Arizona man devoted 15 years to keeping Zuni language alive (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Arizona man devoted 15 years to keeping Zuni language alive

By CHRISTINE L. ROMERO | Associated Press
August 14, 2006
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/47877.html

PHOENIX (AP) - The boxes had been tucked away in storage for about 20
years when the government found Curtis Cook on the Internet.

In the boxes sat years of Cook's life and work, documents that Cook
created with the help of seven Zuni elders. They were the origin of the
written Zuni language.

Now, the Library of Congress wanted them.

Creating a Zuni alphabet was a mission that Cook took on alone, right
after he finished some graduate linguistic studies in the mid-1960s.

His first goal had been to create a Zuni version of the Bible, but he
quickly realized the language didn't have a written form. So, he
dedicated 15 years to the Zuni people, who live predominantly in New
Mexico and in Arizona, east of Flagstaff.

Without Cook's efforts, it's likely that the Zuni language would have
perished as the elders passed away and young Zunis forgot the tongue.
Forgetting the language would have forever cut a tie between the
generations of Zunis.

"I became concerned that many of their old stories and the richness of
their history would be lost to posterity as the elders, who were the
storytellers, began to die off," Cook said. The elders were all older
than 100 when Cook began his work.

The Library of Congress' intention is to preserve the work and
eventually make the traditional Zuni stories more widely available.

Cook's work has allowed the Zunis to teach their written language to
children from kindergarten through high school on the reservation. The
Zuni words are even on street signs, which Cook proudly notes are
spelled correctly.

By the end of this year, "The Curtis Cook Collection" is expected to be
inducted into the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center.

During his time on the reservation, Cook also approached the Zuni Tribal
Council and suggested that some of the tribe's stories should be
recorded and preserved. The council agreed and eventually about 300
reel-to-reel tapes were created with Zuni oral histories, folk tales
and religious teachers.

"The Curtis Cook Collection" will include those tapes, transcriptions,
learning guides and some Zuni publications.

Cook, 67, is the associate state director of community outreach for AARP
Arizona. Previously, he was director of the National Indian Council on
Aging.

When Cook talks about his time with the Zuni, known as "a friendly
people," his eyes light up and seem to dance with respect and
excitement.

In telling traditional Zuni stories, he infuses rhythmic Zuni words with
English ones. To the English-speaking ear, the Zuni language seems
breathy and includes many pauses that translate into meaning.

On the reservation, Cook's constant chattering and repetition of Zuni
words and phrases earned him the names "the Mockingbird" and, later,
"the Locust" among the Zuni Pueblo, now numbering 10,000 people.

Language experts say there likely still are pockets of the world where
some languages exist only orally.

Cook's intent was to create a Zuni version of the Bible. Other oral
traditions have morphed into written languages in a similar missionary
fashion, experts say.

For many, the preservation of language in a written form allows them to
stay connected with their history and roots.

"Oral tradition keeps certain kinds of intergenerational contacts," said
Guha Shankar, folklife specialist with the American Folklife Center. "It
keeps memories alive."

Without a written documentation, the Zuni oral tradition could have been
lost, Shankar said.

Cook's work piqued the Library of Congress' interest because he
collaborated directly with native speakers in the pueblo, Shankar said.

Cook meticulously made language records, including transcribing
traditional stories passed down through the generations. He used the
International Phonetic Alphabet, a commonly accepted series of symbols
among linguists, to capture the Zuni language.

"I was concerned that all of their history would be lost forever," Cook
said. "My belief is when people get their language in writing it
launches a whole new era. We take notes so we can remember."