 27 07:19:22 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 00:19:22 -0700 Subject: New language group Message-ID: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NativeAmericanLanguageandPodcastCenter/ ...if you want to learn an Indigenous Language or can help to teach a Language...please join and help this group to literally spread the word...make podcasts for use by others...share links and language sources...practice your native tongue...it is very important as when a people lose their language...all else is lost forever in short time...and then we have no rights to anything... Mike Price From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Apr 27 16:00:56 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:00:56 -0700 Subject: Mohawk land dispute Message-ID: A friend of mine living in Europe asked I had heard about a current land dispute between the 6-nations and some developers in Ontario. Does anyone have details about these events? thanks, Shannon __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From delancey at UOREGON.EDU Thu Apr 27 16:12:57 2006 From: delancey at UOREGON.EDU (Scott DeLancey) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:12:57 -0700 Subject: Mohawk land dispute In-Reply-To: <20060427090056.f66i8s80k004sk8c@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Do a Google search for Douglas Creek Estates occupation and you'll find lots of details. Scott DeLancey On Thu, 27 Apr 2006, s.t. bischoff wrote: > A friend of mine living in Europe asked I had heard about a current land dispute > between the 6-nations and some developers in Ontario. Does anyone have details > about these events? > > thanks, > Shannon > > __________________________ > S.T. Bischoff > PhD Candidate > Department of Linguistics > 1100 E. University Blvd > University of Arizona > Tucson, AZ 85721 > USA > > bischoff at email.arizona.edu > From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:01:23 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:01:23 -0700 Subject: Missionaries see no reason for expulsion from Venezuela (fwd) Message-ID: Posted on Wed, Apr. 26, 2006 Missionaries see no reason for expulsion from Venezuela BY STEVEN DUDLEY Knight Ridder Newspapers http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/world/14431793.htm CARACAS, Venezuela - If there was ever anything sinister about Florida-based Christian missionaries working with indigenous tribes in southern Venezuela, it remains unknown to them. Venezuela's government ordered the expulsion of close to 50 missionaries from the region earlier this year after accusing members of the New Tribes Mission, headquartered in Sanford, Fla., of spying and seeking to exploit its natural resources. Opponents of President Hugo Chavez speculate that it's the government that wants uninhibited access to natural resources in the area, notably uranium it might want to sell to Iran. More likely, it appears the missionaries may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time - Americans working in a remote jungle in a country ruled by Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S. government who has repeatedly accused Washington of plotting to oust and even assassinate him. "I wasn't angry," said Steve Sanford, a New Tribes missionary who has worked for 12 years with the Joti tribe in the tiny settlement of Cano Iguana in the southern state of Amazonas. "I just felt like someone had given false information to the government." "It hurt in the sense that none of it was true," the Pennsylvania native added during a telephone interview from the city of Puerto Ordaz where he was awaiting a legal appeal to the expulsion order. "We'd been living there for many years. The Joti people, if anyone had asked them, they would get plenty of evidence to suggest that none of what they were saying about us was true," he added. Sanford and his family have since returned to the United States to visit relatives. New Tribes missionaries have been in the Amazonas region for nearly 60 years helping to build homes, supplying medicines, teaching reading and writing, and translating the Bible into the local language, Sanford said. Three other missionary groups, including an offshoot of New Tribes, have also worked in the region. Some remain, hoping to avoid the order expelling their missionary neighbors. Chavez, a leftist-populist elected in 1998, has long been suspicious of the United States and anything related to it. He has accused Washington of fomenting insurrection against him and participating in a coup in 2002 that briefly ousted him. Chavez got further fodder for his cause in August last year when televangelist Pat Robertson suggested that the U.S. government should assassinate him. The Bush administration has accused Chavez of undermining democratic institutions at home and clandestinely supporting leftists abroad. Further worries surround Chavez's support of Iran, suspected of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Some Venezuelans claim uranium can be found in southern Venezuela, but there's been no evidence to support that claim. New Tribes missionaries are not the only ones who have found themselves in the middle of this political maelstrom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pulled its 220 American missionaries out last year because they were having trouble getting visas, and other groups are contemplating similar moves. But New Tribes seems to be bearing the brunt of the government's attacks. Chavez called New Tribes an "organization of imperialist penetration," while Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel went a step further. "If there was suspicion here about exploiting uranium, one would have to think about the New Tribes, who were led by the North Americans," Rangel said recently. "It seems that there was uranium trafficking, and no one ever mentioned it." Sanford says Venezuelan military personnel last year inspected the area where he, his wife and three boys lived. They were "cordial, very professional" and gathered information on literacy rates and medical needs of the community. Sanford heard only later about the accusations of spying - via the rudimentary Internet service he gets using shortwave radio signals. "My personal reaction was that I wish that somebody would actually find out what we're doing and take an honest look at what we've done there and our presence with the people and if it was positive," he said. What they were doing, according to Sanford, was combining social projects with Bible study. He added that contrary to accusations of cultural imperialism, New Tribes did not force indigenous people to accept the Bible or its teachings. "They don't view us as foreigners or some outside presence that try to control their lives," he said, referring to the Joti. "They view us as friends. They have a tremendous respect for us because we gave them the opportunity to hear this message, and that is what they embrace." A local Joti leader told the Associated Press earlier this year that his people saw the missionaries as "neighbors," and there were media reports of marches in the region to protest the missionaries' expulsion. But in November, after the Venezuelan military visited the indigenous tribes, it concluded that New Tribes was trying to create a "new culture in the region." "It's as if there was a state inside a state," said a military report, published on a section of an armed forces website dealing with the New Tribes missionaries. The government has since said it will start its own social programs for the indigenous people, replacing the missionary groups. New Tribes missionaries, meanwhile, have filed an appeal against the expulsion order and are awaiting a verdict from the Supreme Court, widely regarded as controlled by Chavez supporters. "I still have hope," Sanford said. "But I'm not optimistic." ? 2006 KRT Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.grandforks.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:03:57 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:03:57 -0700 Subject: UA launches Web site geared toward American Indians (fwd) Message-ID: UA LAUNCHES WEB SITE GEARED TOWARD AMERICAN INDIANS HOLLY WELLS POSTED: 4/26/06 http://wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/04/26/News/Ua.Launches.Web.Site.Geared.Toward.American.Indians-1877908.shtml?norewrite200604272001&sourcedomain=wildcat.arizona.edu Watching speeches from tribal leaders, connecting through video conferences and accessing research on American Indians is now made possible by a new UA sponsored Web site. ArizonaNativeNet was launched last week and has the goal of connecting the research and resources available at various academic programs at the UA with American Indian nations throughout Arizona and the U.S., said Robert Williams Jr., a UA law professor and director of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the James E. Rogers College of Law. The site is also dedicated to nation building and the higher educational needs of American Indians. The Web site, arizonanativenet.com, contains breaking news, simulcasts and videotaped lectures, workshops and conferences, up-to-date research, and resources on American Indian governance, law, health, education, language and culture. The site is targeted to tribal leaders, policymakers, students, educators and the general public, Williams said. "It can serve all audiences, from university students to high school teachers to tribal leaders," he said. It took more than a year to make the Web site, which was designed by a team of distinguished faculty, academic professionals, and information and technology specialists. It was made possible in part by a congressional grant. The creation and launch of the site has been a universitywide effort, Williams said. Two highly regarded UA Native American academic programs led the effort: the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management and Policy and the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program. The vice president for Research Native Programs Collaborative, an effort to improve university services and outreach to American Indian communities, has provided and contributed to much of the educational and distance-learning content on the site, Williams said. The site features a lecture series made up of scholars, experts, policymakers and tribal leaders brought to the UA by several academic programs on campus. The site also features a database that will include information on grants, research and outreach programs benefiting American Indians. Louellyn White, an American Indian studies graduate student, begin working on the site in January and said the best thing about it is that there will be an abundance of