Language Preservation: Connections and Importance
Language Preservation: Connections and Importance
Garcia, Jenae. SFIS Keres Class. 11/22
My Own Connection
In Kewa Pueblo, which is where I am from, I noticed a decrease in hearing our language being spoken in our community and it got me thinking why? I wondered if families weren’t speaking to their kids in keres, if school was taking away the ability to speak during the day and wiped their minds clean when they get home. In my own home I am taught that culture includes the language we speak and from a spiritual sense we cannot be able to connect with our spiritual side which has always been inside of us and from that we have our connection to nature and spirits. Since I noticed the decrease in spoken language I am concerned about our future as native people and our connection to everything. I don't want that bond to be lost because it is what makes us who we are and without it we are just lost people who forgot that we brought so much life to the land and are the reason that it is beautiful and nurtured.
Identity
"Sharing ones Skin" By Jeanette Armstrong
The article “Sharing Ones Skin” By Jeanette Armstrong gives me information on how her people view humans and the spirit that remains with us. I understand that the stories of our heritage saya alot about who we are and gives us motivation to be who we want in the future. We are the earth and we as a people have the most connection to everything. I know that there are different elements that the essay told me that a word can translate to more things or meaning in your language. You can use them to identify the community you come from. In conclusion, there are more ways in being a people that you think, spiritual, emotional, physical, cultural, and verbal.
{Armstrong, Jeanette ”Sharing ones Skin” Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds) The case Against the Global Economy San Fransisco, CA: Sierra club Books
"How Place Names Impact the way we see landscapes" By B. Toastie
The article “How place Names impact the way we see Landscapes” By B. Toastie, gave me a reason and clarity as to why certain places must be respected or praised. As native people there are stories that tell the history of that certain place and also gives our faith and beliefs more power. Toastie says “A lot of places are attached to story. They’re really telling us something about ourselves and our past”. I was reminded that each place has a meaning and a meaning for us. So places that are important but are used for entertainment or public use would be disrespectful. In ways that would pollute or trash the sacred land. I understand more about the importance of watching over the land.
Garcia, Jenae. Santo Domingo Pueblo, September 26, 2023
Tribal nations Maps, https://www.tribalnationsmaps.com/store/p1274/Pueblo_of_Santo_Domingo_-_Kewa_Pueblo_Flag.html,
Garcia, Jenae. Santo Domingo Pueblo. July 4, 2023.
{Toastie, B. 2022 “ How Place names impact the way we see landscapes” High country news. Know The West (heh.orgtissues/54.3/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see-landscape/print-view
Garcia,Jenae.Santo Domingo Pueblo. 9/1/2022
"Then I Went to School" By Joe Suina
The story “And then I went to School '' By Joe Suina Tells about the transition of an indegenous kid leaving his community and starting the white man's education. His experiences are of his time in school, his teacher, and his feelings in all. Joe clearly didn’t like school or just leaving his home. Joe talks about how hard it was to learn new things in a seemingly unfriendly environment. In conclusion, Joe entering education was a dreadful experience for him.
{Suina, Joe, 1985, “then I went to School” New Mexico journal of reading;//rethinkingschools.org/articles/and-then-I-went-to-school
Garcia, Jenae. Santo Domingo Pueblo Elementary School. August 29. 2023.
History
Tonic Health Media, Mumbrella, 2020
A TV network in Australia developed a show for native health in the medical field. The show offers health improvement information and offers nessesary questions to ask health professionals before they got called in. Health directors use this show as a good way of making a difference in the native communities. Over 1.2 million people have seen the show, they were given free information about ways to stay healthy, make good decisions, mental health, and also involved the language and was culturally relevant. The show on “AH TV” has made a difference for hospitals, getting people ready and also keeping healthy while waiting on assistence.
Tonic Health Media, Mumbrella, 2020
In the mohawk Tribe of Oklahoma where the language was at stake, an elementary school teacher who felt sympathy for kids wanted to make a difference. After studying in college for film animation, corystarted the first “Mohawk Sesame Street”called Tota tanon ohkwairi. The show included a variety of cultural characteristics that will help young native children learn the language and about the culture in a fun and creature way, with puppets.
