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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011>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.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011>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.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011>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.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011>Every one's comments are
very interesting and appreciated. We need this level of discussion at our levels
of involvement. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=left>-------</DIV>
<DIV align=left>wahjen</DIV>
<DIV align=left>rolland nadjiwon</DIV>
<DIV align=left>___________________________________________</DIV>
<DIV align=left><SPAN class=894522417-15092011>The government cannot give to
anyone anything it has not first taken from someone else....</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><BR>
<DIV dir=ltr lang=en-us class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
</DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr lang=en-us class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> <B>On Behalf Of </B>Richard Zane
Smith<BR><B>Sent:</B> September-15-11 10:55 AM<BR><B>To:</B> <SPAN
class=894522417-15092011><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr lang=en-us class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma><B>Subject:</B> Re: [ILAT] Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered
language (fwd link)<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>I'm going to be raw here....
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>this borrowing from outsider cultural icons is ...ok...if its only a
kickstart.</DIV>
<DIV>but I think Native people can do ALOT better than borrowing Bernstain Bears
or little kitty or whatever </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Three Blind Mice sung in Hopi might be cute...but its not Hopi doesn't
convey Hopi thought.<BR>Amazing Grace sung in Wyandot might be beautiful...but
its not representative of Wyandot thought.<BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>We have our OWN artists,</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>Where are our OWN writers? with our OWN songs? our own
icons? based in our OWN cultural perspectives?</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>Is reviving language and culture simply coming up with
our own "copycat" version of pop. society icons?</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote> </DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>THEY have a cool teeshirt...now WE have a cool NDN
version of the tee shirt.</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>THEY have a cool gang-banger cap...now we have a cool NDN
version of the same.</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>THEY have a cool award ceremonies...now WE have our
version, an NDN award ceremonies.</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>If the nations are looking to Indigenous people to be
leaders towards a sustainable future</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>why (with all the creative people we have) are we
slipping into being imitators and <I>followers</I> ?</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>sorry, i have heard alot of reasons given...just haven't
heard many good ones</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>to explain why WE aren't cutting edge ourselves.</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>just had to get that out..hope i didn't make anyone TOO
mad.</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>-Richard</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>Wyandotte Oklahoma</DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 9:14 PM, Phillip E Cash Cash
<SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:cashcash@email.arizona.edu">cashcash@email.arizona.edu</A>></SPAN>
wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex"
class=gmail_quote>Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered language<BR><BR>By
JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press<BR>Wednesday, September 14,
2011<BR><BR>Papa Bear, Mama Bear and their cubs have helped children
curb<BR>junk-food addictions and organize messy rooms for half a century.
Now,<BR>from their tree house in idyllic Bear Country, the beloved
Berenstain<BR>Bears are helping revive an endangered American Indian
language.<BR><BR>Access full article below:<BR><A
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/14/national/a003045D95.DTL"
target=_blank>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/14/national/a003045D95.DTL</A><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><BR
clear=all>
<DIV><BR></DIV>-- <BR>
<DIV>
<DIV><I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-small">"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</SPAN></I></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://richardzanesmith.wordpress.com"
target=_blank>richardzanesmith.wordpress.com</A></DIV></DIV><BR></DIV>
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