material available in one place. "Tribal communities are often left behind when it comes to technology, information and research results," she said. "(The site) will help them stay informed on the issues that effect their lives." The digital divide may prevent many on the reservations from being able to regularly access the site, but Williams said many reservations have or will soon have such access. The committee that launched the site is also working on securing grants to help American Indian nations gain broadband access, Williams said. "The Internet can be a tool of tribal sovereignty," he said. "It can bring cutting edge research and information to the reservations." Although other groups, such as rural communities, are in need of a similar online resource, the UA decided to target the American Indian community because UA has a national reputation for research in that area, Williams said. So far the Web site has gotten a positive response, with hits coming from on and off campus. "It's a great resource up and down. There's really nothing like it anywhere in the world," Williams said. Ian Record of the Native Nations Institute agreed the Web site is the first of it's kind. He said there were several entities on campus doing proactive work on American Indian issues, but said the work was not being communicated to the nations. "The site addresses the unique challenges and unique circumstances of Native nations," he said. "Ideally it will be a two way street with native communities speaking to the university." Record said the Web site also has a goal of helping to recruit American Indian students and of improving their retention rates at the UA. The Web site is still being worked on, and Record said he envisions American Indian students one day being able to talk to their friends and family at home via videoconference. This will help with homesickness because many American Indians find the university atmosphere to be very different and sometimes overwhelming, he said. "We want them to become more comfortable and to not feel so far away from home," he said. Another benefit of the videoconferencing would be that tribal leaders would be able to access the indigenous law faculty in real time, saving time and money. Record said the Web site will not just feature UA research and projects but will have the best research and resources on American Indians regardless of where it comes from. "Knowledge will flow both ways," he said. "It'll be a hub for native people everywhere." ------------------------- ? Copyright 2006 Arizona Daily Wildcat -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:06:13 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:06:13 -0700 Subject: Kangke Aborigines protest exam policy (fwd) Message-ID: Kangke Aborigines Protest Exam Policy By Jean Lin Aborigines from Kangke (寒溪) Village, who are a branch of northern Taiwan's Atayal tribe, protested last week against the Council of Indigenous People's tribal language examination policy, requesting that the Kangke dialect be included. The Kangke dialect has long been different from other Atayal languages because it was influenced by the Japanese language during the period of Japanese occupation. The council plans to begin tribal language examinations next year, yet the Kangke dialect is not listed as one of the official dialects of the Atayal tribe, said Fang Hsi-en (方喜恩), an indigenous rights activist. In the examination policy, the Kangke dialect is incorporated into the Squliq and the C'uli' dialects. Fang said that to pass the tribal language exams, students in Kangke Village must now study either the Squliq or the C'uli' dialects using a romanized spelling system because the Kangke dialect is nothing like them. For high school and college entrance exams, an extra 25 percent is added to the total scores of indigenous students to encourage further education, according to Ministry of Education regulations. If the tribal language exam is carried out as planned next year, students who pass will have an additional 10 percent added to their entrance exam scores, making it a total of 35 percent extra overall. Fang said that the system was unfair for Kangke students because the council did not classify their dialect as an official one. He said the tribal language examination should not be linked with entrance exams scores in any way. Lee Su-min (李淑敏), the head of the Parent-Teacher Association at Kangke Elementary School, said that such a classification also stunted the preservation of the dialect and the Kangke culture. Tribal language exams, if indeed necessary, should be conducted by the tribes or villages themselves instead of by the government, Fang said. He said that the education ministry was in a hurry to promote native language education, but many Aboriginal dialects are still neglected. In response to the protests, Wang Chiui (汪秋一), the director of the Department of Education and Culture at the council, said that the tribal language examination policy is still being discussed with the education ministry. But the goal of the language examination was to promote tribal language education, Wang said. Wang reminded the protestors that the language exam was in fact oral and that he would request that the council include the Kangke dialect in the exam. If included, a representative from the village will also be invited to be an oral examiner, he said. Source:Taipei Times(2006/04/25 12:30:29) URL:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/04/25/2003304443[1] Find this article at: http://english.www.gov.tw//TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=10&recordid=93949[2] Links: ------ [1] http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/04/25/2003304443 [2] http://english.www.gov.tw//TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=10&recordid=93949 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Apr 28 00:15:26 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:15:26 -0700 Subject: Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) Message-ID: Race Relations in New Zealand Chris Ford - 4/24/2006 http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1740&cid=9&sid=0 ~~~ [ILAT note: this interesting article may fit in with some of the recent discussions on "privilege" & language etc., but maybe at a larger scale. the article is a bit long so i included only the link, pcc] From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Apr 28 00:59:30 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:59:30 -0700 Subject: Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) In-Reply-To: <20060427171526.9ymg7k8k8k8wo0sg@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: There ya go, trying to make us think, dont wanna, cant make me. (big lol) On Apr 27, 2006, at 5:15 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Race Relations in New Zealand Chris Ford - 4/24/2006 http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1740&cid=9&sid=0 ~~~ [ILAT note: this interesting article may fit in with some of the recent discussions on "privilege" & language etc., but maybe at a larger scale. the article is a bit long so i included only the link, pcc] From MBuckner at MISSOURISTATE.EDU Fri Apr 28 14:15:51 2006 From: MBuckner at MISSOURISTATE.EDU (Margaret Buckner) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 09:15:51 -0500 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: <200604261809.k3QI90Yu026804@rm-rstar.sfu.ca> Message-ID: Mia, No we don't all know this already! I have learned more from you, and the discussions you start/keep going, on this list-serv in the past couple years than in years of book-learning and academia. We all have compartmentalized bits of knowledge, but we all have gaps, as well. Thanks for helping to fill mine, and please keep doing so! Margaret Buckner Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Missouri State University 901 S. National Ave. Springfield, MO 65897 (417) 836-6165 mbuckner at missouristate.edu On 4/26/06 1:09 PM, "annie ross" wrote: > > mia > > we all know this already. > > don't think you are the only one who knows anything. > > annie > > On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:03:57 -0600 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: >> In critical theory, for which my Department of Education is >> famous, >> the unnamed category is the referent against which all others are > compared. >> So when you Name the category, then you create a situation with >> inhibits the >> better-worse comparison. >> >> I don't have time today to collect the really good references, because I >> have too much to do, but perhaps later. >> >> There is a complex and rich body of literature on the politics of being >> white. There is, for example, an interesting piece that discusses the >> "whiteness" in a conceptual battle between the Japanese and the Chinese. >> >> Whiteness is political, it is about privilege, it is about expectation, >> comparison, rates of pay, writing skills, literacy, fluency, who gets >> listened to. The selections Andre sent yesterday really open up some of > the >> issues around whiteness, but doesn't cover them all. Whiteness has to be >> seen through the eyes of people who are "not white". Gloria Anzald?a > writes >> extensively on the construction of the Mestizaje; Devon Mihesuah and Linda >> Tuhiwai Smith write about research conducted by white people in Indigenous >> communities and the damage that has been done. Mihesuah in some of her >> edited books, and also people like Vine Deloria, Jr., and Daniel Wildcat >> write over and over about how white people restrict the developments of an >> Indigenous canon. The rule is that if there are no Indigenous references, >> you have to use something else that has been published. Since most "white" >> writing is considered outsider writing, and Indigenous people are very >> unhappy at having been misrepresented and having their spiritual > ceremonies >> appropriated - by white people. >> >> Perhaps you should look up some of these writers, and read what they >> have to >> say. You could also look at some of the critical theorists. Sandy Grande >> (Quecha) is a Red pedagogist; read what she has to say. Read almost >> anything >> by DeLoria, Jr. Better yet, get yourself a copy of Genocide of the >> Mind, and >> read what the people have to say. >> >> I think if you do this, then the application of the term "white" will move >> from a simple labeling to a complex discussional area the encompasses >> issues >> of power, privilege, gate-keeping, suppression, and colonization. >> >> I would like to say before ending, Annie, that my comments are meant >> kindly. >> I have written a lot, some of it very briefly, and I am extremely busy >> today, so I apologize