Language and Tradition Loss: Teaching the Younger Generation

Tatyanna Calabaza

San Felipe Pueblo

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Sept. 7, 2023. photograph.

I picked this topic because children in my family and community are going through not learning the traditional ways and not speaking the language. Growing up in a family was a struggle because little at a time we have been taught things but us children have never taken it seriously but now I regret all that now because I am barely learning things too such as my language. In my family they always say teach them while their young and I have finally known what they mean by that because once my niece had been born that is where it has started. When my niece was growing up and starting to go to school me and my family have been teaching her the ways of our culture and she is learning them real quick because they teach her the same thing at her school. So choosing this topic was mainly because of my niece because she inspired me to teach her more of making things and teaching her our families traditions.

Calabaza, Aaliyah. Tub Cleaning, 2021. Accessed 2023.

Research Log 1: Identity

"Sharing One Skin"

By Jeanette Armstrong

In the article "Sharing One Skin," by Jeanette Armstrong talks about how the Okanagan's and how they have a resemblance with the language and cultures with the four selves: Physical, Emotional, Thinking-intellectual, and Spiritual Self. She talks about the bond they have with themselves and the traditions around them and how it can be taken or destroyed without learning it and passing it down from generation to generation. They talk about how the Okanagen people are practicing their traditions everyday so they won’t forget who they are in life.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Kootz, 7 Oct. 2023.

"How place names impact the way we see landscape"

By B. Toastie

Memories and stories are connected to our land as described by B. Toastie in the article, "How place name impact the way we see landscape,". According to the article the stories have a connection with the landscape from the beliefs to the stories of the land. The connections that they hold will alway mean something and they land. The stories hold so much that keep everything into place that was the main reason of the article because without the stories communities may no know why the name became to be.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Sea of Clouds, 2022.

"And Then I Went to School"

By Joe Suina

In the article "And Then I Went to School" by Joe Suina talks about his cultural shock he had departed from his home 'Cochiti Pueblo'. He would bring up his experience from when he was growing up with his grandmother, living in a one-room house. At the age of six he along with other six-year-olds from Cochiti had to start attending school and had to get used to the strange surroundings around him. He has been struggling with getting to know everything he was missing from his home such as traditional practices and things he would never miss out on.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Corn Grinding, Oct 28, 2023.

Research Log 2: History

"Psychological Impacts of Historic Loss and Current Event Surrounding American Indian Boarding Schools"

By Kaitlyn Sebwenna-Painter

In the article "Physical Impacts of Historic Loss Current Event Surrounding American Boarding Schools"by Kaitlyn Sebwenna-Painter gives a brief explanation of how 80% of the children that were taken from their homes and started attending boarding schools. Children in the boarding school era were punished for speaking their language. They were torn out of their traditional clothing and removed their hair which made them strip away the cultural pride. The children were just threatened and abused by the staff constantly because they were not used to the new way of learning. Boarding school caused a huge impact with Native communities because it cause a huge historic loss of culture which have been an issue over the centuries. Families being raised in communities that walk between worlds of colonization and revitalization had became a huge issue with language loss, spiritual way, losing community member too early and also the use of substance use in their communities resulting from historic loss amongst Native communities.

Sebwenna-Painter, Kaitlyn. “Psychological Impacts of Historic Loss and Current Event Surrounding American Indian Boarding Schools.” Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 2023. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Traditional Broom, 2023.

"Evaluating The Impact of a Culturally Sensitive Art Program On The Resilience, Perceived Stress, and Mood of Urban American Indian Youth"

By Vesna Pepic

The article “Evaluating the Impact of a Culturally Sensitive Art Program On The Resilience, Perceived Stress, and Mood of Urban American Indian Youth” talks about how families in Native communities were affected by colonization. Children were immersed daily with a world stopped in settler colonialism with intense pressure to negotiate and adapt their tradition within non-Native settings. Native Americans and Alaskan Natives suffer with loss of life, forced decolonization, and suppression of their traditions and culture over the centuries. In the article it tells that there was a project conducted and it utilized a culturally oriented art therapy curriculum. Students were not really expected to have knowledge of their culture or ancestry. Children grew up never knowing about their culture or ancestry, especially the ones that were born and raised in the city. They suffer more about the whole situation because growing up they never visualized the cultural perspective of being raised in a traditional home.

Pepic, Vesna. “Evaluating the Impact of a Culturally Sensitive Art Program on the Resilience, Perceived Stress, and Mood of Urban American Indian Youth.” Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 2022. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Wraps, Oct. 9, 2023.

"Rising Above: COVID-19 Impacts to Culture-Based Programming In Four American Indian Communities"

By Allyson Kelley

In the article “Rising Above: COVID-19 Impacts to Cultural Based Programming in Four American Indian Communities” talks about how the young children were more affected from COVID-19 because during that time they have not been learning their culture for a long time while in quarantine. While our traditional practices were canceled we didn't know what we could do for the children. The main thing that caused a cultural loss during Covid was how Native Communities were losing their elders, knowing that was our main source of traditions and language. There on, communities didn’t want the community to lose what they have, so they started having language classes in schools that will make a big impact on tribal communities.

