<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN">
<html><body>
<p>Thank you, Bernadette Adley-SantaMaria</p>
<p>I recommend Hardman's article below where, through studying Jaqaru, she explains how land is indeed, as you point out, intertwined with language (both being parts of the whole): if you lose one, you lose the other. Hardman also demonstrates how English, especially the English cultural thinking as manifested its three major linguistic postulates, can often do damage to the indigenous/local. One of the English postulates Hardman identifies is "ranking through comparative/absolute," which the original article in question here exemplifies very well for us: "<span><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><strong>Language (is) more important than land!</strong></span></span>" Really, what's the point of ranking the importance of language against the importance of land anyway??? Many English users, unfortunately, seem unable to escape such ranking mentality.</p>
<p>Hardman, M. J. (1994) “’And if we lose our names, then what about our land?’, or, what price development?” in L. H. Turner and H. M. Sterk (eds) <em>Differences that Make a Difference: Examining the Assumptions in Gender Research</em> (pp. 152-161). Westport & London: Bergin & Garvey.</p>
<p>Let me or Dr. Hardman know if you can't find a copy. I believe she wouldn't mind sharing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chun (Jimmy) Huang</p>
<p>Siraya of Taiwan</p>
<p>Assistant Professor, University of Guam</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>On Mon, 10 Sep 2012 10:26:58 -0700, BSantaMaria wrote:</p>
<blockquote type="cite" style="padding-left:5px; border-left:#1010ff 2px solid; margin-left:5px; width:100%"><!-- html ignored --><!-- head ignored --><!-- meta ignored -->
<div>I strongly disagree with the last statement of paragraph: "Language & culture are intertwined & because of this it's impossible to see how land can be seen as more important." It is because of how intertwined everything is in our Indigenous ideologies/philosophies including especially our lands, natural resources, languages, cultures, social and economic issues, etc., etc., that is not understood by non-Natives or non-Indig. people that is an issue in many aspects of language & culture revitalization efforts. I believe they do not "get it" because they do not speak an Indigenous language that speaks intimately of our connections to our homelands within our speech/terminology. Speaking our languages fluently also engages/intimately involves our lands and resources that come from it, without these, our languages would be missing a vital link to our cultures, some of us even believe that "our land is us" in our language, is our mother. Thinking of land as property with fiscal value is the antithesis of some of our views on it and that usually comes from the western world capitalist view.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>These are also the reasons why I came to an MA thesis conclusion back in the mid-1990's that language revitalization efforts involves "Wholistic Healing for our Native People" to revive their languages and I meant in all areas of Native life including returning to a belief in our cosmologies/spiritality beliefs, traditional socio-economic patterns, etc. It seems that recent articles and books on these issues are arriving at similar conclusions. These reasons are also why I saw the field of linguistics as lacking in considering these aspects of Native people when studying our languages focusing so narrowly on a certain aspect of them and mostly benefiting themselves.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I'm also going to request info from those on this list that know of some books and titles/articles that I can review pertaining to what I brought out above.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Ahiye'e (Thank you,</div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Bernadette Adley-SantaMaria</div>
<div>White Mountain Apache</div>
<div> </div>
<div><br /><br /> </div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 10:04 AM, Phillip E Cash Cash <span><<a href="mailto:cashcash@email.arizona.edu">cashcash@email.arizona.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br />
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><strong>Language more important than land - academic<br /></strong><br />Updated at 7:19 pm on 10 September 2012<br /><br />Linguistics expert Ghil'ad Zuckermann says that the loss of language is more damaging for indigenous peoples than the loss of their land.<br /><br />Access full article below:<br /><a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/115509/language-more-important-than-land-academic">http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/115509/language-more-important-than-land-academic</a><br /></span></span></blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<div> </div>
</body></html>