in advance if anything sounds abrupt or critical. >> >> Best always, >> Mia >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology >> [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] >> On Behalf Of annie ross >> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 8:35 PM >> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU >> Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) >> >> >> please stop labeling people 'white', what does it mean? anyway?, or >> 'priveledged', all westerners are 'priveledged', relatively speaking on a >> global scale, or 'unaware'. not true that all 'whites' are p and u. and >> awareness is certainly relative. an aware person, arguably, does not > waste >> time compartmentalizing others into categories in order to dismiss their >> value. >> >> Pulllleeeeeeeez ( a word for my linguist brothers and sisters) try to not >> label, when labeling de-humanizes, no... i should say, de-spiritualizes >> others. >> human-made classifications muddy the clear stream. >> we have so much work to do. >> and people who can be labeled 'white' and 'priveledged' and 'unaware' have >> done good work and do matter in the grand scheme of things. >> >> thank you for the favor. >> >> a >> >> >> On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:35:02 -0600 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: >>> This is a wondrous event, is it not? >>> >>> Here on the Indigenous Languages and Technologies list, we are actually >>> talking about how and why bad things have happened to ?dn people, ?dn >>> languages and ?dn cultures and why white people seem to be totally and >>> blithely unaware (or in serious denial) that they had anything to do > with >>> it. >>> >>> One link came through Richard's post . . . >>> >>> One of the experiments I did in psychology presented a text on place >> names >>> to people who had Masters and PhD degrees, so there could be no argument >>> about their reading and comprehension skills. In the text, I changed the >>> expected order of English/other languages by using the local Indigenous >>> place name in the text, and putting the English name in parenthesis. Do >> you >>> know that the participants couldn?t name the places? >>> >>> The other thing I noticed is that Indigenous names are all about >>> description, so you might actually have a clue about the place, how it >>> looks, what you do there. White names are all about people, Brown's >> Ferry, >>> Trump Tower, Camp David . . . . >>> >>> Mia >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology >>> [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] >>> On Behalf Of phil cash cash >>> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:14 PM >>> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU >>> Subject: Re: [ILAT] Names (White Privilege) >>> >>> Dear ILAT, >>> >>> gee, I must have missed the suttle link between "Names" and "White >>> privilege" here.. ;-) >>> later, Phil >>> >>> On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:35 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: >>> >>>> White Privilege >>>> >>> >> >> >> annie g. ross >> First Nations Studies >> School for the Contemporary Arts >> Simon Fraser University >> 8888 University Drive >> Burnaby, British Columbia >> V5A 1S6 >> annier at sfu.ca >> Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 >> > > > annie g. ross > First Nations Studies > School for the Contemporary Arts > Simon Fraser University > 8888 University Drive > Burnaby, British Columbia > V5A 1S6 > annier at sfu.ca > Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 From aerowe at AOL.COM Fri Apr 28 15:38:41 2006 From: aerowe at AOL.COM (Ann Rowe) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:38:41 -0400 Subject: Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Since you do not know me, I am giving you forewarning - my tongue is firmly placed in my cheek as I make the following statement in a joking fashion: Among linguists, I gather that "end the discussion" really means "let's talk about this in a different fashion." No offense intended - just teasing you all a bit... Ann -----Original Message----- From: Andre Cramblit To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Sent: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:59:30 -0700 Subject: Re: [ILAT] Race Relations in New Zealand (fwd link) There ya go, trying to make us think, dont wanna, cant make me. (big lol) On Apr 27, 2006, at 5:15 PM, phil cash cash wrote: Race Relations in New Zealand Chris Ford - 4/24/2006 http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1740&cid=9&sid=0 ~~~ [ILAT note: this interesting article may fit in with some of the recent discussions on "privilege" & language etc., but maybe at a larger scale. the article is a bit long so i included only the link, pcc] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From coyotez at UOREGON.EDU Fri Apr 28 16:13:25 2006 From: coyotez at UOREGON.EDU (David Gene Lewis) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 09:13:25 -0700 Subject: Names (White Privilege) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Klahowya Tillikums, This has been an inciteful and inspiring thread, I have enjoyed it immensely. This thread will, annonymously, probably join a future class as a good example of "understandings" of white privilege in the scientific community. It will go great along with my Anthropology privilege and the disempowerment of Native communities presentations. Students need to learn these issues early so we have progress in the future. I personally am happy to put the thread to rest as I don't think this can be taught over email. My wife teaches a very detailed Sociology Race class which has content such as mentioned on this thread. She was very interested in the thread as well. Thank you for your perspectives, I too have learned much and I would like to echo Phil's suggestion that the discussion end here. I feel the issues are too complex for this forum and this will lead to misunderstandings and divisions if it continues. David Lewis Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon David Lewis University of Oregon Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde From Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU Fri Apr 28 17:14:57 2006 From: Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU (Jon Reyhner) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 10:14:57 -0700 Subject: Language and Teaching Mathematics In-Reply-To: <007501c66550$8427aea0$6401a8c0@LFPMia> Message-ID: The most recent issue of the Journal of American Indian Education (Vol. 44, No. 3, 2005) is edited by Jerry Lipka and his colleagues and has four articles on teaching mathematics in a culturally responsive way in Alaska. Jon Reyhner Northern Arizona University http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar Mia Kalish wrote: > People don?t seem to realize that when you teach something, it really, > really, really needs to relate to Something. > > > > I watch people try to teach mathematics in abstraction . . . as if the > abstractions were born independent of the hundreds of years of stories > and references that provided the objects-to-think-with. Of course it > fails J > > > > It?s not funny that it fails, just that people who have gone through > years of education to be teachers have somehow missed the fact that our > ?knowledge? relates to our worlds. Yes, multiple worlds. > > > > Gary Witherspoon writes wonderfully on this, not the topic of > mathematics exactly, but on the topic of how information and knowledge > makes sense within the culture where it is happening (like Din? and > mathematics, for example) but not from the culture from which it is > being observed. I wonder where he is now (he was at Rough Rock for a > long time). > > > > Once upon a time, I asked if people had mathematical terms in their > dictionaries. I got some responses, but it turns out that there is not > much recorded. However, I have figured out how to go back into the > culture and construct Indigenous mathematics. There is a tremendous > amount of it, you know. There is math and science in sculpture, in sand > paintings, in pottery, in art, in story, in home building and food > preparation. There is math and science in calendricality, in > architecture, in road building, in sailing, in astronomy, in dance . . . > it?s all over. > > > > This is my dissertation J It?s working. J > > > > The important and interesting thing to my mind is to see how it looks in > the culture, not to grab out a few pieces and say, See, Indigenous > people have {this/these} concept(s) too. That destroys the picture of > Indigenous math, and implies (again, and aren?t we tired of this yet [Oh > dear I?ll never get a job with that kind of an attitude J]) that Western > Mathematics is the ONLY Mathematics. Not. The Arab world and the Chinese > worlds had zero, infinity, and probably even calculus long before > western europe. > > > > Mia > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > From: Indigenous Languages and Technology > [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit > Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 6:35 PM > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Language Is Life > > > > Darn there I go making people feel good. lol > > thanks > > > > On Apr 20, 2006, at 5:31 PM, phil cash cash wrote: > > > Thanks Andre, that was a very "feel good" news item. We need more of > the same posted to ILAT. ;-) > > later, Phil > > > > On Apr 20, 2006, at 12:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > > > Language Is Life? > > Andr? P. Cramblit Karuk Tribe > > > From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sat Apr 29 07:22:31 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 00:22:31 -0700 Subject: On native mathematics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: When my wife, Muriel Saville-Troike, was working on developing Navajo curriculum materials for a bilingual kindergarten program some years ago, she discovered an interesting thing. Although Plato thought that the concept of the triangle was universal and eternal (and some modern cognitive scientists have argued as much), it turned out that Navajo speakers did not have a term for the concept, a point which created some problems of comparison across sites where the material was being piloted, since individual teachers in different places made up different terms. However, even the children already did have a term for the hexagon -- the shape of traditional Navajo hogans -- while this term is unfamiliar or unknown to most English speakers (not only children!). NB: I would bet that those involved in the Albuquerque program know nothing about the existence of