traditions of assimilation...

[Heather Souter]

Madoñ!  Sorry about sending that blank message!

This is really just a bit of a ramble and on a bit of a tangent, but I
will submit it anyhow....

As I reflect on being Métis and the Michif language, I ask myself is
it possible to be a "Métis traditionalist" and not be Catholic when
this religious tradition was/is part of what held(s) us together as a
people from our earliest days?  The answer is a qualified yes.

 We are indigenous to North America but our culture, including
spiritual beliefs and language, has always been a blend of the
sensibilities of our First Nation ancestors with those of our
non-First Nations ancestors (mostly French Catholics, but some Scots,
etc.). When I think about it, one could fall anywhere in the spectrum
of First-Nations -Non-First Nations spiritual beliefs and no one would
be presumptuous enough to say (out loud?!) that a person was too one
way or another.

This is the same with our Michif language(s).  We speak three tongues
that are, from a linguistic perspective, clearly different languages
(and not related dialects) but our people all call Michif!  Only one
of these tongues is the mixed language called "Michif" in linguistic
literature.  The other two are considered dialects of Cree and French.
 However, no self-respecting "traditional" Métis Elder would ever
directly tell another speaker that their language was not "Michif".
It would be disrespectful.

The existence of the residential school (now closed) and attached day
school (both run by religious) in Camperville has left a huge
emotional/psychological/social/cultural scar on our community.  Yet,
beginning to come to terms with the fact that the devout Catholic and
"Holy Roller"  Elders in our midst  may be our best speakers, I am
again struck by how complex our community life has been/is.  I  am
challenged to somehow understand and integrate all these things as I
try to move forward with language work in as respectful as way as
possible....

