ELL: clamor

[Matthew McDaniel]

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Date: Sun, 04 Apr 1999 20:33:34 +0700
From: Matthew McDaniel <akha at loxinfo.co.th>
Organization: The Akha Heritage Foundation
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Subject: Re: ELL: clamor
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I am standing in behalf of the Akha to have their right to their language and
culture respected.

Across the United States there are scores of Indian groups which face far
worse problems because these issues of rights to one's language and culture
were not long ago addressed.

This is a battle.  It is not intending to dominate this list, but to bring
out how the Akha are being treated, how language shift is being forced on
them, and how mission groups are very intent on keeping their activities in
doing this silent.

My apologies that it has to come up at all.

But we have missionaries in Akha villages here in northern Thailand every day
trying to convince the Akha that they must abandon their traditional culture
(and much of their language).  This is a clear scorched earth policy on Akha
cultture that has been going on for years.

This is a political movement, if ever there was one.

We hope we can stop it, and we wish it weren't the case at all and never
needed to come up on this list at all.

It certainly isn't tidy.

But what to do?

Am I hearing correctly that this list wants only polite little things of
"curiosities of endangered languages" brought up?

It puts myself and these people in a rather awkward position.

Why doesn't the list campaign more vigorously against these missionaries who
do this and make these practices unwelcome?

Or are these practices just OK?

That is what these questions are really about.

OK or Not?

Matthew McDaniel


Matthew McDaniel
The Akha Heritage Foundation
386/3 Sailom Joi Rd
Maesai, Chiangrai, 57130
Thailand
Mobile Phone Number:  Sometimes hard to reach while in Mountains.
01-881-9288  when in Thailand
66-1-881-9288  when out  Thailand

Web Site:
http://www.akha.com
mailto:akha at loxinfo.co.th

US Address:

Donations by check or money order may be sent to:

The Akha Heritage Foundation
1586 Ewald Ave SE
Salem OR 97302
USA

Donations by direct banking:

In the US can be transfered to:

Wells Fargo Bank
Akha Heritage Foundation
Acc. # 0081-889693
Keizer Branch
Keizer, Oregon, USA

Outside the US:

Matthew Duncan McDaniel
Bangkok Bank Ltd
Acc.# 3980240778
Maesai Branch
Thailand




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