CBC news, 2021.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/mohawk-language-children-s-television-puppets-kahnawake-1.5871148
Olken,Lisa.Kanopyfilms. 2013.https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/urban-rez?vp=wayne.
All Natives, Navajos, Pueblo, and from all over were paid by the Government to move out their reservations and into cities to find work, life, careers, and to erase their identity. When moving to the cities, they were suprised by how much people they seen, and how liofe for them was so much different than their rez homes. They had running water, clothes, and TV. As the time passed living in their new homes, the outside was getting difficult. Rasism was rising and the rent for their apartments wasn’t being paid, they started missing their old life where the had freedom. A wave of depression took over the people. Alcohol took over and they wasted their lives drinking. From there, Natives decided to move back because of the feeling of being trapped was hitting. Moving home also meant that life beinf easy and no running water was gone. This attempt at erasing Native identity did not have a full effect. Natives moved home and to this day the language and culture remains with what is left.
Urban Rez.Educational Guide. Copyright 1997-2018 Vision maker media.
Current State of the Issue
Around the World: Cultural Reclamation and Global Indigeneity
Looking into this article, the Quechua are very smart people when it comes to revitalizing their language and using modern techniques to keep this generation interested. A college professor used memes in his teachings and helped his students to not be afraid of their identity though their ethnicity and language is seen as poverty and their culture is not cared about as much as the dominant cultures in that area. The professor also acknowledged urban youth and the ideas of how discrimination could catch up to them if they are not educated. With partnership with local celebrities who shared their intake on how their language is seen as a symptom of poverty, shows that even urban natives still care and involve their culture with their success. They can encourage this generation to do the same. Living in a modern state and still be proud of who they were. The college professor has taught all through out the quechua territory and even in schools in the U.S. his ideas would soon be taken over to other education departments in neighboring countries.
Fraser, Simon. “Américo Mendoza-Mori - Language Revitalization, Cultural Reclamation, and Global Indigeneity.” YouTube, 5 September 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMkKVsQYLPM.
Garcia, Jenae.Kewa Keres Class. 11/29/23
Garcia, Jenae. Grand canyon. 4/1/24
Garcia, Jenae.Kewa Keres Class. 11/29/23
Immersion Initiative:
This article talks about how immersion classes are helping to support current generations and learn their Native language. there are a little more than 150 languages spoken in the United States but the majority are elders. According to the Immersion data,in the necy 50 to 100 years the native languages will be extinct due to less and less speakers. Their website offers options of what you want to learn about the language or the culture. Options such as videos, recipes for native foods, history on the native culture, and books for children and adults. The Immersion initiative uses or needs donations for classes, offer grants to native communities and they have on time staff for community support. The website and institution has supplies and ways to renew the culture and should have been around for years.
First Nations Development Institute: Home, https://www.firstnations.org/.
It’s Mental Health
In all parts of Native U.S., they all struggled with the over take of the Colonizers dominant language. They struggled to be able to keep it from being completely wiped away. Our ancestors who went through it and had to see this happen first hand, has effected the generations that came after and out a big gap in our line of fluency. This issue caused depression in today's elders and adult due to the feeling of incompleteness and low self esteem and no empowerment. The language of their identity is a big part of their key elements of the individual. Most cases often came to suicide or thoughts of suicide in elders because they never learned the language or never were apart of cultural activities. They felt that their identity was lost. Not addressing language loss can represent failure to protect the people and the culture. Rejuvenation of native languages can improve mental health and wellbeing in indigenous communities .
“,.” , - YouTube, 6 January 2023, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(22)00300-5/fulltext.
Garcia, Jenae.Kewa Keres Class. 11/29/23
Worldwide Connectios
Shaw, Katie. “The history and traditions of the Sami people.” Rail Discoveries, 13 February 2019, https://www.raildiscoveries.com/the-discovery-blog/2019/february/the-history-and-traditions-of-the-sami-people/.
