Fw: [NativeNews] Norman students hope film helps rescue native tongues

[Jimm GoodTracks]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Pat Benabe 
To: Jimm Goodtracks 
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 6:46 PM
Subject: Fw: [NativeNews] Norman students hope film helps rescue native tongues



----- Original Message ----- 
From: Robert Schmidt 
To: Native News 
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 5:19 PM
Subject: [NativeNews] Norman students hope film helps rescue native tongues


http://www.newsok.com/norman-students-hope-film-helps-rescue-native-tongues
/article/3337198

Norman students hope film helps rescue native tongues
Norman club interviewed tribal elders for award-winning language
documentary

BY JENNIFER GRISWOLD
Published: January 12, 2009

NORMAN - A documentary about the dying languages of American Indian tribes
has received state honors for a group of Norman students, and is being used
in classrooms as a teaching tool.

Students in Norman High School's Native American Club were recognized
recently by state Education Department officials for their documentary,
titled "When It's Gone, It's Gone."

The students interviewed tribal elders representing American Indian tribes
in Oklahoma and asked them about their native languages and the struggle to
keep their languages and cultures alive.

Most of the elders on the video are in their 80s and have witnessed the
languages of their tribes dying out as the younger generations were raised
in an English-speaking society.

Oklahoma has 39 federally recognized tribes, and many are losing their
languages with few fluent speakers left, said Desa Dawson, director of
world languages for the state Education Department.

Mosiah Bluecloud, a former Norman High School student, said working on the
documentary changed his life.

"I felt sad as I listened to them talk about their children. It kind of
made me feel helpless," he said.

Bluecloud, a Kickapoo, decided to change his major at the University of
Oklahoma to linguistics, and he wants to become fluent in his native
language.

Dawson said she's received comments from high school and college language
teachers across the state who've shown the video in their classes and used
it to start discussions about the cultural importance of language.

The video has struck a chord with people, Dawson said.

"You express your culture through your language, and without that language,
it makes it that much more difficult to maintain your culture," Dawson
said.

The 13 students who worked on the documentary and spoke to the elders
learned a lot through the project, said Judith Blake, club sponsor.

Bluecloud said he's surprised word about the film spread like it did.

"I hope it does something," Bluecloud said. "I hope kids go to their
grandparents and start learning words."


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