Funding will save native languages (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Funding will save native languages

CAROL CLARK Monitor County Editor
http://www.lamonitor.com/articles/2007/06/13/headline_news/news04.txt

Three million in funding for the Esther Martinez Native American Languages
Program was awarded Thursday in an effort to prevent more native languages
from dying out.

"The urgent need to protect and preserve Native American languages is
clear," Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said Thursday in a news statement. "Today,
with great hope for the future, I'm extremely pleased we funded the Esther
Martinez Native American Languages Program. This is an important step that
will be vital in reversing the trend of disappearing Native Languages."

During his time in Congress, Udall said he has had the "great honor" of
visiting the pueblos in his district in northern New Mexico and learn many
of the traditions and characteristics unique to each individual tribe.

"One similarity, however, is that Native languages are being lost," he said.
"Tribal elders are often the only ones fluent in the language as an
increasing number of children are growing up in homes that speak only
English."

Of the more than 300 pre-colonial indigenous languages spoken in the United
States, only 175 remained a decade ago, according to the Indigenous
Language Institute.

Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., told a crowd gathered for a special ceremony at
the Poeh Cultural Center on April 10 that native languages are being lost at
a rate of 12 every three years. Once lost, they can never be recovered,
Wilson said at the time, adding that by 2050, only 20 languages would be
spoken with regular use unless efforts were taken to teach the languages to
new generations.

"This program funding, named in Martinez' honor, is an indication that the
importance of cultivating and passing languages down to younger generations
is now being recognized," Udall said.

Martinez' grandson Matthew Martinez is a tribal officer for the Ohkay
Owingeh Pueblo. He thanked Udall and Wilson and said it's important that
there is a collaboration among the congressional delegation on the issue of
language preservation.

Language preservation is one of the most important pieces of legislation,
Matthew Martinez said, adding that his grandmother strived to teach and
preserve language and the greatest legacy and tribute in honoring his
grandmother would be to continue the effort.

"Language preservation is not a cultural project or a New Mexico project;
it's an American project that honors American people," he said.

Santa Clara Pueblo Lt. Gov. Alvin Warren said this morning that he was
excited to hear that the funding had been appropriated.

"All of the 19 pueblos are very supportive of the Esther Martinez Act,"
Warren said. "We very much appreciated Rep. Udall and Rep. Wilson for their
efforts. One of the unique aspects of this act is that it includes funding
for emerging educational programs to develop and strengthen our languages."

Funding for the program was determined in Udall's subcommittee on labor,
health and human services, and education. Udall serves as a co-vice chair
of the Congressional Native American Caucus and was appointed at the start
of the 110th Congress to the House Committee on Appropriations, which is
responsible for setting all House expenditure levels for the federal
government.

Edward Calabaza, public information officer for the New Mexico Indian
Affairs Office said details of how the funding will be allocated amongst
the tribes has not been specified.

The Native American Languages Preservation Bill was renamed the Esther
Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act. The late pueblo
linguist and storyteller was killed in a car accident on Sept. 16 while
returning to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo from Washington, D.C., where she received
a National Heritage Fellowship for her work to preserve the Tewa language.

Martinez developed dictionaries, translated key texts and taught the
language to several generations of youth in the San Juan Pueblo schools
from 1974-1989. She also worked with the Wycliffe Bible translators to
translate the New Testament into Tewa.

- Published in the June 12, 2007, print edition of the Los Alamos Monitor.