this bilingual kindergarten material, sad to say. Rudy Troike From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sat Apr 29 19:18:00 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 12:18:00 -0700 Subject: Language Is Life Message-ID: http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=8134 Akaka introduces Native American Language bill By Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) _ Hawaii Senator Daniel Akaka introduced the Native American Language Amendments Act Friday. He says it will help ensure that families across the country are never forced to relinquish their language or culture. Under his bill, the Secretary of Education would provide funds for the establishment of Native American language nests and language survival school programs. A nest is a language immersion program for the youngest members of a native population. The bill would also provide nests and survival schools with alternative methods of achieving national education standards. Senator Daniel Inouye is cosponsoring the measure. He says language is the heart of all cultures, and when a language withers, so, too, does its culture. (Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US Sun Apr 30 03:08:54 2006 From: MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US (Mia Kalish) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:08:54 -0600 Subject: On native mathematics In-Reply-To: <20060429002231.g4tkoo4o0k44ow88@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Hi, Rudy, Where is this material? Mia -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Rudy Troike Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 1:23 AM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] On native mathematics When my wife, Muriel Saville-Troike, was working on developing Navajo curriculum materials for a bilingual kindergarten program some years ago, she discovered an interesting thing. Although Plato thought that the concept of the triangle was universal and eternal (and some modern cognitive scientists have argued as much), it turned out that Navajo speakers did not have a term for the concept, a point which created some problems of comparison across sites where the material was being piloted, since individual teachers in different places made up different terms. However, even the children already did have a term for the hexagon -- the shape of traditional Navajo hogans -- while this term is unfamiliar or unknown to most English speakers (not only children!). NB: I would bet that those involved in the Albuquerque program know nothing about the existence of this bilingual kindergarten material, sad to say. Rudy Troike From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 30 03:13:08 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 20:13:08 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal Message-ID: Native American language renewal by Jon Reyhner Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu According to Michael Krauss of the Alaska Native Language Center, there are 210 different indigenous languages still spoken by American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States and Canada out of the over 300 spoken before the arrival of Columbus. These languages have survived suppression in boarding schools and catastrophic population declines. The question today is how much longer will these remaining languages survive. Children are no longer routinely being punished for speaking them in schools, but ironically many are not speaking them now that they can. Today, English language movies, television, and videotapes are doing what a century of washing mouths out with soap in boarding schools could not accomplish. Krauss's research indicates that only 35 of the remaining languages in the United States and Canada are still being spoken by children. When children are no longer learning a language, the language is dying. The indigenous language revitalization resources presented here concentrate on organizations, web sites, and more recent publications that are likely to be readily available on the internet, in bookstores and university libraries, or by interlibrary loan. PROGRAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS American Indian Languages Development Institute (AILDI) An annual summer training institute for indigenous language teachers and activists. A summary of the 20-year history of AILDI can be found at . For more information contact Karen Francis Begay, AILDI Coordinator; University of Arizona; Department of Language, Reading and Culture; P.O. Box 210069, Tucson, AZ 85721-0069. Phone 520/621-1068. E-mail kfbegay at u.arizona.edu http://w3.arizona.edu/~aisp/aildi.html Endangered Language Fund (ELF) ELF supports with small grants efforts by Native communities or scholars to do endangered language related work, such as preserving the texts of a Native culture, developing videotaped language instruction, and "generation skipping" language learning. For more information contact ELF, Department of linguistics, Yale University, P. O. Box 208236, New Haven, CT 06520-8236. E-mail elf at haskins.yale.edu http://sapir.ling.yale.edu/~elf/index.html Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) FEL publishes a newsletter, holds annual meetings, and supports efforts to preserve indigenous languages with small grants. For more information contact FEL, Batheaston Villa, 172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath BA1 7AA, England. E-mail nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Philosophy/CTLL/FEL/ Institute for the Preservation of the Endangered Languages of the Americas (IPOLA) IPOLA collaborates with indigenous communities to revitalize and perpetuate the languages and culture of the original inhabitants of the Americas. For more information contact IPOLA, 560 Montezuma Ave. 201-A, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Phone 505/820-0316. E-mail ipola at ipola.org http://www.ipola.org/ The Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA) SSILA was founded in 1981 as an international scholarly organization representing American Indian linguistics. Membership is open to anyone interested in the scientific study of the languages of the Native peoples of Americas. Publishes a quarterly newsletter and a monthly e-mail bulletin. For more information contact SSILA, P.O. Box 555, Arcata, CA 95518. Phone 707/826-4324. E-mail gollav at axe.humboldt.edu http://www.ssila.org VIDEOS E Ola Ka '0lelo Hawai'i. (1997). 'Aha Punana Leo (P.O. Box 1265 Kea'au, HI 96749). Describes the most successful effort for indigenous language revitalization in the U.S. It tells the story of over a century of decline for the Hawaiian language and the revival of its use in the past two decades. Through interviews, archival footage, and visits to Hawaiian language immersion classrooms, this video makes a powerful statement about the value of the Hawaiian language and culture for Native Hawaiians. The videotape describes how they learned about Maori "language nest" immersion preschools, implemented them in Hawaii, and then expanded Hawaiian language immersion instruction into the public schools of Hawaii by getting state English-only laws changed. Winner of two Canadian film festival awards. In Hawaiian with English subtitles, 28 minutes. $12.95. E- mail hauoli at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu http://www.ahapunanaleo.org/index.html Transitions. (1991). Native Voice Public Television Workshop (VCB Room 172, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717). This film by Blackfeet producers explores the relationship between languages, thoughts, and culture and examines the impact of language loss in Native American communities. The film chronicles the loss of the Blackfeet language from 1890 to 1990. The film also illustrates the commonality of language loss amongst Indian tribes and other ethnic groups in America. A study guide to this video is available at http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/StudyGuides/ transitions.html 30 minutes, VHS educational use $99.95. E-mail nv at kusm.montana.edu http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/Films/index.html INTERNET INDEXES, SITES, AND DISCUSSION GROUPS Endangered-Languages-L Forum This e-mail list with associated web pages provides a world-wide communications vehicle and a central electronic archive for anyone working on or interested in the study and documentation of endangered languages. E-mail white.cloud at bigpond.com http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/ Index of Native American Language Resources on the Internet One of the most comprehensive indexes of Native American language web sites. E-mail www at hanksville.org http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAlanguage.html Language Policy This site has extensive information about language policy issues in the United States, including those related to endangered Native American languages. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/ Native American Languages Links Linguist Wayne Lehman maintains this site with over 80 useful links to web sites on specific American Indian languages. E-mail wleman at mcn.net http://www.mcn.net/~wleman/langlinks.htm Native American Language Resources This site is maintained by the Center for Multilingual, Multicultural Research at the University of Southern California and has links to sites and full text publications concerning Native American languages. E-mail cmmr at rcf.usc.edu http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/Native_American.html#language resources Teaching Indigenous Languages An extensive collection of materials on revitalizing and teaching American Indian languages. It reproduces in full text the printed proceedings of the 1989 Native American Language Issues conference and the 1997 and 1998 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages conferences. It also contains over 50 columns on American Indian/Alaska Native Bilingual Education from the newsletter of the National Association of Bilingual Education. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS, AND CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS Cantoni, Gina. (Ed.). (1996). Stabilizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. 240pp. The proceedings of the 1994 and 1995 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposiums, which brought together tribal language activists and educators as well as experts on linguistics, language renewal, and language teaching. Contains sections on needs and rationale, language policy, families and communities, and education and the text of the Native American Languages Act of 1990. The articles by Joshua Fishman on "What Do You Lose When You Lose Your Language?" and "Maintaining Languages: What Works? What Doesn't?" are of special interest. A full text internet copy of this publication can be found at http:// www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/stabilize/index.htm Fishman, Joshua. (1991). Reversing language shift: Empirical and theoretical foundations of assistance to threatened languages. Clevdon, UK: Multilingual Matters. 