Kelley, Allyson. “Rising Above: COVID-19 Impacts to Culture-Based Programming in Four American Indian Communities.” Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 2022. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Koh'weh'pah,Oct. 28, 2023

Research Log 3: Current State of Issue

"Preserving Native Language: No Time to Waste"

By Lillian Sparks

In the article “Preserving Native Languages: No Time to Waste” by Lillian Sparks speaks about what she is taught and also what communities are doing to keep the culture alive. Growing up her mother taught her and her sister the words and phrases that are central to their lives as Native Americans. “Mitakuye Oyasin”(we are related). The lesson that she is taught is woven to their everyday communications and not just for special occasions. Over the decades there were more languages in the United States but now 245 Indigenous languages, 65 that are extinct and 75 endangered. She has made discoveries when she traveled to various tribal communities and found out participating in their ceremonies is the first step of preserving Native culture, also recommitting yourself to teach the children will show them to treasure their traditions.

Sparks, Lillian . “Preserving Native Languages: No Time to Waste.” Www.acf.hhs.gov, 15 Aug. 2015, www.acf.hhs.gov/archive/ana/preserving-native-languages-article#:~:text=This%20is%20why%20the%20Native,to%20revere%20and%20speak%20them. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Color Change, Oct. 20, 2023

"Efforts to Protect and Repariate Native American Cultural Items and Human Rights"

By: House of Rep

“Efforts to Protect and Repatrait Native American Cultural Items and Human Rights” from the House of Rep. talks about how Native artifacts are being put into Museums, also that they are taken from Native communities to sell them. Federal Legislation is going to use the problem to try and help Native communities to get their artifacts back. They just need a fulfillment of the steps to protect Native American cultural, environmental and natural resources. They worked with tribal communities around various states to help them protect their Cultural Values.

“Efforts to Protect and Repatriate Native American Cultural Items and Human Remains.” U.S. Government Accountability Office, 1 Nov. 2022. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Dandelion, Oct. 20, 2023

"Intergenerational Trauma and Moving Forward"

By Laura Grizzlypaws

“Intergenerational Trauma and Moving Forward” by Laura Grizzlypaws is a hour and a half long instagram reel that talks about language revitalization and how teaching it to the children can have a huge impact on their everyday life. She says that communities have had struggles trying to teach the children. When teaching, it can make a huge change because they are doing something meaningful and it will help Native cultural confidence skills in indigenous teaching. With this it can build more awareness and understanding about Native Americans historical impact and the legacy it has created. The teachings could break the chains of trauma and have an ongoing commitment for individuals and communities.

Grizzlypaws, Laura. "Intergenerational Trauma and Moving Forward." www.instagram, www.instagram.com/reel/C0ip8aurjKo/?igsh=MW9mNG9uNDd0aWZwcA==. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Sunrise, Dec. 15, 2021

Research Log 4: Global Connections

Lost of Words: Fears of 'Catastrophic' Language Loss Due to Rising Seas

By Karen McVeigh

"Lost of Words: Fears of 'Catastrophic' Language Loss Due to Rising Seas" from an article tells about how one in five of the world's languages are from the Pacific according to the New Zealand Maori language commission. "Which each Indigenous that goes extinct, goes the thought, the culture, tradition and knowledge it bears." said korösi, echoing the sentimentals the statements of Ken Hale, the late US lunguit and adjust. who complained about losing any language to "Dropping a bomb in the Louvre". With that that's said 5% of young Maori people spoke the language in the 1970s. They say that indigenous languages are an anchor to the past and with that, basically Native communities relied on the language as a sign as strength and protection because with all the sickness that came to their community have had a big impact which cause people to use their language to ask strength for their community for the illness to leave their community.

McVeigh, Karen. "Lost of Words: Fears of 'Catastrophic' Language Loss Due to Rising Seas." The Guardian, 16 Jan. 2023, www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/Jan/16/linguists-language-culture-loss-end-of-century-sea-levels-rise.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. 1st Tamales, Oct. 28, 2023

Sustaining Indigenous Language and Cultures: Maori Medium Education in Aotearoa New Zealand and Aboriginal Head Start in Canada

By Lesley Rameka

According to the article "Sustaining Indigenous Languages and Cultures: Maori Medium Education in Aotearoa New Zealand and Aboriginal Head Start in Canada" gives a brief overview of the history of the systematic Indigenous language and cultural suppression within our two countries, situating Maori Medium Education in Aotearoa New Zealand and Aboriginal Head Start in Canada; initiatives designed to revitalize and sustain Indigenous languages and cultures through the education of children within their generally parallel historical, social and political context. Given the parallels in experiences of Maori parents whose children are enrolled in Maori medium schools with those of Indigenous early childhood educators teaching Aboriginal Head Start in Ontario; Canada, they believe that their paper highlights that need to consider local contexts, and at the same time, to share the wealth of knowledge and research that exist around the world.

Rameka, Lesley, and Shelley Stagg Peterson. “Sustaining Indigenous Languages and Cultures: Māori Medium Education in Aotearoa New Zealand and Aboriginal Head Start in Canada.” Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, vol. 16, no. 2, 16 May 2021, pp. 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1080/1177083x.2021.1922466.

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Small Fall, Sept. 2023.

Language Loss and Recovery

The video "Language Loss and Recovery" talks about the Maori language and how they faced a decline due to historical factors such as colonization and cultural assimilation. However, in recent years, there has been a revitalization movement to preserve and promote the language. Efforts include language immersion programs, community initiatives, and increased recognition of Te Reo Maori in various aspects of society. The Maori language has had a profound influence on New Zealand's culture. It is an integral part of the country's identity and heritage. The Maori language is not spoken only spoken but also celebrated through traditional ceremonies, songs, and storytelling.

"Language Loss and Recovery." www.youtube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn9QQ2RLXbw. Accessed 31 Jan. 2024

Calabaza, Tatyanna. Los Alamos River, Nov. 13, 2023

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