[lg policy] Native American Indian Language Policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Fall2010, ENGL300-1





Sunday, November 28, 2010
Native American Indian Language Policy
by: Lisabette Osborn

The responses are due on Wednesday, Dec. 1st, at class time!
_____________________________________________

In the article American Indian Language Policy and School Success by
John Rehyer, the Native American Language act is discussed. This act
was passed on October 30 of 1990 and signed by President Bush. The act
says, “The status of the cultures and languages of Native Americans is
unique and the United States has the responsibility to act together
with Native Americans to ensure the survival of these unique cultures
and languages.” The acts purpose is to, “preserve, protect, and
promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, practice,
and develop Native American languages.” Today the Native American
education system is troubled and test scores are far below the
average. It has become a question on how to improve the educational
system without repeating similar mistake of the past. Rehyer writes
that The Native American languages have been pushed to the side and
English has been forced upon these tribes.

Organizations such as, U.S. English and English First lobby are
fighting for the constitutional amendment to make English the official
language of the United States and of the educational system. There are
sixteen states that have made English their official language. The
author writes that making the official language of the United States
English would cause major issues for Native American tribes that are
attempting to “maintain their tribal language” and trying to, “restore
languages that were suppressed in past years.”

http://fall2010engl300-1.blogspot.com/2010/11/native-american-indian-language-policy.html

Rehyer discusses the problems with the English only movement for the
American Indian education system. Rehyer explains that, “The support
for English-only instruction in this country is correlated with the
rise and fall of the perceived threat to the "American way of life" by
immigrants to this country and thus is a form of xenophobia.” The
author discusses that back in the nineteenth century the figurative
threat was thought to be from, “many Catholics from southern Europe
and Ireland.” The result was emphasis on, “Americanization.” The
teaching of the Indian children fell into the hands of government
employees who were selected through their ability to pass a general
English language Civil Service examination rather than for any special
knowledge of Indian education. The teachers were not encouraged to
learn anything about their student’s background and traditions. In
many cases the Native American children saw their teachers as aliens
because they had nothing in common with them. The author says that
recently many have described the past European educational efforts to
be similar.Rehyer writes that, “Non-Indian Americans need to respect
Indian people’s rejection of the old assimilationist approach to
Indian education that can be found in the recently passed educational
policies of several tribes, including the Navajo the Northern Ute, and
the Pasqua Yaqui.”

According to Rehyer the Navajo Tribal leader Peterson Zah declared in
the tribal education policies that, “We believe that an excellent
education can produce achievement in the basic academic skills and
skills required by modern technology and still educate young Navajo
citizens in their language, history, government and culture.” The
Native American tribes are not denying the importance of learning
English. In many cases the tribes agree that English can help better
their futures and help their students become more successful in the
world today. The Native American tribes are simply attempting to
preserve their cultural heritage. According to Rehyer, “The National
Association for Bilingual Education Western District Representative
sees our native languages nurturing our spirits and hearts and the
English language as sustenance for our bodies"

Rehyer says that no tribe had let their native language become more
important than the teaching of English. The American Indians want to
become bilingual instead of simply throwing out their tribal
languages. The tribes believe that by doing this they will become more
successful, but also maintain tradition. Rehyer writes that, “The
Native American Languages Act of 1990 is the American Indian's answer
to the English-only movement, and the Act's bilingual/multicultural
educational approach is supported by the dismal historical record of
assimilationist approaches to Indian education in the United States.”
Rehyer discusses that the reform of education and the movements to
make English the main form of language when teaching education often
disregards the, “linguistic and cultural issues and propose reforms
that probably will hurt rather than help Indian education. “



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