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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>What:
Sign Talk: Plains Indian Sign Language<span style='color:#1F497D'> </span>Documentary
Project<br>
Who: <span style='color:#1F497D'> </span>James Woodenlegs (Northern
Cheyenne) & Melanie McKay-Cody (Chickamauga Cherokee/Choctaw)<br>
When: March 26, 2010, 11:00AM – Noon <br>
Where: McClung Museum Auditorium, The University of Tennessee <br>
</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <br>
James and Melanie are internationally recognized presenters and scholars of
Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL), which was once used as a <i>lingua franca</i>
among American Indian nations of the Great Plains and cultural groups bordering
this cultural area. PISL (also called Sign Talk) is distinct from
American Sign Language (ASL) that is used in Deaf communities of the U.S. and
Canada. This historical case of a <i>signed lingua franca </i>was
unparalleled, spanning a large geographic area and once used among members from
dozens of distinct linguistic and cultural Native American groups. Today,
PISL is an endangered language due in part to its replacement by English and
ASL in some instances; however, it is still being used by some deaf and hearing
members of the Plains cultural groups—such as Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow,
Lakota, and Mandan-Hidatsa. <br>
<br>
Dr. Jeffrey Davis, Professor of Sign Language Linguistics<span
style='color:#1F497D'> </span>at the University of Tennessee is collaborating
closely with James, Melanie, and other Native signers to study and revitalize
PISL, which is part of the rich legacy of Native American cultural heritage.
Both presenters are “walking encyclopedias” about this subject and
about Deaf and American Indian cultures. This event is being co-sponsored
by the National Science Foundation’s Documenting Endangered Languages Program;
College of Education and Human Sciences; Department of Theory and Practice in
Teacher Education, Linguistics and Educational Interpreting Programs; and UT
Native American Student Association<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>More
about the presenters: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <br>
<b>James Woodenlegs</b> (N. Cheyenne) is a Deaf Native signer of Plains Indian
Sign Language (PISL) and a direct descendent of Wooden Legs one of the great
historical chiefs of the Cheyenne. James learned PISL natively from his
family growing up on the N. Cheyenne reservation in southeastern Montana.
He currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is involved in
the revitalization of PISL and an active member of Deaf and American Indian
communities. <span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Melanie McKay-Cody</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> (Chickamauga
Cherokee/Choctaw) teaches sign language at William Woods University, Fulton,
Mo. Her research concentration has been North American Indian Sign
Language, and she is the first Deaf researcher to specialize in this area of
linguistic study. For many years Melanie has worked closely with American
Indian/Alaska Native/First Nation deaf and hard of hearing people, to promote
awareness of Deaf Native Studies and Indian Sign Language.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Research
website: <a href="http://sunsite.utk.edu/pisl/">http://sunsite.utk.edu/pisl/</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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