Berenstain Bears now speaking endangered language (fwd link)

[Dr. MJ Hardman]

I do so agree and had have endless arguments with the Ministry of Education
that only translated works be used in the schools!  I have done my level
best to provide texts originally recorded fro native speakers as long as 50
years ago, from people born in the 19th century, but they want what you
describe below.  I now have online 160 texts in Jaqaru and 110 in Kawki that
can be used in the schools, as well as some 50 primers I did earlier.
Translations must NOT be used.  In the workshops the teachers had to write
original materials, which are also on the internet.  There IS original
material, Min Ed, please, please listen.

Thanks for this post.  You pushed one of my buttons.  MJ

On 9/15/11 10:55 AM, "Richard Zane Smith" <rzs at WILDBLUE.NET> wrote:

> 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/a003045D
>> 95.DTL
> 
> 

Dr. MJ Hardman
Professor of Linguistics and Anthropology
Department of Linguistics
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Doctora Honoris Causa UNMSM, Lima, Perú
website:  http://grove.ufl.edu/~hardman/ 

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