431 pp. This is the classic study of endangered language revitalization efforts worldwide, including Navajo in North America. It is a must- read for anyone interested in the subject. Hinton, Leanne. (1994). Flutes of fire: Essays on California Indian languages. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books. 270pp. This book originally appeared as columns in News from Native California and includes information on both the beauty and uniqueness of indigenous languages and the Master Apprentice Model for passing on endangered indigenous languages from elders to young adults. Hornberger, Nancy. (Ed.). (1996). Indigenous literacies in the Americas: Language planning from the bottom up. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 393 pp. Has sections on North America and Meso America. North American chapters address efforts by Navajo, Cochiti Pueblo, and others. To contact Mouton de Gruyter, phone 914/747-0110 or e-mail customerservice at degruyterny.com McLaughlin, Daniel. (1992). When literacy empowers: Navajo language in print. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 216 pp. Describes a model bilingual school and the community it serves in the Navajo Nation. The school teaches reading and writing in the Navajo language in both elementary and high school. The first chapter discusses theory and is somewhat difficult reading. Subsequent chapters are easier reading and provide fascinating information from school board members, school administrators, local tribal officials, and students on the topic of teaching Navajo. A review of this book can be found in the Spring/Summer 1997 issue of the Bilingual Research Journal, 21(2) at http://brj.asu.edu/articles/gourd.html Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1997). Teaching indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. 323 pp. Proceedings of the 1997 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. Has 25 papers on tribal and school roles, teaching students, teacher education, curriculum and materials development, language attitudes and promotion, and overviews of the topic. A full text version of this publication can be found at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ TIL_Contents.html Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1992). Teaching American Indian students. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 328 pp. Contains information on the historical suppression of American Indian languages in schools and modern efforts at using American Indian languages in bilingual education programs. The foreword is by U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1990). Effective language education practices and Native language survival (Proceedings of the 9th annual NALI Institute). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 342 512) Eleven papers from the 1989 Native American Language Issues conference, including papers on Rock Point Community School and Maori adult language revitalization efforts and papers by Richard Littlebear and James Crawford. A full text version of this publication can be found at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ NALI_Contents.html Reyhner, Jon; Cantoni, Gina; St. Clair, Robert; & Yazzie, Evangeline Parsons. (1999). Revitalizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. 140 pp. + xx. Proceedings of the 1998 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. The introduction to this volume provides an up-to-date overview of tribal language revitalization efforts. Its 11 papers describe language revitalization efforts and the use of writing and technology in those efforts. A full text version of this publication can be found at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_Contents.html Silver, Shirley & Wick, R. Miller. (1997) American Indian languages: Cultural and social contexts. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 433 pp. + xix. A somewhat technical general introduction to American Indian languages and linguistics and the cultural and social domains in which these languages live. SPECIAL ISSUES OF JOURNALS Boyer, Paul. (Ed.). (1993, Spring). The pattern of language. special issue of Tribal College Journal, 4(4). 34 pp. Includes "Finding a place for Navajo" by Clay Slate, "Healing the generations: For one family, a language is lost and rediscovered" by Eric Haase, "Lakota language survival and restoration" by Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, and "A specialized knowledge base for teaching American Indian and Alaska Native students" by Jon Reyhner, Harry Lee, and David Gabbard. Henze, Rosemary & Davis, Kathryn. (Eds.) (1999, March). Authenticity and identity: Lessons from indigenous language education. Special issue of Anthropology and Education, 30(1). 124 pp. Contains five articles that discuss lessons from Alaska, California, and Hawai'i. Kirkness, Virginia. (Ed.). (1989). Language is a gift from the Creator. Special issue of Canadian Journal of Native Education, 16 (2). 112 pp. A valuable resource, especially Elizabeth A. Brandt and Vivian A Youngman's "Language renewal and language maintenance: a practical guide" (pp. 42-77) and Augie Fleras's "Te kohanga reo: a Maori renewal program in New Zealand" (pp. 78-88). McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1995, Winter), Indigenous language education and literacy. Special issue Bilingual Research Journal, 19(1). 213 pp. Contains 13 useful articles in four sections: 1) Conceptualizing indigenous literacies, 2) The status of indigenous languages in the U.S. and Canada," 3) Models of indigenous language education, 4) Synthesis and discussion: the role of indigenous communities in language and culture renewal. McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1998). Indigenous language use and change in the Americas. Special issue The International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 132. 208 pp. Articles assess the status and role of indigenous languages in the Americas. It has a special focus on the ideological and social forces that influence their use and vitality, with many of the contributions being Native speakers. Part 1 addresses indigenous languages in the USA. Part 2 has six articles on indigenous languages in Mexico and Latin America. Ordering information: $46.00 US from Mouton de Gruyter, 200 Saw Mill River Rd, Hawthorne, NY 10532. McCarty, Teresa L., Watahomigie, Lucille J., & Yamamoto, Akira Y. (Eds.). (1999). Reversing language shift in indigenous America: Collaborations and views from the field. Special issue of Practicing Anthropology, 21(2). 60 pp. Includes eight articles by prominent and less known language scholars addressing case studies and language ethics. Cost is $5.00 US from SfAA, P.O. Box 24083, Oklahoma City, OK 73124. Phone 405/843-5113. E- mail sfaa at telepath.com Poggie, Jr., John J. (1988). Indian language renewal. Special section of Human Organization, 47(4), 283-353. Contains seven articles on Indian language renewal. Of special interest are William L. Leap's "Applied linguistics and Indian language renewal" (pp. 283-291) and Elizabeth A. Brandt's "Applied linguistic anthropology and American Indian language renewal" (pp. 322-329). ONLINE ARTICLES, CHAPTERS & PAPERS Crawford, James. (1998). Endangered Native American languages: What is to be done, and why? In Thomas Ricento & Barbara Burnaby (Eds.), Language and politics in the U.S. and Canada: Myths and realities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/brj.htm McCarty, Teresa L. (1994). Bilingual education policy and the empowerment of American Indian communities. The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 14, 23-42. E-mail akindler at ncbe.gwu.edu http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/jeilms/vol14/mccarty.htm McCarty, Teresa L. & Dick, Galena Sells. (1996). Mother tongue literacy and language renewal: the case of Navajo. Literacy online: Proceedings of the 1996 World Conference on Literacy. E-mail wagner at literacy.upenn.edu http://www.literacyonline.org/products/ili/webdocs/ilproc/ilprocMc.htm Reyhner, Jon. (1993). American Indian language policy and school success. The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 12, Special Issue III, 35-59. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/BOISE.html Reyhner, Jon & Tennant, Edward. (1995.) Maintaining and renewing Native languages. Bilingual Research Journal, 19(2), 279-304. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Main.html Jon Reyhner is co-editor of Revitalizing Indigenous Languages (1999) and editor of Teaching Indigenous Languages (1997), Teaching American Indian Students (1992), and Effective Language Education Practices (1990). Currently he teaches bilingual multicultural education courses at Northern Arizona University. Copyright ? 