ENGL 103 WLAC Preserving the Native Tongue & Language Revitalization Discussion
Essay 1Preserving the Native TongueThe Native American language is far more than just a language. More than a serious of words strung together to communicate with one another; it’s their culture, their identity; it’s what makes them unique. Embedded in their languages are lessons preserved by their ancestors that carries the nature and culture of who they are as people. Native Americans have always recognized and valued the connection between language and culture despite the American government’s efforts to eradicate their languages and traditions.From the time Europeans set foot on America’s shores, they have sought to capture, conquer, and claim the land and resources that were allotted and belonged to the Native Americans. Europeans who were barred from inheriting property in Europe “arrived on American shores hungry for Indian land-and the abundant natural resources that came with it” (Fixico). The White man viewed the indigenous people as a threat, “their skin was too dark, their languages were foreign, and their world views and spiritual beliefs were beyond most white men’s comprehension” (Fixico). In 1833 in his annual address to Congress, Andrew Jackson denounced Indians, stating, “They have neither the intelligence, the industry, the moral habits, nor the desire of improvement which are essential to any favorable change in their condition. Established in the midst of another and a superior race…they must necessarily yield to the force of circumstances and era [before] long disappear. (Fixico).” so for these reasons, the United States government authorized over 1,500 attacks and raids on Indians. By the 19th century, fewer than 238,000 indigenous people remained, the United States government had slaughtered over 14 million Indians in America.In the 1900s, with the blessing of Congress, Army Lieutenant Richard Henry Pratt embarked on a cultural experiment that removed Native American children from Indian reservations and placed them in boarding schools ran by the government. The purpose of theses boarding schools was to stamp out Native American culture. This cultural experiment robbed the American Indians of their freedoms, traditions, land, parents’ rights, language, identities, and appearance. Upon arriving at these boarding schools,’ Native American children were immediately stripped of their identities. Their hair was cut, their traditional clothing was confiscated, and the children were severely punished for speaking their languages. The abuse the Native Americans endured at these boarding schools was so severe that elders are still afraid to speak their languages outside of their homes. The cultural experiment that the United States employed with Pratt robbed Native Americans of the most ancient gift left to future generations of Native Americans, language and by the late 19th Century, Native American languages were mainly dead or dying as the Native Americans struggled to hold on to their identities.The 20th Century brought a new form of obstacles to preserving Native American’s languages and cultures. No longer forced to attend boarding schools, Native American children were accumulated into American society where they were teased and ridiculed when they were heard speaking their languages. They were looked down upon for being bilingual and viewed as being subservient or a second-class person. America taught indigenous people that their accents were something they should be ashamed of. To stop the teasing Native American Parents stopped teaching their children the language because being bilingual was a disadvantage in American society. However, the 21st Century has birthed an awakening. A global indigenous revolution that is encouraging young people to embrace their culture. This awaking is a resurgence of the Native American culture. A new generation of Native Americans that value the importance of preserving their languages, dances, art, land, and every aspect of their identities. The Native American’s in the 21st Century understand that their language contains values and messages left by their ancestors to help them deal with the horrible things they are facing like alcoholism and suicide. They know that keeping their native tongue alive is vitally important to their existence and identities. They understand their language values and understand that their native languages will be gone forever if they do not preserve and rebuild it. As the Idle No More Movement leader articulated to a crowd of young Natives, “Who we are as Native people. Our language is essential to our identity. To know who you are as a Native Person. And be strong and carry that” (Language 18:23-18:26). They understand that to lose their language in its entirety is to lose their identities.Young Native American’s are taking a stance and, with the help of organizations like The Enduring Voices Project, empowering Native American communities to preserve and rebuild ancient traditions with modern technology. Their efforts to revitalize and maintain their threatened languages have resulted in the production of books, audio, and other products being used to document their language and teach others to speak it.The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in Oregon are currently building a talking dictionary with thousands of words to preserve and reteach their language amongst their tribes. The Cherokee in Oklahoma, have shown great success in generating new speakers with their immersion school called Tsalagi Tsunadeloquasdi, which was founded in 2001. “The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a casino-funded tribe, have successfully generated new speakers of Chinuk Wawa, the lingua franca of many Oregon reservations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries”(Braun). The