Tribal knowledge was traditionally passed from elders to future generations by word of mouth. Now, few elders remain who are fluent speakers. As they pass on, languages that have been spoken for centuries disappear, and the knowledge base that forms the foundation of Native culture also disappears. Today, tribes are turning to their youth to help with language recovery.
Cultural Relevance of Language Recovery
Native Americans are among the most culturally and linguistically diverse peoples on earth. Tribes have always expressed their unique worldviews and cultural traditions through language. In Northern California, dozens of different languages of five or more major language families are spoken. (Max Planck Institute)
Language represents a cultural link from the past through the present to future generations. Native languages are at the heart of traditional folklore, storytelling, art and culture. Language lives through song, conversation, prayer and ceremonies and is the principal means by which culture is accumulated, shared and transmitted between generations. To many tribes, the loss of traditional language represents a loss of cultural heritage.
The Need for Recovery of Native Languages
Countless Native languages have already been lost and others are on the brink of extinction. In an article in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hotz observed, “Of the 100 Indigenous languages previously spoken in California, 50 have disappeared and 17 have no fluent speakers.” (Hotz, 2000)
In the past, the government implemented a policy of forcibly removing Native children from their families and sending them to boarding schools where only English was spoken. Entire families were forbidden to speak their ancestral languages so that children could be assimilated into Western culture, a process of taking the ‘Indian’ out of Indians. Many generations of children grew up never hearing their Native tongue.
Today, tribes are harnessing the enthusiasm of their youth by teaching them how to utilize technology to create language recovery programs that will enrich the lives of future generations. Many tribes in Northwestern California have taken broad strides to bring their traditional languages back to life, including the Yurok Tribe whose territory stretches from the coast inland to the Klamath and Trinity Rivers.
Yurok Language Recovery Programs
The Yurok Tribe of Northwestern California has moved forward aggressively over the past few years to recover, document and preserve its ancestral language that, unlike neighboring Karuk and Hoopa Valley Tribes, has its roots in the Algonquian family of languages, rather than Athabascan. The Yurok Language Project is part of UC Berkeley’s program for revitalization of Northwestern California’s Yurok language. Visit the university’s website to find contact information, project details, a conversation manual, a dictionary, stories, songs and prayers. (UC Berkeley)
The Yurok Language Program includes language classes, workshops and immersion camps sponsored by the tribe at several Northern California coastal communities. Their goal is to restore the Yurok Language to the status of a living flourishing language with speakers of all levels. Tribal assets such as archival photos and old tapes are being converted digitally into educational resources. Visit the Tribe’s website for information about curriculum, class schedules and locations. (Yurok Tribe) Another link to Yurok language resources can be found at http://www.native-languages.org/yurok.htm.
One of the best articles featuring the Yurok Tribe’s language recovery efforts can be viewed at http://www.northcoastjournal.com/011206/cover0112.html (Sims 2006). Leo Canez (pictured) is a young man featured in the article who has been instrumental in strategizing and implementing ways to revitalize his tribe’s traditional language. He has a long history of working with youth and currently teaches at Humboldt State University in Eureka.
Today, tribes feature language recovery projects on their websites, in local newspapers, and through community classes. Many young people have made the transition from being students to teachers of their native languages. Preservation of Native languages that are unique in form and structure and specific to individual tribes guarantees the continuation of a rich cultural heritage for the seventh generation yet to come.
References
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Dept. of Linguistics
Yurok Language Project
Retrieved April 10, 2010 from www.eva.mpg.de/lingua/research/yurok.php
Hotz, R. (200). Linguistic Potpourri: The Impassioned Fight to Save Dying Languages.
Retrieved April 10, 2010 from www.yourdictionary.com/library/article004.html
UC Berkeley (University of California, Berkeley)
Yurok Language Project
Retrieved April 10, 2010 from www,linguistics.berkeley.edu/-yurok/index.html
Yurok Tribe Website
Yurok Tribe Language Program
Retrieved April 10, 2010 from
www.yuroktribe.org/departments/education/Yurok_Tribe_Language_Program/index.htm
Sims, H (2006, January 12)
Speak it Good and Strong - Yurok youth vow to bring back the language of their ancestors.
North Coast Journal
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