Meetings in Portland, OR area

[Jeffrey Kopp]

On Fri, 5 Feb 1999 00:43:55 -0800, you wrote:

>I will not be able to attend these meetings as I live too far away while I
>am in school. But, I wonder what others may think of holding a meeting such
>as this in a place with such a graphic reminder of Colonial America?
>Especially since there will likely be native people attending. Of course I
>may be the rare person who has a problem with this, and others may not feel
>as I but this may be worth discussing. If we  are to find ways of saving
>this language for all those who are interested, I think it should be
>necessary to make sure that everyone has a say in the process. I fully
>support meetings such as this and I hope to one day begin the same here in
>the Southern Willamette Valley. I also hope that I am not taken as simply a
>"criticizer". I would likr to see efforts like this expanded to include as
>many people as want to be involved. I am only  questioning the place
>selection, even though the area may be ideal.

Well, you'll just have to start a Jargon group down there, too!  This
is only the first regular (sub-annual) meeting to be organized.
Perhaps eventually there will be Jargon satellites all around the
Northwest. 

The 'net will put us in touch with each other.  I'm just beginning to
experiment with "Internet phones," and "RealAudio," and Marv had
hopes of using such to connect distant native language speakers
together to practice and preserve their languages.  When most of us
have 56K modems or better--probably not long in coming now--we might
be able to form a functioning Jargon audio network among us.

I don't think you're viewed as just a critic; we need to keep the
discussion going, and provocative questions are required to stimulate
it.  To me there's also something cathartic about the bridge-building
aspect of the Chinook Jargon, a way to bring together the descendants
of native and pioneer, and resolve our remaining differences through
examining and understanding the complicated dynamic which took place
on the frontier.

While the Northwest has rapidly assimilated into the nation in the
past forty years, there's still some chance to chart a unique future
direction for it.  Oregon society is still unique, uncommonly
libertarian in nature, and our laws and court decisions regularly
gain national attention for their unusually populist thrust.  Just as
the dream of an Oregon destination drew many out West who never made
it this far, we continue to exert an appreciable influence far beyond
our rainy little domain, as evolving American ideals continue to be
seasoned by the arguably anachronistic individualism still thriving
here.  Even though we're pretty well plugged into the rest of the
world now by jet travel and long-distance telephone, there's still a
visible frontier spirit living among us.  I want to keep it alive. 

Regards,

Jeff