Ojibwe, one of the most widely spoken Native American languages, with about 200,00 speakers, has created an interactive resource that “combines about 30,000 Ojibwe elders saying words, sentences and paragraphs in their native languages”, to preserve the language and encourage people to learn it (McConnell). Although Native Americans have made great strides toward preserving their languages and cultures, they face many obstacles as they struggle to hold on to their heritage. Many indigenous children are still punished and ridiculed in today’s society for speaking their languages at schools and in public. Many new speakers have very few family members and elders who can practice speaking the language outside of the classroom, which prevents them from becoming fluent in the language. Many Native Americans live in urban areas where they’re not exposed to their native cultures and heritage. The main obstacle is the lack of fluent speakers and many elders not being familiar with today’s technology, so they must rely on outsiders and the younger generation of indigenous people to preserve the knowledge they currently possess. These challenges, accompanied by the pressures and influences from the mainstream English-speaking society, makes preserving the Native tongue a daunting task. The Native Americans of today recognize that once a language is dead, it is hard to bring back if not impossible. They understand that this generation is the Native’s last chance to save their languages because as the elders pass away, their languages and traditions pass away with them. “The loss of any language is a loss for us all. We lose part of the human genius, and with the disappearance of a language also goes a lot of spiritual concepts, art, and so on” (Braun). With the help of organizations like the Enduring Voices Project and young activists like The Idle No More Movement leader and the sense of pride being reborn, Native Americans can now reclaim and rebuild the culture, traditions, and languages the American government systematically destroyed.Work CitedBraun, David Maxwell. “Preserving Native American’s Vanishing Languages” National Geographic, November 15, 2019,https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2009/11/15/preserving-native-americas-vanishing- languages/. Accessed September 20, 2020Fixico, Donald L. “When Native Americans Were Slaughtered in the Name of Civilization” History, August 16, 2019, https://www.history.com/news/native-americans-genocide- united-states. Accessed September 24, 2020.Lewis, Aimee. “The Cherokee Story of Preserving and Endangered Culture” OklahomaPublic School Resource Center, NONDOC, March 24, 2020, https://nondoc.com/2020/03/24/cherokee-story-preserving-endangered-culture/. Accessed September 24, 2020McConnell, Kathryn. “Languages Preservation Efforts Spark Interest in Ojibwe” RedLake National News, October 19, 2012, https://www.redlakenationnews.com/story/2012/10/19/features/language-preservation-efforts-spark-interest-in-ojibwe/5874.html. Accessed September 24, 2020.McDermott, Brian. Language Healers: Native Americans Revitalizing Native Languages.Directed by McDermott, Brian. EmpathyWorks Films, 2014Essay 2 Language Revitalization Who we are and whom we want to become as individuals starts with the inheritance of ourlanguage. “It is language that defines the nature and character of who we are, and how we relatewith one another, and to all things we experience in life” (20, McCarty). Native Americans sincethe beginning of time have fought for the appreciation of their culture, and the remembrance oftheir ancestors who paved the way. Living amongst any culture, the first of what you pick up isthe language. Inheriting a language and a voice of speech to speak your mind and feelings is howwe allow people to travel on a journey of understanding who we truly are. Our language is morethan words being ejected out of our mouths, but a step into our culture and history. Who are we and how does our identity define us as a culture? Native Americans throughouttime fought for their identity to be seen as well as for them to be recognized for where they camefrom. Our identity is what makes us who we are and allows us to challenge others to see it aswell. When attending certain schools, Native Americans were required to only speak the Englishlanguage, as if basically saying their background did not matter. Because of schools pushing thecolonial culture on Native Americans, the Native language slowly began to die and becamepushed away as something that was not going to represent something worth fighting for. “It issaid that when the languages were created, language identified the people, who we are, wherewere from, and where we’re going.” (28 McCarthy Romero: Reclaiming the gift) Every languageever spoken identifies a group and allows them to be seen for who they are, the skin color theyrepresent, the songs that are sung, and the history of our ancestors. The Native Americanlanguage is slowly on the verge of being forgotten in the America’s and the last bit of NativeAmerican language was being spoken by the elders. Holding on to cultural identity is what paves Morris 2the way for future generations to understand the importance of holding on to what defines you asa culture, to communicate with others and encourage the teachings of who we are. Knowledge is the opening gate to our past and the journey we have traveled to get to wherewe want to be. This is one of the reasons why language revitalization is so important for thetribal communities. By keeping recordings of the native language, others can continue tobe reminded of the culture and what’s come from it.” It is how parents impart their cultures totheir children and enable them to become the kind of men and women they want them to be”.