Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered language (fwd link)

[Rolland Nadjiwon]

Richard...thanks for expressing your thoughts on this 'dicey' subject
honestly and emphatically. I agree with all you have said and suggested.
Most often, our languages twist Western culture into a form which expresses
Western thought and culture...not the culture and ways of the people of that
language. I have often referred to it as the 'glass slipper syndrome' where
the language and culture of a people is squeezed into a format that just
does not fit and probably never will until we have chopped and butchered it
into the 'correct' shape for any intelligible language..in most cases
English and much like Cinderella's step sisters an crone mother. The process
contains the same authoritative forms used in standard education systems and
methodologies which are destructive to indigenous language and culture. Our
ability to raise our generations into our culture and language has been
usurped by the educational institutions and infra structures which support
it from childhood to Hollywood.
 
Some years ago, a political organization supposedly representative of the
people, decided to develop a translation unit which would translate
government information and policies into the 'people's' language. In
visiting the communities and speaking with the people, they expressed the
situation pretty emphatically. They suggested, and this was par for all the
communities, that the people know the words and understand the words but
when it is all put together none of it made any sense. In this situation,
the non indigenous world in company with the indigenous organization
supposedly representing them, were collectively changing the language and
culture of the people. Metaphorically, everything was travelling in the
wrong direction. The organization was set up to represent 'the indigenous
peoples' to foreign governments but were, however, representing the
government into the peoples and their communities.
 
One of the barriers, as I see it, and a major one is the development of an
infrastructure which will qualify our indigenous peoples to do what we
'need' done and do it in 'our' way. Prior to 1492, we were not self
destructive.
 
Every one's comments are very interesting and appreciated. We need this
level of discussion at our levels of involvement. 
 
-------
wahjen
rolland nadjiwon
___________________________________________
The government cannot give to anyone anything it has not first taken from
someone else....
 

  _____  

From:  On Behalf Of Richard Zane Smith
Sent: September-15-11 10:55 AM
To:  
Subject: Re: [ILAT] Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered language (fwd
link)


I'm going to be raw here.... 

this borrowing from outsider cultural icons is ...ok...if its only a
kickstart.
but I think Native people can do ALOT better than borrowing Bernstain Bears
or little kitty or whatever 

Three Blind Mice sung in Hopi might be cute...but its not Hopi doesn't
convey Hopi thought.
Amazing Grace sung in Wyandot might be beautiful...but its not
representative of Wyandot thought.


We have our OWN artists,
Where are our OWN writers? with our OWN songs? our own icons? based in our
OWN cultural perspectives?
Is reviving language and culture simply coming up with our own "copycat"
version of pop. society icons?
 
THEY have a cool teeshirt...now WE have a cool NDN version of the tee shirt.
THEY have a cool gang-banger cap...now we have a cool NDN version of the
same.
THEY have a cool award ceremonies...now WE have our version, an NDN award
ceremonies.

If the nations are looking to Indigenous people to be leaders towards a
sustainable future
why (with all the creative people we have) are we slipping into being
imitators and followers ?

sorry, i have heard alot of reasons given...just haven't heard many good
ones
to explain why WE aren't cutting edge ourselves.
just had to get that out..hope i didn't make anyone TOO mad.

-Richard
Wyandotte Oklahoma



On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 9:14 PM, Phillip E Cash Cash
<cashcash at email.arizona.edu> wrote:


Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered language

By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press
Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Papa Bear, Mama Bear and their cubs have helped children curb
junk-food addictions and organize messy rooms for half a century. Now,
from their tree house in idyllic Bear Country, the beloved Berenstain
Bears are helping revive an endangered American Indian language.

Access full article below:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/14/national/a003045
D95.DTL





-- 

"this language of mine,of yours,is who we are and who we have been.It is
where we find our stories,our lives,our ancestors;and it should be where we
find our future too"   Simon Anaviapik ... Inuit

richardzanesmith.wordpress.com

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