Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered language (fwd link)

[Richard Zane Smith]

I'm going to be raw here....

this borrowing from outsider cultural icons is ...ok...if its only a
kickstart.
but I think Native people can do ALOT better than borrowing Bernstain Bears
or little kitty or whatever

Three Blind Mice sung in Hopi might be cute...but its not Hopi doesn't
convey Hopi thought.
Amazing Grace sung in Wyandot might be beautiful...but its not
representative of Wyandot thought.

We have our OWN artists,
Where are our OWN writers? with our OWN songs? our own icons? based in our
OWN cultural perspectives?
Is reviving language and culture simply coming up with our own "copycat"
version of pop. society icons?

THEY have a cool teeshirt...now WE have a cool NDN version of the tee shirt.
THEY have a cool gang-banger cap...now we have a cool NDN version of the
same.
THEY have a cool award ceremonies...now WE have our version, an NDN award
ceremonies.

If the nations are looking to Indigenous people to be leaders towards a
sustainable future
why (with all the creative people we have) are we slipping into being
imitators and *followers* ?

sorry, i have heard alot of reasons given...just haven't heard many good
ones
to explain why WE aren't cutting edge ourselves.
just had to get that out..hope i didn't make anyone TOO mad.

-Richard
Wyandotte Oklahoma



On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 9:14 PM, Phillip E Cash Cash <
cashcash at email.arizona.edu> wrote:

> Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered language
>
> By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press
> Wednesday, September 14, 2011
>
> Papa Bear, Mama Bear and their cubs have helped children curb
> junk-food addictions and organize messy rooms for half a century. Now,
> from their tree house in idyllic Bear Country, the beloved Berenstain
> Bears are helping revive an endangered American Indian language.
>
> Access full article below:
>
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/14/national/a003045D95.DTL
>



-- 
*"this language of mine,of yours,is who we are and who we have been.It is
where we find our stories,our lives,our ancestors;and it should be where we
find our future too"   Simon Anaviapik ... Inuit*

richardzanesmith.wordpress.com
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