Tribe awarded grant to keep language alive (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Web posted Sunday, December 26, 2004

Tribe awarded grant to keep language alive

By JOSEPH ROBERTIA
Peninsula Clarion
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/122604/news_1226new001001.shtml

The late Peter Kalifornsky, a Native elder that made significant
contributions to keeping the Dena'ina language alive once wrote a story
called "Education."

In that story he said education was "To prepare school students for the
reality of today's world. To relearn. To tell about what remains of the
past. That it is their country from the ancient past and that they are
Dena'ina."

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe recently received a three-year, $584,000
Administration for Native Americans grant that will allow them to do
just that — to "educate" using a variety of projects all designed to
revitalize the Dena'ina language.

"Our goal is to have a tribe of lifelong learners and teachers of
Dena'ina culture and language," said Sasha Lindgren, language program
director.

Dena'ina is part of the Athabascan or Na'Dene language family. There are
five dialects for the Dena'ina language: Upper Inlet, Iliamna, Inland,
Outer Inlet and Seldovia.

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe is one of three Native organizations to
receive funding to work on revitalizing the Dena'ina language. The
Alaska Native Language Center in Fairbanks and the Alaska Native
Heritage Center in Anchorage both received grants from the Department
of Education as well.

The approach of the three programs varies in different ways, but all are
the same in that they attempt to maintain and perpetuate the language
by teaching it to younger generations.

"We want to reconnect with our tribal youth, and language is our
strongest tool for that," Lindgren said.

One of her initial objectives is to develop six curriculum units on
Dena'ina language to be implemented into the Kenaitze's Head Start and
Cultural Heritage programs.

Lindgren said the curriculums will be modeled after those currently used
by Pauline Hobson, a Dena'ina language instructor from Nondalton, and
Alan Boraas, a Kenai Peninsula College professor of anthropology who
co-taught the course "Dena'ina Language and Culture" with adjunct
professor of Native studies Donita Peter this past semester at KPC.

Both curriculums heavily use immersion techniques. Students are taught
conversation skills, such as how to introduce themselves in Dena'ina,
as well as several other topics such as numbers, colors, animal names,
days of the week, body parts, clothing, plants, household items and
food.

"We'll begin by teaching the teachers and grow from there," Lindgren
said.

She said she also hopes more age appropriate curriculums with strong
additional emphasis on culture can be developed to complement the
current curriculums.

To assist Lindgren in carrying out these tribal goals, two new positions
— language archivist and language developer — have been created through
the grant and filled by qualified applicants.

Brett Encelewski of North Kenai was hired as the language archivist. His
primary duties include collecting, transcribing, digitizing and
archiving Dena'ina language materials.

"It's a huge task," he said, but added that it was a task he's wanted to
do for practically his whole life.

Encelewski explained that as a youth he felt estranged from his Native
heritage, until his mother encouraged him to attend the Kenaitze's
Susten Camp, which provides cultural heritage exploration for youths
during the summer. While there, Encelewski was exposed to Native words,
history and concepts.

"I just had never had that, and it created a lifelong passion and
interest in my culture," he said.

Now he said he hopes to inspire future generations through the Dena'ina
language in the same way he was inspired.

"My goal is, through cooperation and sharing, to make sure tribal
members and others in the community have access to what everyone else
has," Encelewski said in regard to archived language materials.

Wanda Reams of Soldotna was hired as the language developer. Her primary
duties include collecting materials related to the Dena'ina language
and preparing word lists, pronunciation keys and written and
audio-visual teaching materials, as well as assisting in language camps
and festivals.

Reams has over the past few years participated in several language
courses including the Denaqenaga Language Ladder, an Alaska Native
Language Center language mentor and apprenticeship program, and
received her teaching certificate through the tribe.

However, she has a story similar to Encelewski's when it comes to
finding her path in life.

"Growing up I was ashamed of being Native," Reams said. However, upon
learning of her shame, her grandmother sternly told her she should be
proud of who she was.

She said hearing her normally mild-mannered grandmother speak so
adamantly about their heritage had a profound affect on her and changed
how she felt about her Native roots.

"I see that shame in a lot of kids today, but being Dena'ina is a good
thing and our children need to know it," Reams said.

"Learning the language is a large part of strengthening their identity,
their value and their sense of place," she added.

Lindgren said in many ways Encelewski and Reams represent the Kenaitze
tribe's labor coming to fruition.

"The tribe gave to them and now they are giving back to the tribe," she
said.

Lindgren said it also proves that claims that the Dena'ina language is
dead or dying couldn't be more wrong.

"I prefer to think of our language like a flower," she said. "It was
lying dormant waiting to bloom again. Now it's alive and growing. It
just took time."