11th-hour effort to save a Native tongue (fwd link)

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11th-hour effort to save a Native tongue
As ranks of elders thin, kids are tribes' last hope

by Dennis Wagner - Jul. 27, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

HUALAPAI MOUNTAIN PARK - Several dozen children stand atop a bluff to face the
morning sun as it peeks over a distant ridge.

"Nyims thava hmado we'e," they chant, meaning "Boys greet the morning sun." And
then for girls: "Nyima thava masi:yo we'e."

Jorigine Bender, the teacher, urges them to repeat the dawn greeting with raised
hands. "Everybody, turn toward your brother, the sun."

The youths, Hualapai and Yavapai, recite the phrases in self-conscious,
uncertain unison. The language is Pai, passed down to them through generations
but unintelligible to the children.

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http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/07/27/20080727nativetongues0727.html