Native Nations, Native Voices (fwd)

[Koontz John E]

I don't know anything about Gordon Bronitsky or this project, but it might
be of interest to the list.

John E. Koontz
http://spot.colorado.edu/~koontz

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 08:25:14 -0600
From: Gordon Bronitsky <g.bronitsky at att.net>
To: john.koontz at colorado.edu
Subject: Native Nations, Native Voices


	I am working with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center of Albuquerque New
Mexico to create Native Nations, Native Voices--a festival to honor
contemporary Native language writers. To honor Native language authors,
  Native language writers have been invited to participate in a
week-long festival.  Writers will read from their works in their own
languages;  National language translations will be made available to
the audience at the option of each writer.  A special effort has been
made to include and honor high school and college authors in Native
languages, for they are the future of languages.  Selected writers
represent as broad a range of languages and styles as possible.  The
festival is scheduled for July 2005.
	Over 500 Native Nations, each with its own language and culture. These
are the Nations which were encountered by the first Europeans to enter
North America.  Yet now Native languages are under threat everywhere,
due to Euro-American educational policies, disease, and the virtual
omnipresence of English language television.  Some languages are
extinct--from Guale to Esalen, from Eyak to Timucuan.  Others are only
spoken by a handful of elderly individuals.
	Yet throughout Native America and beyond, a small but growing body of
writers are giving new voice to Native languages, using their own
languages to write about and confront the world they live in, the world
of the Twenty First Century.  Often unknown outside their own
communities, such writers have much to say to all of us.
	Right now, participants include
1. Greenland--Jokum Nielsen (Kalaallisut [Greenlandic])
2. Canada--Floyd Favel (Cree), Peter Irniq (Inuktitut)
3. United States--Jim Northrup (Anishnaabe [Chippewa/Ojibwe]), Eveline
Battiest Steele (Choctaw), Nia Francisco and Nora Yazzie (Navajo),
Dominik Tsosie (outstanding high school writer--Navajo), Virgil Reeder.
(Kawaikagamedzene [Laguna Pueblo]),   Frances Washburn (Lakota)
4. Hawai¹i--Kainani Kahaunaele, Larry Kimura (Hawai¹ian)
5. Saipan--Frances Sablan (Chamorro)
6.  Guam--Peter Onedera (Chamorro)
7. Mexico--Jesus Salinas Pedraza (Nyahnyu [Otomi]), Diego Méndez Guzmán
(Tzeltal Maya), Ruperta Bautista Vazquez (Tzotzil Maya),  Jun Tiburcio
(Totonac)
8.  Peru--Martin Castillo (Quechua), Felix Julca (Quechua)
9.  Brazil--Nanblá Grakan (Xokleng)
	Might this be of interest?  Naturally I would be happy to provide more
information or answer any questions you might have.
	Thank you.

				Yours,


				Gordon Bronitsky, PhD
				Bronitsky and Associates
				3715 La Hacienda Dr NE
				Albuquerque, NM  87110

				505-256-0260
				e-mail g.bronitsky at att.net