<div>I think a lot of times, we need a will to push us to want to innovate ourselves. With the all the items you listed, it can be done, we just need to find a way to focus that desire and distributing the need to push our cultures. I am Navajo and I have had this idea to shot a short film, I want the dialogue entirely in Navajo and a bit of a love story but focusing on the Navajo culture. </div>
<div><br></div><div>I think the reason that many are replicating mainstream/popular songs is that its easy to do and you can easily incorporate respective languages. It would be great to see artists step up and do original works but unfortunately we have that mind set of what benefits us, it use to be that we can easily share but everyone wants credit for the work. I think once we begin to realize the endless potential to utilize our voices and use it well, we can do so much and have so much power onto ourselves.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I would like to think the Berenstain Bears using an indigenous language is a bit of a wake up call for all of us to teach the younger generation and show the importance of our respective cultures, education is key and we are lifelong learners, no matter if we are done with the formal, we still have much to learn on our own.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Just my two cents.</div><div><br></div><div>Donovan<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 8:55 AM, Richard Zane Smith <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rzs@wildblue.net">rzs@wildblue.net</a>></span> wrote:</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">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" target="_blank">cashcash@email.arizona.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">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><font color="#888888"><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>
</font></div>
</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>Donovan Pete<br>Graduate Candidate, Information Resources & Library Science<br>Portfolio: <a href="http://donovanpete.com/" target="_blank">http://donovanpete.com</a><br>
SIRLS Portfolio: <a href="http://u.arizona.edu/%7Edpete" target="_blank">http://u.arizona.edu/~dpete</a><br>505.979.0459<br><br>
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