Talking the talk (fwd link)

Tue Jul 29 15:55:34 UTC 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008 7:48 AM CDT

Talking the talk
By JOSH NELSON, Courier Staff Writer

TAMA --- As careful as can be, preschoolers paste a pink half-circle of paper on
top of a larger green shape. A pair of googly eyes and a big beaming smile come
next.

The weskita --- watermelon in Meskwaki --- is complete and happy. Another
activity for the students at the Meskwaki Settlement School finished before
heading home for the day and another piece of refrigerator art for parents.

The watermelon also links the children to an important and increasingly
threatened aspect of their cultural identity.

"Most of the young, they don't come in knowing the language, so we have to teach
them," culture teacher Rose Wanatee said.

A large proportion of adult members of the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi
in Iowa also grew up knowing little or none of their native tongue. Between
half and two-thirds of tribal members did not learn Meskwaki as their primary
language.

Access full article below:
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/07/27/news/top_story/10311377.txt