(30 Wong Fillmore) Keeping the native culture alive gives people the opportunity to appreciatethe traditions from which our ancestors stored away for us, and with that our children can shapethe way of the men and women they become. The native Americans are trying to keep theteachings going by journeying to meet with past speakers to gather and listen to their stories,documenting a lot of their language through different films showing their culture throughpictures. By having a good and solid record of the language gives good opportunity forothers to appreciate and acknowledge the power and culture behind it. As an American, one must abide by the American ways of living and the cultures that fallbehind it. In most schools, English is considered to be the most dominant language and theteachings to children at an early age is that the culture you want so hard to be accepted by willonly be dismissed and looked over. White culture was the culture that was constantly praisedand worshiped, but why? The American way was the only way, which is what is always beingtaught. The native America culture was dying. It was vanishing and becoming nearly extinct. Bythe 20th century, more than half of Native Americans were living amongst urban areas wheretheir sense of identity was not looked upon. English became their everyday language andits all that was accepted. Once a language disappears and leaves, the culture it once originatedfrom it becomes harder to find a new life. Especially without the proper recorded materials.To prevent the native language from disappearing they must put forth the effort to continue totell the stories of our ancestors and the overcoming and challenges they faced, continuing toteach the languages in classroom atmospheres, and broadcasting the raw material of where it all Morris 3started. Maintaining the language can only work if the effort is put into it by the communitiesand people of the culture. “Every language further refines our understanding of cognition,communication systems, the nature of the mind, and the different way people categorize ourcollective human experience.” (Linguist. Preserving native America’s vanishing languages). At the end of the day if we want to see change, if we want to see a difference being madeand have our culture be broadcasted for the world to see and be accepted, we must addressthe heavy situations at hand. A few of the ways the topic can be addressed is by allowingdifferent programs to step in and offer a hand at saving what is left of our language. We mustmake sure that people are understanding and aware. The enduring voices project is there to helpendangered languages and help prevent them from becoming extinct and forgotten. By goingaround to area’s where languages such as the native America’s are dying out and vanishing ithelps keep people aware of how to document their own languages and utilize them in a way thatcan be beneficial. Another way to address and help the situation as mentioned in the nationalgeographic article is to provide the communities with a speaker who can assist with teaching thelanguages to the local communities and getting the people involved with using the raw datathat is being provided to them. How they go about using the data would be solely up to them.A good way with going about making sure the languages are staying relevant and alive isto allow speakers to come to the schools and teach people about the ways and backgroundof the language and allow people to utilize the information and spread the word. As alsomentioned Children’s brains are like sponges and because of that they could absorb newlanguages rather quickly than the average adult. In conclusion, the journey to revitalize the languages that are known to be slowly vanishingaway are what’s necessary with making sure the culture isn’t forgotten, but instead broughtback to life and taught throughout communities. The native Americans of our time are fightingfor their independence to be seen as a whole and not as what’s expected of them from otherbackgrounds of life. The teachings and understandings of the language must be continuallytaught within the school systems in order to educated our children to be brought up with the Morris 4feeling of acceptance of their culture. The languages must continue to be heard from ourancestors through their stories and words of wisdom of how they’ve overcome the complexitiesthat traveled along. And more importantly the native languages must continue to be recorded andspread around for future generations to bask in and find acceptance. There is no journey without a real fight. Works Cited PageSource: American Indian Quarterly, Winter - Spring, 2006, Vol. 30, No. 1/2, Special Issue: Indigenous Languages and Indigenous Literatures (Winter - Spring, 2006), pp. 28-48Essay 3Language Revitalization Tradition, heritage, language all present a sense of history and definition. They create
bonds and identity; a strong sense of belonging like family. You take that away from people and
you leave them with nothing, nowhere to go and nowhere to seek refuge. Native Americans have
struggled, been oppressed, killed and are real victims of Americas so-called “great history.” Land
has been taken, and native children have been victims of harsh environments that has forced
them to give up the part of being “Native.” The list goes on, but specifically we can revise on
language revitalization and how it’s important for tribal communities in the United states. In the
documentary Language Healers, the ending presents an interesting question that states, “if you
don’t have a language, then who are you?” (37:35). Certainly, that question can apply to just
about anyone; however, in this case American Natives have longed for that answer. The plight of
Natives is real and continue in modern times, but not in mainstream media; these problems
should be addressed and heard.
