MN Native languages legislative victory

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Great news Richard!
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UofA

> ----- Message from anguksuar at YAHOO.COM ---------
>     Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 12:50:55 -0700
>     From: Richard LaFortune <anguksuar at YAHOO.COM>
> Reply-To: Indigenous Languages and Technology
<ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
>  Subject: MN Native languages legislative victory
>       To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
>
> May 17, 2004
> PRESS RELEASE
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>
> MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE PASSES RESOLUTION SUPPORTING
> OJIBWE AND DAKOTA LANGUAGE
> REVITALIZATION
>
> For more information contact:
> Richard LaFortune, 612-871-0731 or 612-267-1682 (cell)
> Native American language researcher, writer, linguist
> consultant
>
> At the height of spring, as the rain blessed the
> plants of Minnesota, the
> Senate and the House of Representatives of the
> Minnesota Legislature formally
> adopted a concurrent resolution to support the
> revitalization of the Dakota and
> Ojibwe languages that are native to this state, but
> are on the
> verge of extinction. Native languages are recognized a
> pathway to learning
> excellence for Native American students across the
> country.
>
> The Dakota Ojibwe Language Revitalization Alliance is
> poised to make this
> accomplishment one of many in the long road to
> revitalization of the Dakota and
> Ojibwe languages. The language alliance will be
> working with elders and
> communities around the state through the summer. With
> less than 30 fully fluent
> Dakota speakers living in Minnesota and few fully
> fluent speakers left on each of
> the seven Ojibwe Reservations in Minnesota, there
> isn't a moment to lose.
> Legislative co-chair Richard LaFortune says, "This is
> a bright spot in state
> relations amidst so many other differences that arose
> this past year."
>
> The Language Revitalization Alliance is a gathering of
> elders; fluent Dakota
> and Ojibwe speakers, early childhood and childcare
> providers, members from all
> eleven tribes in Minnesota, educators, school
> achievement, and education
> advocates, and community members. This Alliance has
> been meeting since June, 2003
> to examine the existing barriers and opportunities to
> language revitalization,
> convening people who are concerned about the loss of
> language, supporting
> each others work, and building awareness at the state
> and local levels of
> language revitalization and immersion programs.
>
> For Alliance members, language is important to fully
> understand the cultures
> and traditions of the Dakota and Ojibwe people.
> Because the Ojibwe and
> Dakota languages were forcefully and often violently
> taken away thorough the
> boarding schools, many people see language
> revitalization as an important step in
> reclaiming cultures, educational achievement, and a
> positive image of one's
> self.
>
> Experts see a connection to many of the difficulties
> in the Native American
> community as an outgrowth of the historical trauma and
> unresolved grief from so
> much loss as well as continuing injustices toward
> Native people. John
> Poupart, facilitator for the Dakota Ojibwe Language
> Revitalization Alliance, says,
> "Connecting to our inner identity is a corner stone of
> where we must go,
> language is part of that cornerstone."
>
> There have been many strategies to increase the
> success of Native children
> many designed by the mainstream culture that does not
> recognize the ways of
> thinking and being of the Native American community.
> Research is now showing
> that students in a language immersion experience have
> greater success in school
> and had consistent measurable improvement on local and
> national measures of
> achievements. (Bringing Thunder by Janine Pease Pretty
> on Top, Tribal College
> Journal of American Indian Higher Education). Native
> Hawaiian children in
> immersion experience outperform the average for Native
> Hawaiian children. The Maori
> tribes in New Zealand went from a 5%-15% pass rate in
> school to a soaring 75%
> when students were involved in language immersion.
> Similar statistics are
> found at the Piegan Institute in Montana with
> Blackfeet language and other
> immersion schools around the United States.
>
> Language immersion is shown to have a multiplier
> effect for young Native
> American children. Language Immersion with children
> has developed 'intensive
> language acquisition' which benefits in communication.
> Learning one's native
> language reveals and teaches tribal philosophies is a
> link between the past and
> future of Native American tribal nations. Darrell Kipp
> of the Piegan Institute
> has documented the precious bond created between the
> children and elders.
> "Knowledge of the Native language gives tribal members
> a unique tool for analy
> zing and synthesizing the world, and the incorporating
> the knowledge and values
> of the tribal nation into the world at
> large."(Crawford)
>
> As Minnesota's first languages, Dakota and Ojibwe are
> important assets to
> Minnesota and to the world's linguistic resources. The
> complexity and unique
> aspects of Ojibwe and Dakota languages provide
> important worldviews and concepts
> that can enrich all Minnesotans. Richard LaFortune
> says, "Native American
> languages represent some of the richest and most
> sophisticated languages on
> earth. Language revitalization presents an outstanding
> opportunity of our young
> people to maintain heritage and increase education
> success.
>
> The Dakota Ojibwe Language Revitalization Alliance
> will be sharing their
> stories, visions and dreams for a Minnesota where the
> Dakota and Ojibwe languages
> are revitalized, where members of the Dakota and
> Ojibwe communities hear their
> language every day, reclaim their positive self
> identity, and unlock their
> great potential for educational achievements.
>
> "We look forward to hearing Governor Pawlenty's
> response, as well as his
> commissioners of education and health and human
> services," noted LaFortune.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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