2001-2006 Tribal College Journal -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sun Apr 30 04:41:25 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:41:25 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, Andre... This is all good -- although the information about AILDI is dated. The new director is Regina Siquieros and the current AILDI website can be found at: http://www.u.arizona.edu/~aildi/ . This summer's session will feature language documentation as well as revitalization --- and more! Susan On 4/29/06, Andre Cramblit wrote: > > *Native American language renewal* > > *by Jon Reyhner* > > Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > According to Michael Krauss of the Alaska Native Language Center, there > are 210 different indigenous languages still spoken by American Indians and > Alaska Natives in the United States and Canada out of the over 300 spoken > before the arrival of Columbus. These languages have survived suppression in > boarding schools and catastrophic population declines. > The question today is how much longer will these remaining languages > survive. Children are no longer routinely being punished for speaking them > in schools, but ironically many are not speaking them now that they can. > Today, English language movies, television, and videotapes are doing what a > century of washing mouths out with soap in boarding schools could not > accomplish. > Krauss's research indicates that only 35 of the remaining languages in the > United States and Canada are still being spoken by children. When children > are no longer learning a language, the language is dying. > The indigenous language revitalization resources presented here > concentrate on organizations, web sites, and more recent publications that > are likely to be readily available on the internet, in bookstores and > university libraries, or by interlibrary loan. > > *PROGRAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS* > American Indian Languages Development Institute (AILDI) > An annual summer training institute for indigenous language teachers and > activists. A summary of the 20-year history of AILDI can be found at < > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_9.html>. > For more information contact Karen Francis Begay, AILDI Coordinator; > University of Arizona; Department of Language, Reading and Culture; P.O. > Box 210069, Tucson, AZ 85721-0069. Phone 520/621-1068. E-mail > kfbegay at u.arizona.edu > http://w3.arizona.edu/~aisp/aildi.html > Endangered Language Fund (ELF) > ELF supports with small grants efforts by Native communities or scholars > to do endangered language related work, such as preserving the texts of a > Native culture, developing videotaped language instruction, and "generation > skipping" language learning. For more information contact ELF, Department of > linguistics, Yale University, P. O. Box 208236, New Haven, CT 06520-8236. > E-mail elf at haskins.yale.edu > http://sapir.ling.yale.edu/~elf/index.html > Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) > FEL publishes a newsletter, holds annual meetings, and supports efforts to > preserve indigenous languages with small grants. For more information > contact FEL, Batheaston Villa, 172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath BA1 7AA, England. > E-mail nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk > http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Philosophy/CTLL/FEL/ > Institute for the Preservation of the Endangered Languages of the Americas > (IPOLA) > IPOLA collaborates with indigenous communities to revitalize and > perpetuate the languages and culture of the original inhabitants of the > Americas. For more information contact IPOLA, 560 Montezuma Ave. 201-A, > Santa Fe, NM 87501. Phone 505/820-0316. E-mail ipola at ipola.org > http://www.ipola.org/ > The Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas > (SSILA) > SSILA was founded in 1981 as an international scholarly organization > representing American Indian linguistics. Membership is open to anyone > interested in the scientific study of the languages of the Native peoples of > Americas. Publishes a quarterly newsletter and a monthly e-mail bulletin. > For more information contact SSILA, P.O. Box 555, Arcata, CA 95518. Phone > 707/826-4324. E-mail gollav at axe.humboldt.edu > http://www.ssila.org > > *VIDEOS* > E Ola Ka '0lelo Hawai'i. (1997). 'Aha Punana Leo (P.O. Box 1265 Kea'au, HI > 96749). Describes the most successful effort for indigenous language > revitalization in the U.S. It tells the story of over a century of decline > for the Hawaiian language and the revival of its use in the past two > decades. Through interviews, archival footage, and visits to Hawaiian > language immersion classrooms, this video makes a powerful statement about > the value of the Hawaiian language and culture for Native Hawaiians. The > videotape describes how they learned about Maori "language nest" immersion > preschools, implemented them in Hawaii, and then expanded Hawaiian language > immersion instruction into the public schools of Hawaii by getting state > English-only laws changed. Winner of two Canadian film festival awards. In > Hawaiian with English subtitles, 28 minutes. $12.95. E-mail > hauoli at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu > http://www.ahapunanaleo.org/index.html > Transitions. (1991). Native Voice Public Television Workshop (VCB Room > 172, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717). This film by Blackfeet > producers explores the relationship between languages, thoughts, and culture > and examines the impact of language loss in Native American communities. The > film chronicles the loss of the Blackfeet language from 1890 to 1990. The > film also illustrates the commonality of language loss amongst Indian tribes > and other ethnic groups in America. A study guide to this video is available > at > http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/StudyGuides/transitions.html > 30 minutes, VHS educational use $99.95. E-mail nv at kusm.montana.edu > http://visions.montana.edu/NativeVoices/docs/Films/index.html > > > *INTERNET INDEXES, SITES, AND DISCUSSION GROUPS* > Endangered-Languages-L Forum > This e-mail list with associated web pages provides a world-wide > communications vehicle and a central electronic archive for anyone working > on or interested in the study and documentation of endangered languages. > E-mail white.cloud at bigpond.com > http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/ > Index of Native American Language Resources on the Internet > One of the most comprehensive indexes of Native American language web > sites. E-mail www at hanksville.org > http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAlanguage.html > Language Policy > This site has extensive information about language policy issues in the > United States, including those related to endangered Native American > languages. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com > http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/ > Native American Languages Links > Linguist Wayne Lehman maintains this site with over 80 useful links to web > sites on specific American Indian languages. E-mail wleman at mcn.net > http://www.mcn.net/~wleman/langlinks.htm > Native American Language Resources > This site is maintained by the Center for Multilingual, Multicultural > Research at the University of Southern California and has links to sites and > full text publications concerning Native American languages. E-mail > cmmr at rcf.usc.edu > http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/Native_American.html#language resources > Teaching Indigenous Languages > An extensive collection of materials on revitalizing and teaching American > Indian languages. It reproduces in full text the printed proceedings of the > 1989 Native American Language Issues conference and the 1997 and 1998 > Stabilizing Indigenous Languages conferences. It also contains over 50 > columns on American Indian/Alaska Native Bilingual Education from the > newsletter of the National Association of Bilingual Education. E-mail > Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html > > *BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS, AND CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS* > Cantoni, Gina. (Ed.). (1996). Stabilizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, > AZ: Northern Arizona University. 240pp. > The proceedings of the 1994 and 1995 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages > Symposiums, which brought together tribal language activists and educators > as well as experts on linguistics, language renewal, and language teaching. > Contains sections on needs and rationale, language policy, families and > communities, and education and the text of the Native American Languages Act > of 1990. The articles by Joshua Fishman on "What Do You Lose When You Lose > Your Language?" and "Maintaining Languages: What Works? What Doesn't?" are > of special interest. A full text internet copy of this publication can be > found at http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/stabilize/index.htm > Fishman, Joshua. (1991). Reversing language shift: Empirical and > theoretical foundations of assistance to threatened languages. Clevdon, UK: > Multilingual Matters. 431 pp. > This is the classic study of endangered language revitalization efforts > worldwide, including Navajo in North America. It is a must-read for anyone > interested in the subject. > Hinton, Leanne. (1994). Flutes of fire: Essays on California Indian > languages. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books. 270pp. > This book originally appeared as columns in News from Native California > and includes information on both the beauty and uniqueness of indigenous > languages and the Master Apprentice Model for passing on endangered > indigenous languages from elders to young adults. > Hornberger, Nancy. (Ed.). (1996). Indigenous literacies in the Americas: > Language planning from the bottom up. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 393 pp. > Has sections on North America and Meso America. North American chapters > address efforts by Navajo, Cochiti Pueblo, and others. To contact Mouton de > Gruyter, phone 914/747-0110 or e-mail customerservice at degruyterny.com > McLaughlin, Daniel. (1992). When literacy empowers: Navajo language in > print. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 216 pp. > Describes a model bilingual school and the community it serves in the > Navajo Nation. The school teaches reading and writing in the Navajo language > in both elementary and high school. The first chapter discusses theory and > is somewhat difficult reading. Subsequent chapters are easier reading and > provide fascinating information from school board members, school > administrators, local tribal officials, and students on the topic of > teaching Navajo. A review of this book can be found in the Spring/Summer > 1997 issue of the Bilingual Research Journal, 21(2) at > http://brj.asu.edu/articles/gourd.html > Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1997). Teaching indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: > Northern Arizona University. 323 pp. > Proceedings of the 1997 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. Has > 25 papers on tribal and school roles, teaching students, teacher education, > curriculum and materials development, language attitudes and promotion, and > overviews of the topic. A full text version of this publication can be found > at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_Contents.html > Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1992). Teaching American Indian students. Norman: > University of Oklahoma Press. 