Native culture preservation is important in establishing identity through their language. It
identifies who they are, where they come from and what lies in the past and for their future. “It
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codifies the history and world view of a people. It’s clear that it’s important to many people that
they have their language that identifies them uniquely as a group” as stated in National
Geographics “Preserving Native America’s vanishing languages” (Braun). There’s far more in
someone’s language than one can imagine; they tell stories, tales of struggle, tales of greatness
and culture. To lose that is to lose who they are and how unique their story is. “Every language
furthers and refines our understanding of cognition, communications systems, the nature of the
mind and the different ways people categorize our collective human experience” (Braun). To
know about the tribal language is to know oneself and identify to a certain style of living
experience. It is important in the context of keeping up with history, and knowing what happened
in the past. Natives find unanswered questions and truth. It is vital in a sense of distinctive
individuality. There’s no question about the importance, and how much meaning it carries
throughout this world.
In this modern age of day, some of the challenges of revitalizing these endangered tribal
languages lie with not having enough Native speakers. “The challenge of producing language
speakers in this context is compounded by insufficient numbers of speakers and the constraints
that an academic learning environment places on the teaching and learning of tribal languages”
(Sims 2). There have been tremendous efforts into re-establishing the communities of dying
language. They lack their number one resource which is the native speaker, there original and
only hope to regain their history and home. Also, while some young teens are interested in
learning the language, others feel shame and embarrassment in it. This too plays a vital role in
passing down. Certain discouraging factors that pertain to the youth learning more about their
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native heritage is school, and other outside elements. The youth are not allowed to speak their
tongue in class which then turns to humiliation and disregard for learning their own ancestral
identity. For example, “A teacher assistant reported that "there are some students that have said .
. . 'I'm not going to learn [Navajo]. Navajo's nothing. I hate it” (McCarty, Romero, Zepeda
10,11). Consequently, there will be complications and struggles if the youth do not care to inherit
such tradition. Time is on the edge and there is no place for mistakes if they what they want to
rescue language in the last of its kind.
Several efforts have been made in the process of building and re-structuring tribal
language in native communities. For example, in National Geographics study of tribal language
which implies a program called “Enduring Voices.” How it works is that, “We have given them a
technology kit and are providing training to help them compile video and audio recordings, with
the purpose of producing language revitalization materials for their language” (Braun). These
kits are an impressive way of re-learning tribe tongue, this provides an exceptional way to help
the youth. There are even teachers at universities who teach even non-natives about the tribal
language. It’s up to the elders to teach young teens and children and attract them to desire this
knowledge. They need to insist on consistency of speaking their tongue as well as teaching and
writing. Another similar example of this is the preservation through audio in “How Technology
Helps Preserve Endangered Indigenous Languages” of yes magazine. They connect the voices of
elder speakers and record so that many others who are interested may learn valuable history and
language. They say that each set of age require “different approaches to learn.” It all requires
patience and faith. Luckily, someone out in the world is trying and reporting results and efforts to
revitalize this tribal cause. For instance, it “enables tribes to approach language documentation
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and revitalization as each community sees best fit by providing as many tools as possible for
each tribe to customize their archive” (Garcia).
In conclusion, Natives have been stripped of culture, language and tradition which has
ultimately resulted in stolen identity. Lost and “homeless” to a country they call home has
rejected them sanctuary and place. As we have seen, colonialism and ethnocentrism took the
wheel from the beginning of western findings. However, Natives still seek to find a way in
recording history of language with some help. Indeed, it has its difficulties in achieving with
progress at times being slow. Although, revitalization efforts haven’t been easy, progress has
shown and communities have united to make it possible. Another question is asked by Hohn in
reviving, “You have to have language with meaning or what’s the point?” (Hohn, Garcia).
Teachers and others of ancient tongue must pursue to revitalize what has been nearly forgotten,
they must organize communicate and be consistent in order to be efficient. They must bring in all
through traditional functions, festivals etc. All that is needed should be necessary to assure
change in revitalization. “Many factors associated with successful second language learning,
including contextualized language learning environments and critical social interactions among
fluent speakers and language learners, are important considerations” (Wong Fillmore, Sims). In
the final analysis, certain acts and traditional activities can surely create a space where,
especially youth can learn and receive their language. Oral ceremonies in songs, speeches and
even plays can be some of the key factors as well with new technology which can certainly
revitalize tribes quest in taking back their forgotten tongue.
