Dine Family Institute (language)

[Andre Cramblit]

Farmington Daily Times

  School: Dine language, culture remain the key to success   By Monica
Lujan/For The Daily Times

 Thursday, May 15, 2003 -

 SHIPROCK "We spoke to our children even while they were in the womb. And
since there are seven of them, we each took a separate  group with us on
occasion; dad with the boys, and mom with the girls, to spend time with
them," Pauline and Ezekiel Sanchez told  participants of the Dine Family
Institute held Friday and Saturday at TseBitAi Middle School in Shiprock.

 The Sanchez', who are the 2003 Family of the Year, kept the audience
alternating between tears and laughter as they told stories of  their
childhood, their romance and the ongoing process of being parents to a
houseful of children. The Sanchez' were first named as  Arizona's Family of
the Year and then as National Family of the Year. The couple is the first
Native American family to be selected for  this prestigious honor.

 "We have always communicated to our children our love for them and the
fact that each can achieve whatever he or she desires,"  Pauline Sanchez
said, noting the struggles she had to overcome.

 Pauline Sanchez spoke frankly about watching her Navajo father beat her
mother in drunken rages. As an adult, she was able to  reconcile her
feelings of conflict about this situation by talking to him and realizing
how alcohol had affected his abilities to be a normal  father.

 Ezekiel Sanchez quipped about being a "wetback," and how his parents
crossed the Rio Grande into the United States when he was a  small child.
Despite the hardships of being immigrants and raising 16 children, Ezekiel
Sanchez said his parents remained loving and  caring toward each other and
were never violent.

 Lenora Williams and her family from Fruitland were so moved by the
Sanchez' presentation that they invited them to dinner later that  evening.

 "We felt like we had to express back to them the love they shared with
us," said Lenora Williams.

 Randy Roberts, chair of the Central School District's Indian Education
Committee, was also very impressed with the Sanchez'  presentation

 "We were so honored to hear the kinds of teachings that every family
should use," Roberts said.

 Navajo Nation Vice President Frank Dayish Jr. and his wife Virginia made a
surprise appearance at the Friday night conference. Both  the vice
president and his wife reminisced about the days they were students at
TseBitAi Middle School, he remembered when the  school auditorium was brand
new and she recalled her days of being a cheerleader.

 Dayish reinforced the importance of Navajo parents' involvement in schools
on the reservation and stressed the inclusion of Navajo  language and
culture in all schools serving Navajo students. Virginia Dayish spoke about
the many struggles and sacrifices she and  her husband endured as they
pursued higher education. She credited strong family role models and family
perseverance for getting  them to where they are today.

 "It was very nice to hear Mrs. Dayish speak as a mother. Both she and the
vice president have assisted us with events twice this  spring which is
unprecedented," added Tina Deschenie, Central Schools' Director of
Bilingual and Indian Education, who also organized  the conference.

 On the second day of the conference, a nine-student panel answered
questions about their role models, their parent's role in their
educational careers and their futures. The student panel was a hit with
attendees as the students from Kirtland Central High, Shiprock  High, and
Newcomb High, mostly credited their mothers for their achievements thus far
in life.

 The students overwhelmingly believed the best parents tell their children
they love them, listen to their children, know who their  friends are and
attempt to understand the very different issues the students are confronted
with today, compared to what the  parents might have faced in their own
adolescence.

 The student panel also noted some of their favorite reading included books
that had to do with individuals overcoming adversity, but  they also
preferred magazines featuring current issues. As to future career
aspirations, they talked about architecture, engineering,  Native American
law, music, journalism, and business. The students also agreed inclusion of
Navajo language, culture, and history is  an important component of their
education. Some students believed that all Navajo students should have to
take all the Navajo  courses offered. And many students indicated that
their first Navajo specific learning occurred in school when their
teachers  introduced the information.

 "Those students who spoke Navajo fluently did so with great reverence for
their family who had raised them knowing the importance  of their
traditional roots," Deschenie said, "All of the students spoke with
refreshing candor and intelligence on each question posed  to them."

 Steve Darden with his Navajo teachings and encouragement to use prayer,
song, and culturally based practices to be more loving and  joyful drew in
a large audience as well. Both Dr. Larry W. Emerson and Sylvia Jackson also
reinforced the importance of family  commitment to raising children who are
strong in their identity as Navajo people and who aspire to do the best
they can for society in  general. Emerson reviewed historical oppression,
which led to degeneration of culture and language among the Navajo, and all
Indian  people.

 "This historical process was evidenced in the students' insight on their
parents' apathy toward language and culture in many  households," Deschenie
noted.

 "However, it's no surprise the students' lack of traditional teaching in
the home only creates a thirst for Navajo language and culture  teachings
through the schools."

 Starting in July, the New Mexico State Department of Education has opened
a new door for public school students to study their tribal  languages with
funding from the state Bilingual Unit for Indigenous Language
Revitalization.

 Central School District's Indian Education Committee hosted the Dine
Family Institute.