  Eekushi.  Kihchi-marsii.
Heather Souter







On 2/25/08, Heather Souter <hsouter at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2/25/08, Mia Kalish <MiaKalish at learningforpeople.us> wrote:
>  > Everyone was so *cool* about this.
>  >  In one way, I feel a bit silly about being to absolutely incensed both about
>  >  the content of Dirk Elzinga's email, and about what it seems to me to be the
>  >  nerve that it took to send it. I was watching an episode of Dexter at lunch,
>  >  and one of the characters used the term "entitlement." I guess that's
>  >  perhaps what it is, a sense from a certain group of people that they have
>  >  the right to tell others how to be. (I'm doing it again; I'll stop.)
>  >
>  >  It's been interesting reading everyone's responses. I guess for me, the
>  >  intersection of language, religion and hegemony cut close to the bone. I
>  >  frequently find myself thinking, in response to some unthinking person's
>  >  attribution of "whiteness" to me, When did the Jews become "white"? Was it
>  >  after the Holocaust killed 18 million of us and our closest undesirable
>  >  friends, like the Indigenous Gypsies? Maybe it was when we built Hollywood
>  >  because we weren't allowed to hold more "desirable" jobs; we are grateful
>  >  for the diamond and gold markets. Or maybe, it was when we built the Mt.
>  >  Sinai hospitals, arguably some of the best in the world - because we weren't
>  >  allow to practice in "white" hospitals. Maybe it was then that we became
>  >  "white". Although, the rumors of our horns still abounded in the middle 40s,
>  >  when a friend's father surprised his army cohort because they didn't see
>  >  them when he took of his hat. We know it definitely wasn't then.
>  >
>  >  Maybe on second thought, we learn about the world and people's place in it
>  >  and their/our relation to others when we talk about the things that hurt us,
>  >  the things that bring tears to our eyes: Maybe it's the million points of
>  >  light in Yad Vashem, one for each of the million children whose names are
>  >  read endlessly, in remembrance.
>  >
>  >  Maybe it's "The Silent Scream" and maybe it shouldn't be silent any more.
>  >
>  >
>  >  Mia
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >  -----Original Message-----
>  >  From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]
>  >
>  > On Behalf Of Mark Sicoli
>  >  Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 12:35 AM
>  >  To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
>  >  Subject: Re: [ILAT] traditions of assimilation...
>  >
>  >  Dear Jimmy,  Thank you for this response and the information you provided.
>  >   It's very interesting how the Chinese nationalist project also produced
>  >  the same ideological relationship of one language=one nation, with similar
>  >  oppressive results for vernacular languages.  Since I work in and am from
>  >  ex-european colonies, I trace it's effects there to European nation
>  >  building which was the model for the colonies.  You show the same type of
>  >  process where the Chinese communists model their idea of nation building
>  >  on past symbols deployed for unification.  In all these cases the belief
>  >  in unity doesn't match the real life diversity.  I would like to learn
>  >  more.  Can you recommend a book or article?
>  >
>  >  I wish you luck with your work with Siraya and look forward to hearing
>  >  more about your work in the future.
>  >
>  >  Mark
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >  On Sun, February 17, 2008 12:33 am, Jimmy/ Chun said:
>  >  > Hi all,
>  >  >
>  >  > This is my first time writing here, so please allow me to
>  >  > introduce myself.
>  >  >
>  >  > I am a Siraya from Taiwan, now a PhD student under Dr Hardman's
>  >  > supervision at UF. I work at revitalizing Siraya language that is
>  >  > noted as extinct in Ethnologue (Ethnologue also uses Chinese terms
>  >  > that actually means "savage" in its Siraya entry). I work with a
>  >  > group of Sirayan people that are also Presbyterian; with the
>  >  > little re-constructed mother tongue, they have written a few
>  >  > Christian songs in addition to some folk songs with Austronesian
>  >  > tunes in Siraya. I enjoy the fact that we now have songs to sing.
>  >  > In the songs we sing the name of Alid...when singing Alid, I think
>  >  > of the Sirayan Goddess-mother, although my folks use it to refer
>  >  > to the Western God/Lord.
>  >  >
>  >  > I love this thread and I'd like to contribute to the discussion of
>  >  > "tradition of assimilation" by recommending a movie called
>  >  > "Hawaii" made in 1966, directed by George Roy Hill. It's a looong
>  >  > movie and makes me sad, but it has given me plenty to think.
>  >  >
>  >  > Also I very much agree with Mark Sicoli that the concept of "one
>  >  > nation = one language" has a lot to do with European nation-state
>  >  > building. But I'd just like to point out that such belief has a
>  >  > Chinese root as well. Since as early as 259 BC, the Qin King in
>  >  > China was already obsessed with the notion of a huge, unified,
>  >  > China Kingdom that spoke and wrote (!) only one language. This
>  >  > Chinese nationalist ideology has informed the communists in China
>  >  > as well as the Chinese Nationalists in Taiwan and led to many
>  >  > Mandarin-only (commonly thought to be "the Chinese language"
>  >  > today) policies. By 1930's the Japanese colonializers in Taiwan
>  >  > still documented about 30 indigenous Austronesian languages spoken
>  >  > around the island; now we have speakers for only about 13 of them
>  >  > and two peoples (Siraya and Bazai) are trying to re-constitutes
>  >  > their lost mother tongues (mostly based on written documents --
>  >  > 17th century land contracts and bibilical stuffs [!!] left by the
>  >  > Dutch missionaries). Luckily (??) I can't recall any Taiwanese or
>  >  > Chinese politician talking about us having a "tradition of
>  >  > assimilation" :)
>  >  >
>  >  >
>  >  > Jimmy (or "Chun Huang," my registered Chinese name, which is again
>  >  > a case of assimilation. Siraya used to be matri-focal and people
>  >  > used to have only first names, but the Chinese colonial government
>  >  > has assigned Chinese last names to us based on fathers being the
>  >  > head of a household).
>  >  >
>  >  >
>  >  >
>  >  >
>  >  >
>  >  > On Sat Feb 16 17:03:15 EST 2008, David Lewis
>  >  > <David.Lewis at GRANDRONDE.ORG> wrote:
>  >  >
>  >  >> I for one appreciate more dialogue about how Christians and other
>  >  >> sects have contributed to the assimilation of Native peoples,
>  >  >> which in turn has contributed to the extinction or
>  >  >> near-extinction of many native languages. I too will use this in
>  >  >> my classes.
>  >  >>
>  >  >> David G. Lewis
>  >  >> Manager, Cultural Resources Department
>  >  >> Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
>  >  >>
>  >  >>
>  >  >>
>  >  >>
>  >  >> -----Original Message-----
>  >  >> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology on behalf of Mark
>  >  >> Sicoli
>  >  >> Sent: Sat 2/16/2008 12:49 PM
>  >  >> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
>  >  >> Subject: Re: [ILAT] traditions of assimilation...
>  >  >>  Thank you Phil, well said.  The nationalist myth is based on a
>  >  >> pervasive
>  >  >> ideology where a single language is taken (or given) as the
>  >  >> symbol of a
>  >  >> singular identity.  The one language=one nation association goes
>  >  >> back to
>  >  >> nation-state building in Europe and the practices of linguistic
>  >  >> unifications, like in Spain, France, and Italy, and other such
>  >  >> places
>  >  >> where vernacular languages were ideologically "erased" in the
>  >  >> formation of
>  >  >> national unities.  These served as models for nation building in
>  >  >> the
>  >  >> Americas and the ideology is real prominent in Mexico where I
>  >  >> work, and
>  >  >> where language shifts from indigenous languages to Spanish are
>  >  >> currently
>  >  >> occurring at unprecedented rates.  The same basic ideology is at
>  >  >> work
>  >  >> equating one language with one individual, which serves to work
>  >  >> against
>  >  >> bilingualism and bilingual education, thus facilitating language
>  >  >> abandonment rather than bilingual maintenance.  For these reasons
>  >  >> I agree
>  >  >> that this is a worthwhile discussion for this list.
>  >  >>
>  >  >> Mark
>  >  >>
>  >  >>
>  >  >> On Sat, February 16, 2008 9:02 pm, phil cash cash said:
>  >  >>> For the language advocates (LA) it might be worthwhile to point
>  >  >>> out these
>  >  >>> "assimilationist" agendas are all founded on a nationalist
>  >  >>> myth.??  In
>  >  >>> today's
>  >  >>> contemporary context, this nationalist myth states that our
>  >  >>> societies are
>  >  >>> or
>  >  >>> can become linguistically, culturally homogenous.??  When in
>  >  >>> reality, this
>  >  >>> may
>  >  >>> be impossible.?? And as Richard points out so well, the
>  >  >>> nationalist myth (in what ever
>  >  >>> manifestation it may take) supports other agendas as well.?? Phil
>  >  >>> UofA
>  >  >>>
>  >  >>>
>  >  >>
>  >  >>
>  >  >> -- Mark Sicoli Ph.D.
>  >  >> Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
>  >  >> Postbus 310
>  >  >> 6500 AH Nijmegen
>  >  >> The Netherlands
>  >  >>
>  >  >>
>  >  >
>  >  >
>  >
>  >
>  >  --
>  >  Mark Sicoli Ph.D.
>  >  Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
>  >  Postbus 310
>  >  6500 AH Nijmegen
>  >  The Netherlands
>  >
>