Shoshone reunion celebrates culture (fwd)

[Phil Cash Cash]

Shoshone reunion celebrates culture
By BRODIE FARQUHAR Star-Tribune staff writer
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2003/06/29/news/wyoming/8de50a0c301978120f4fcd1a40982fcf.txt

FORT WASHAKIE -- Serious fun was on the agenda last week for the Eastern
Shoshone Tribe of Wind River Reservation, as they hosted a multi-day
reunion for all Shoshone-speaking tribes.

Saving the Uto-Aztecan Shoshonean languages and cultures of Western
tribes is serious business, involving classes in schools and
coordinating a series of annual cultural reunions.

Academics around the world and here in Wyoming are concerned that native
tongues and cultures are rapidly being lost. In North America, there
are some 200 Indian languages, but experts say only about 50 have more
than 1,000 speakers. The Uto-Aztecan Shoshonean tribes collectively
have several thousand members, according to University of Minnesota
research.

While teachers bring the language and culture to local schools and
Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Reunion President Leola Nagitsy
and members of the Shoshone Business Council planned the fourth
Shoshonean Reunion, now in rotation among the Shoshone, Comanche,
Shoshone-Bannock, Paiute, Ute and other tribes. Serious business, yet
all know how to have fun while sharing language and lore among the
tribes.

Story telling, historic tours, craft demonstrations, Indian dancing,
games, singing, a style show of native dress and more filled the Rocky
Mountain Hall and nearby Fort Washakie pow-wow grounds. A horse parade
and some outdoor games and contests were cancelled due to summer
thunderstorms.

Dancers

A highlight of the reunion festivities on Wednesday was the energetic
dancing and drumbeats of a traditional Aztec fire dance group -- "In
Tlanextli Tlacopan" or "In the Splendor of Tlacopan" in English.
Composed largely of members of the Tellez Family, from the Mexico City
barrio of Tlacopan, the dance group puts on a spectacular show.
Linguists and anthropologists believe the Shoshonean language split off
from its Uto-Aztec roots about 2,000 years ago.

"Yes, this is an authentic dance," said a breathless Martin Tellez after
a strenuous performance in a jaguar-headdress, dancing around and
handling fire to the thunderous roar of drums. "We learned it from our
forefathers and share it now."

Nagitsy said visiting tribes were pleased with the Shoshonean Reunion
IV. "We had over 300 speakers gathered here," she said. While accents
differ, everyone could understand everyone else. Highlights for her was
simply the experience of speaking with other tribes and the giveaway
and Chokecherry dances.

"It was really good," Nagitsy said. "People were hugging each other."
Next year, the Shoshone-Bannock host the reunion in Elko, Nev.

Teacher

Teaching is a full-time job for Standford "Butch" Devinney, 50, a
Shoshonean language and culture instructor for Wyoming Indian Schools
District 14 in nearby Ethete. "The children don't hear the language
enough at home," Devinney said as he manned a booth exhibiting his
paintings of native art.

Devinney has 31 students in his kindergarten through twelfth grade
program. He teaches the little ones the Shoshone vocabulary and then
builds upon that foundation in later grades, pulling in the tribe's
history and culture as students become more and more fluent.

He and other teachers face an uphill battle. "Among our adults, those
who are 45 years old or older still speak the language," Devinney said.
Younger adults have often missed out on learning the Shoshone language
because their parents didn't speak it at home. Memories of students
punished by missionary teachers for not speaking English linger on the
reservation and have created generational gaps in who can and cannot
speak fluent Shoshone. Devinney and other teachers are playing catch up
with the school-age generation, while more and more of their parents
are seeking out elders for tutoring in the Shoshone language.

Devinney said his kindergarten students "pick up the language fast,"
absorbing Shoshonean vocabulary words. By the third and fourth grades,
students are composing sentences. Devinney said he taps the cultural
resources of the tribe, exposing students to bison and how important it
was to the Shoshone.

Devinney credits the elders, and in particular one of his uncles, in
helping bring back the language. "I go to him when I need help with a
particular word," Devinney said. There are large gaps in his own
background where he didn't hear the language, so he's constantly
rediscovering his language and culture himself.

For help with lesson plans, curriculum development and teaching
techniques, Devinney and other teachers have been helped by University
of Wyoming (UW) professors Tim Rush, an early education specialist, and
anthropologist Pamela Innes.

"I've really been impressed with the growth of the Shoshone language
program and the enthusiasm and devotion of the teachers," Rush said.
Under a federal grant, UW has helped develop a Shoshone immersion
program for Head Start students.

Devinney's rediscovery of his Shoshone language and culture has gone
hand-in-hand with his development as an artist. "I try to imagine what
it was like back then and images come to my mind," he said. His
paintings of warriors on horseback or the visions of medicine men show
a love for strong colors and clean lines.

Devinney said his daily reward in teaching is the feedback from students
in the Shoshone language. "When I hear them answer me, that feels
good," he said.