328 pp. > Contains information on the historical suppression of American Indian > languages in schools and modern efforts at using American Indian languages > in bilingual education programs. The foreword is by U.S. Sen. Ben > Nighthorse Campbell. > Reyhner, Jon. (Ed.). (1990). Effective language education practices and > Native language survival (Proceedings of the 9th annual NALI Institute). > (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 342 512) > Eleven papers from the 1989 Native American Language Issues conference, > including papers on Rock Point Community School and Maori adult language > revitalization efforts and papers by Richard Littlebear and James Crawford. > A full text version of this publication can be found at > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/NALI_Contents.html > Reyhner, Jon; Cantoni, Gina; St. Clair, Robert; & Yazzie, Evangeline > Parsons. (1999). Revitalizing indigenous languages. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern > Arizona University. 140 pp. + xx. > Proceedings of the 1998 Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium. The > introduction to this volume provides an up-to-date overview of tribal > language revitalization efforts. Its 11 papers describe language > revitalization efforts and the use of writing and technology in those > efforts. A full text version of this publication can be found at > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_Contents.html > Silver, Shirley & Wick, R. Miller. (1997) American Indian languages: > Cultural and social contexts. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 433 pp. + > xix. > A somewhat technical general introduction to American Indian languages and > linguistics and the cultural and social domains in which these languages > live. > > *SPECIAL ISSUES OF JOURNALS* > Boyer, Paul. (Ed.). (1993, Spring). The pattern of language. special issue > of Tribal College Journal, 4(4). 34 pp. > Includes "Finding a place for Navajo" by Clay Slate, "Healing the > generations: For one family, a language is lost and rediscovered" by Eric > Haase, "Lakota language survival and restoration" by Lydia Whirlwind > Soldier, and "A specialized knowledge base for teaching American Indian and > Alaska Native students" by Jon Reyhner, Harry Lee, and David Gabbard. > Henze, Rosemary & Davis, Kathryn. (Eds.) (1999, March). Authenticity and > identity: Lessons from indigenous language education. Special issue of > Anthropology and Education, 30(1). 124 pp. > Contains five articles that discuss lessons from Alaska, California, and > Hawai'i. > Kirkness, Virginia. (Ed.). (1989). Language is a gift from the Creator. > Special issue of Canadian Journal of Native Education, 16(2). 112 pp. > A valuable resource, especially Elizabeth A. Brandt and Vivian A > Youngman's "Language renewal and language maintenance: a practical guide" > (pp. 42-77) and Augie Fleras's "Te kohanga reo: a Maori renewal program in > New Zealand" (pp. 78-88). > McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1995, Winter), Indigenous > language education and literacy. Special issue Bilingual Research Journal, > 19(1). 213 pp. > Contains 13 useful articles in four sections: 1) Conceptualizing > indigenous literacies, 2) The status of indigenous languages in the U.S. > and Canada," 3) Models of indigenous language education, 4) Synthesis and > discussion: the role of indigenous communities in language and culture > renewal. > McCarty, Teresa L. & Zepeda, Ofelia. (Eds.). (1998). Indigenous language > use and change in the Americas. Special issue The International Journal of > the Sociology of Language, 132. 208 pp. > Articles assess the status and role of indigenous languages in the > Americas. It has a special focus on the ideological and social forces that > influence their use and vitality, with many of the contributions being > Native speakers. Part 1 addresses indigenous languages in the USA. Part 2 > has six articles on indigenous languages in Mexico and Latin America. > Ordering information: $46.00 US from Mouton de Gruyter, 200 Saw Mill River > Rd, Hawthorne, NY 10532. > McCarty, Teresa L., Watahomigie, Lucille J., & Yamamoto, Akira Y. (Eds.). > (1999). Reversing language shift in indigenous America: Collaborations and > views from the field. Special issue of Practicing Anthropology, 21(2). 60 > pp. > Includes eight articles by prominent and less known language scholars > addressing case studies and language ethics. Cost is $5.00 US from SfAA, > P.O. Box 24083, Oklahoma City, OK 73124. Phone 405/843-5113. E-mail > sfaa at telepath.com > Poggie, Jr., John J. (1988). Indian language renewal. Special section of > Human Organization, 47(4), 283-353. > Contains seven articles on Indian language renewal. Of special interest > are William L. Leap's "Applied linguistics and Indian language renewal" (pp. > 283-291) and Elizabeth A. Brandt's "Applied linguistic anthropology and > American Indian language renewal" (pp. 322-329). > > *ONLINE ARTICLES, CHAPTERS & PAPERS* > Crawford, James. (1998). Endangered Native American languages: What is to > be done, and why? In Thomas Ricento & Barbara Burnaby (Eds.), Language and > politics in the U.S. and Canada: Myths and realities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence > Erlbaum. E-mail jwcrawford at compuserve.com > http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/brj.htm > McCarty, Teresa L. (1994). Bilingual education policy and the empowerment > of American Indian communities. The Journal of Educational Issues of > Language Minority Students, 14, 23-42. E-mail akindler at ncbe.gwu.edu > http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/jeilms/vol14/mccarty.htm > McCarty, Teresa L. & Dick, Galena Sells. (1996). Mother tongue literacy > and language renewal: the case of Navajo. Literacy online: Proceedings of > the 1996 World Conference on Literacy. E-mail wagner at literacy.upenn.edu > http://www.literacyonline.org/products/ili/webdocs/ilproc/ilprocMc.htm > Reyhner, Jon. (1993). American Indian language policy and school success. > The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 12, Special > Issue III, 35-59. E-mail Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/BOISE.html > > Reyhner, Jon & Tennant, Edward. (1995.) Maintaining and renewing Native > languages. Bilingual Research Journal, 19(2), 279-304. E-mail > Jon.Reyhner at nau.edu > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Main.html > *Jon Reyhner is co-editor of Revitalizing Indigenous Languages (1999) and > editor of Teaching Indigenous Languages (1997), Teaching American Indian > Students (1992), and Effective Language Education Practices (1990). > Currently he teaches bilingual multicultural education courses at Northern > Arizona University.* > Copyright (c) 2001-2006 > Tribal College Journal > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Department of English(Primary) American Indian Language Devel.Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion &Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture The Southwest Center (Research) Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU Sun Apr 30 04:52:09 2006 From: Jon.Reyhner at NAU.EDU (jar) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:52:09 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal Message-ID: Yes, my resource list that was just posted is a bit old. My links page at http:// jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/links.html is updated as well as my resource list at http:// jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/SIL_Appendix.html I also post recent information on my main Teaching Indigenous Languages page at http:// jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html Jon Reyhner Northern Arizona University http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar Jon Reyhner, Professor Northern Arizona University http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 30 06:25:38 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 23:25:38 -0700 Subject: Media technology Message-ID: Northern California Region Redding, California June 2nd and 3rd, 2006 Red Lion Hotel 1830 Hilltop Drive (530) 221-8700 The Seventh Generation Fund is pleased to announce the first in a series of three trainings that will be offered to Native Communities in Northern, Central, and Southern California who are interested in utilizing digital media technology to create their own culturally appropriate educational materials. The goal is to encourage an intergenerational learning environment which will empower youth, elders and community leaders to document their own unique tribal histories, cultural traditions, languages and critical contemporary issues. Participants will aquire the skills to engineer interview sessions and produce multi-media presentations for their tribal community, public school teachers/educators, Native education centers, charter schools, museums, libraries and other appropriate groups. The Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Inc. is an Indigenous Peoples non-profit organization established in 1977. Our mission is to promote, protect and maintain the uniqueness of Native Peoples and the sovereignty of our distinct Nations. Native communities involved with language recovery, cultural revitalization, intergenerational projects and advocacy for environmental justice. Our support is in the form of small grants, hands-on training and technical assistance, workshops, conferences and leadership development. For more information, please contact the Seventh Generation Fund?s Native Voices Project at (707) 825-7640. Chris Hollis, SGF Media Coordinator (mo7g at pacbell.net) Leo Canez, SGF Special Projects Coordinator (lc7gen at pacbell.net) Space is limited to 30 participants, please register early! Cost is $250 per person. This will be a hands on technical assistance training, please bring photos, audio recordings, and most importantly your ideas and goals for incorporating technology into your work. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Sun Apr 30 13:05:44 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 06:05:44 -0700 Subject: Native Language Renewal In-Reply-To: <446034D1@webmail.nau.edu> Message-ID: Thanks, Jon... Wonderful resources! S. On 4/29/06, jar wrote: > > Yes, my resource list that was just posted is a bit old. My links page at > http:// > jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/links.html is updated as well as my resource list at > http:// > jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/SIL_Appendix.html > > I also post recent information on my main Teaching Indigenous Languages > page > at http:// > jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html > > Jon Reyhner > Northern Arizona University > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar > > Jon Reyhner, Professor > Northern Arizona University > http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Department of English(Primary) American Indian Language Devel.Institute Department of Linguistics Second Language Acquistion &Teaching Ph.D. Program Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture The Southwest Center (Research) Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rzs at TDS.NET Sun Apr 30 19:25:42 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Smith) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 12:25:42 -0700 Subject: anthropology with no apology In-Reply-To: <39a679e20604300605s63fd0578ydabd93094d858c53@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: > > > > Kweh omateru, > (greetings friends.) > thanks for all these resources > this is a language egroup with very great leads and info! > but culture and language are really inseperatable so anthropology will wade in > and sometimes set its OWN standards. As tribal members we need to be careful. > Sometimes all this ?professional intelligence? creates its own language, laws > and bi-laws. > > Years ago visiting Chaco Canyon one weekend I was curious about the pottery > found in the area.The > resource person I asked stated no one was certain if pottery was actually > made in the canyon . > Later that day, I scooped out a handful of clay out of a park rangers muddy > tire track, > sat on a boulder and made a pot...since its what I do anyway.Camping that > evening I burnished it with > a socket from my socket wrench set,and by morning it was dry ...hey, great > clay! > I went to the visitors center and looked for someone to talk to. > I set it on the desk ...and for the next hour I was interogated with suspicion > and rudeness. > I had hoped to converse with an archaeologist, but he would not even show his > face. > He only would send instructions to the desk as to what to do with this > ?situation?. > Finally, I was told I would NOT be prosecuted if I returned to the place where > I picked out the mud > and place the little pot where it could erode back into the soil. > I am a very patient person,even my wife will tell you! But I was burning up. > So...i realized something that day > Anthropology/Archeaology can create a culture of its own. > It can set itself up to be only correct view to observe and learn and to even > to teach. > even set up its own ?police force? to deal with nonconformists > > I?m not against anthropology(some of my best friends are anthropologists! > seriously!) > But as a science it tends to set up its own grids from which to pass OUR > cultures through. > Anthropology itself, as an alien science needs to be studied...evaluated...by > native peoples > ?what makes an anthropologist? might make a good study ..turn the tables a > little. > what makes outsiders come study us? > NOW, that would make an interesting thesis! > > Oh ,I know,no need to remind me, > I know why Chaco Canyon must be strict,its obvious,because of all the tourists > coming through. > ?if everyone came and took a piece of mud out of the tire track...? > yeah...yeah... > > this is not meant to stir up arguments or justifications, > paint one people good and another bad > no , I just want to share a little > from experiance and cautions gained > richard > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I want to share something that happened to me that makes me worry sometimes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jtucker at STARBAND.NET Sun Apr 30 19:57:35 2006 From: jtucker at STARBAND.NET (Jan Tucker) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 15:57:35 -0400 Subject: anthropology with no apology In-Reply-To: Message-ID: anthropology with no apologyRichard, thanks for your story, I'd like to share it with my applied anthropology class and race and ethnic relations class ....with your permission of course. More of your perspective needs to be heard and this story is a great way to share your perspective. I agree with you, and I can certainly talk to some of your points, however since this is a language and technology discussion group, I'm respectfully not going to. Let me however apologize for those who aren't willing to even have dialogue and share this quote by John Kenneth Galbraith Oct 15 1908-Apr 29th 2006. "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." and "People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." Jan Tucker -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Richard Smith Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 3:26 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] anthropology with no apology Kweh omateru, (greetings friends.) thanks for all these resources this is a language egroup with very great leads and info! but culture and language are really inseperatable so anthropology will wade in and sometimes set its OWN standards. As tribal members we need to be careful. Sometimes all this ?professional intelligence? creates its own language, laws and bi-laws. Years ago visiting Chaco Canyon one weekend I was curious about the pottery found in the area.The resource person I asked stated no one was certain if pottery was actually made in the canyon . Later that day, I scooped out a handful of clay out of a park rangers muddy tire track, sat on a boulder and made a pot...since its what I do anyway.Camping that evening I burnished it with a socket from my socket wrench set,and by morning it was dry ...hey, great clay! I went to the visitors center and looked for someone to talk to. I set it on the desk ...and for the next hour I was interogated with suspicion and rudeness. I had hoped to converse with an archaeologist, but he would not even show his face. He only would send instructions to the desk as to what to do with this ?situation?. Finally, I was told I would NOT be prosecuted if I returned to the place where I picked out the mud and place the little pot where it could erode back into the soil. I am a very patient person,even my wife will tell you! But I was burning up. So...i realized something that day Anthropology/Archeaology can create a culture of its own. It can set itself up to be only correct view to observe and learn and to even to teach. even set up its own ?police force? to deal with nonconformists I?m not against anthropology(some of my best friends are anthropologists! seriously!) But as a science it tends to set up its own grids from which to pass OUR cultures through. Anthropology itself, as an alien science needs to be studied...evaluated...by native peoples ?what makes an anthropologist? might make a good study ..turn the tables a little. what makes outsiders come study us? NOW, that would make an interesting thesis! Oh ,I know,no need to remind me, I know why Chaco Canyon must be strict,its obvious,because of all the tourists coming through. ?if everyone came and took a piece of mud out of the tire track...? yeah...yeah... this is not meant to stir up arguments or justifications, paint one people good and another bad no , I just want to share a little from experiance and cautions gained richard I want to share something that happened to me that makes me worry sometimes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Apr 30 20:16:01 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 13:16:01 -0700 Subject: anthropology with no apology In-Reply-To: Message-ID: hey all discussion group means we can discuss things that come up as an extension of our language and technology focus ( in my own sometimes humble opinion) On Apr 30, 2006, at 12:57 PM, Jan Tucker wrote: Richard, thanks for your story, I'd like to share it with my applied anthropology class and race and ethnic relations class ....with your permission of course. More of your perspective needs to be heard and this story is a great way to share your perspective. I agree with you, and I can certainly talk to some of your points, however since this is a language and technology discussion group, I'm respectfully not going to. Let me however apologize for those who aren't willing to even have dialogue and share this quote by John Kenneth Galbraith Oct 15 1908-Apr 29th 2006. "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." and "People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." Jan Tucker -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Richard Smith Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 3:26 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] anthropology with no apology Kweh omateru, (greetings friends.) thanks for all these resources this is a language egroup with very great leads and info! but culture and language are really inseperatable so anthropology will wade in and sometimes set its OWN standards. As tribal members we need to be careful. Sometimes all this ?professional intelligence? creates its own language, laws and bi-laws. Years ago visiting Chaco Canyon one weekend I was curious about the pottery found in the area.The resource person I asked stated no one was certain if pottery was actually made in the canyon . Later that day, I scooped out a handful of clay out of a park rangers muddy tire track, sat on a boulder and made a pot...since its what I do anyway.Camping that evening I burnished it with a socket from my socket wrench set,and by morning it was dry ...hey, great clay! I went to the visitors center and looked for someone to talk to. I set it on the desk ...and for the next hour I was interogated with suspicion and rudeness. I had hoped to converse with an archaeologist, but he would not even show his face. He only would send instructions to the desk as to what to do with this ?situation?. Finally, I was told I would NOT be prosecuted if I returned to the place where I picked out the mud and place the little pot where it could erode back into the soil. I am a very patient person,even my wife will tell you! But I was burning up. So...i realized something that day Anthropology/Archeaology can create a culture of its own. It can set itself up to be only correct view to observe and learn and to even to teach. even set up its own ?police force? to deal with nonconformists I?m not against anthropology(some of my best friends are anthropologists! seriously!) But as a science it tends to set up its own grids from which to pass OUR cultures through. Anthropology itself, as an alien science needs to be studied...evaluated...by native peoples ?what makes an anthropologist? might make a good study ..turn the tables a little. what makes outsiders come study us? NOW, that would make an interesting thesis! Oh ,I know,no need to remind me, I know why Chaco Canyon must be strict,its obvious,because of all the tourists coming through. ?if everyone came and took a piece of mud out of the tire track...? yeah...yeah... this is not meant to stir up arguments or justifications, paint one people good and another bad no , I just want to share a little from experiance and cautions gained richard I want to share something that happened to me that makes me worry sometimes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: