Menominee tribe tries to keep language alive (fwd link)

[phil cash cash]

Menominee tribe tries to keep language alive

by Meg Jones / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Monday March 16, 2009, 7:46 PM

KESHENA, Wis. -- The future of the Menominee tribal language had just awakened
from naps.

Seated at a small table, bare except for a label taped to the top that read
atuhpwan -- the Menominee word for table -- the tiny students spoke what
sounded to an untrained ear like gibberish.

Using a booklet of flashcards held up by their teacher, the 2-year-olds pointed
and repeated the words kuapenakaehsaeh (cup), aemeskwan (spoon) and paeces
kahekan (fork). At home they've been known to ask their families for a snack
using the Menominee words for crackers and fruit instead of English.

"Their minds are like sponges," said their teacher, Candy Mahkimetas, after
quizzing them on the words for bear, dog and cat. "This is the crucial age for
them to start speaking."

The survival of the Menominee language -- which has only an estimated 35 fluent
speakers -- depends on these tots at Menominee Day Care Center learning the
language their ancestors have spoken for centuries.

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http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/03/menominee_tribe_tries_to_keep.html