The Sami Culture Have been threatened for centuries or sinse colonization. Helga West, a Sami Poet and researcher says her child refused to speak Sami. Thsi worried her about the future of her culture. The spread of the dominant language, the mix of races within Sami territory could also be the cause. The Sami people believe that losing the language could mean they lose unique perception and world views. Since the beginning of colonization, the Sami experience colonization. Boarding schools effecting past generations causing a gap in the language barrier and loss of tradition and language. Language in finland will be passed down and revitalized.
Woolsey, Barbara. “Making Space For Europe's Endangered Languages.” Babbel, 18 February 2021, https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/europes-endangered-languages-sami.
Rodriguez, Aliciamarie. “World's least common language, Yagán, dies out completely.” Guinness World Records, 23 March 2022, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/3/worlds-least-common-language-yagan-dies-out-completely-696065.
The Chilean Native Language, "Yamana" language and it's road of revitalization. The cause for loss id the dying of the last fluent speakers. Their language has always been their connection and relation to their environment. It is said that an indigenous language dies every fortnight. Near chile, the effects of assimilation is still in action with the relocation or deportation of the people. They are moved to colonial areas where their language is not spoken. The Yamana Language has different dialects in each territory. This kind of problem could stop the process of learning all dialects and only focusing on one. The oral traditions that have been around are being lost. The Yamana language is recently being replaced by spanish. A specialist from Argentina says that the people need linguistic rights to be understood to be able to keep teaching and practising the language.
Chambers, Bala. “'Fortnightly demise': Race to save south America's indigenous languages.” TRT World, https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/fortnightly-demise-race-to-save-south-america-s-indigenous-languages-64215.
“Global education monitoring report, 2020, Latin America and the Caribbean: inclusion and education: all means all.” UNESCO Digital Library, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374614.
The history of Latin ecosystems and impacts the tribe survived with their cultural knowledge. Their survival was being threatened through the migration of traveling through countries and losing the languages. Their countries government has been no help and still follow rules of assimilation in schools and within the community. Families soon started teaching the Native language at home. This prevented schools over taking them with European teaching and language. The health and education that helped the tribe thrive depended on the language.
“The Home School Community Interface in Language Revitalization in Latin America and the Caribbean.” Academia.edu, https://www.academia.edu/95852558/The_Home_School_Community_Interface_in_Language_Revitalization_in_Latin_America_and_the_Caribbean?uc-sb-sw=67898659.
Action Plans
My Inspiration
Bibliography
{Armstrong, Jeanette ”Sharing ones Skin” Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds) The case Against the Global Economy San Fransisco, CA: Sierra club Books
{Toastie, B. 2022 “ How Place names impact the way we see landscapes” High country news. Know The West (heh.orgtissues/54.3/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see-landscape/print-view
{Suina, Joe, 1985, “then I went to School” New Mexico journal of reading;//rethinkingschools.org/articles/and-then-I-went-to-school
Tonic Health Media, Mumbrella, 2020
CBC news, 2021.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/mohawk-language-children-s-television-puppets-kahnawake-1.5871148
Urban Rez.Educational Guide. Copyright 1997-2018 Vision maker media.
Fraser, Simon. “Américo Mendoza-Mori - Language Revitalization, Cultural Reclamation, and Global Indigeneity.” YouTube, 5 September 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMkKVsQYLPM.
First Nations Development Institute: Home, https://www.firstnations.org/.
“,.” , - YouTube, 6 January 2023, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(22)00300-5/fulltext.
Woolsey, Barbara. “Making Space For Europe's Endangered Languages.” Babbel, 18 February 2021, https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/europes-endangered-languages-sami.
Chambers, Bala. “'Fortnightly demise': Race to save south America's indigenous languages.” TRT World, https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/fortnightly-demise-race-to-save-south-america-s-indigenous-languages-64215.
“The Home School Community Interface in Language Revitalization in Latin America and the Caribbean.” Academia.edu, https://www.academia.edu/95852558/The_Home_School_Community_Interface_in_Language_Revitalization_in_Latin_America_and_the_Caribbean?uc-sb-sw=67898659.