[House Hearing, 109 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
RECOVERY AND PRESERVATION OF
NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES
=======================================================================
FIELD HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
AND THE WORKFORCE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
August 31, 2006, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
__________
Serial No. 109-55
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/
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_____
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COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON, California, Chairman
Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin, Vice George Miller, California,
Chairman Ranking Minority Member
Michael N. Castle, Delaware Dale E. Kildee, Michigan
Sam Johnson, Texas Major R. Owens, New York
Mark E. Souder, Indiana Donald M. Payne, New Jersey
Charlie Norwood, Georgia Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey
Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan Robert C. Scott, Virginia
Judy Biggert, Illinois Lynn C. Woolsey, California
Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania Ruben Hinojosa, Texas
Patrick J. Tiberi, Ohio Carolyn McCarthy, New York
Ric Keller, Florida John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
Tom Osborne, Nebraska Ron Kind, Wisconsin
Joe Wilson, South Carolina Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio
Jon C. Porter, Nevada David Wu, Oregon
John Kline, Minnesota Rush D. Holt, New Jersey
Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado Susan A. Davis, California
Bob Inglis, South Carolina Betty McCollum, Minnesota
Cathy McMorris, Washington Danny K. Davis, Illinois
Kenny Marchant, Texas Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona
Tom Price, Georgia Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico Tim Ryan, Ohio
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Timothy H. Bishop, New York
Charles W. Boustany, Jr., Louisiana [Vacancy]
Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Thelma D. Drake, Virginia
John R. ``Randy'' Kuhl, Jr., New
York
[Vacancy]
Vic Klatt, Staff Director
Mark Zuckerman, Minority Staff Director, General Counsel
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on August 31, 2006.................................. 1
Statement of Members:
McCollum, Hon. Betty, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Minnesota, prepared statement of.................. 51
McKeon, Hon. Howard P. ``Buck,'' Chairman, Committee on
Education and the Workforce................................ 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 2
Petri, Hon. Thomas E., Vice Chairman, Committee on Education
and the Workforce.......................................... 3
Udall, Hon. Tom, a Representative in Congress from the State
of New Mexico.............................................. 5
Wilson, Hon. Heather, a Representative in Congress from the
State of New Mexico........................................ 4
Resolution of support from All Indian Pueblo Council..... 42
Statement of Witnesses:
Cornelius, Dr. Carol, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin... 30
Prepared statement of.................................... 33
Montoya, Sam, language and cultural resource administrator,
Pueblo of Sandia........................................... 34
Prepared statement of.................................... 37
Shije, Amadeo, Chairman, All Indian Pueblo Council........... 8
Prepared statement of.................................... 11
Sims, Christine P., Ph.D., assistant professor, department of
language, literacy, and sociocultural studies, Institute
for American Indian Education, College of Education,
University of New Mexico................................... 23
Prepared statement of.................................... 27
Tabaha, Kimberly J., student of Window Rock High School...... 39
Prepared statement of.................................... 41
Wilson, Ryan, president, National Indian Education
Association................................................ 11
Prepared statement of.................................... 15
Additional Material Submitted:
Cross-Maple, Dr. Kathryn, Indian Education Division, New
Mexico Department of Education............................. 58
Gregory, Dr. George Ann, Choctaw/Cherokee.................... 52
Native American Review Article by Jon Reyhner, Ed.D.,
Professor of Education, Northern Arizona University........ 54
Tso, Eddie, program director, office of Dine culture,
department of Dine education, the Navajo Nation, prepared
statement of............................................... 53
Wacondo, Elizabeth, librarian, the Laguna Public Library,
Pueblo of Laguna, prepared statement of.................... 53
Washington State Tribal Leader Congress on Education on
Recovery and Preservation of Native American Languages..... 57
RECOVERY AND PRESERVATION OF
NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES
----------
Thursday, August 31, 2006
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Education and the Workforce
Washington, DC
----------
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 2:30 p.m., at the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street, NW,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, Hon. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon
(chairman of the committee) presiding.
Present: Representatives McKeon, Petri, Wilson of New
Mexico, and Udall of New Mexico.
[Invocation given by Pueblo Santo Domingo Governor Julian
Coriz in his native language.]
Chairman McKeon. Thank you for that invocation. Even though
I couldn't understand the language, I understood the spirit and
I appreciate it and it's very fitting that we have the
invocation in your native tongue. Thank you very much.
We are holding this field hearing today to hear testimony
on the recovery and preservation of Native American languages.
With that, I ask unanimous consent for the hearing record to
remain open 14 days to allow member statements and other
extraneous material referenced during the hearing be submitted
into the official hearing record. Without objection so ordered.
Good afternoon. Welcome. In August the congressional
district work-period offers us a unique opportunity to
personally visit districts such as Congresswoman Wilson's and
encourage dialog on matters affecting local citizens. This
hearing represents such an opportunity. Today we will be
discussing an important issue to this community and much of the
Southwest, the loss of Native American languages, as well as
potential solutions for language preservation.
Yesterday I was in Flagstaff and we were talking about the
No Child Left Behind Act but there was much discussion on this
issue that we will be talking about today, and I'm glad that
some of the people that were in that discussion yesterday, I
know, have traveled to be with us here today, and I thank you
all for being here for your attendance.
Before we get started, though, I would like to take a
moment for thank Representative Heather Wilson for hosting
today's hearing in her district and the work she has done on
this important issue that we are discussing. I also thank my
colleague and Vice-Chairman of our committee, Representative
Tom Petri, as well as Representative Tom Udall, also from New
Mexico, for joining us here. Congressman Petri came from
Wisconsin. Got up very early this morning to be with us and I
appreciate him.
Today's hearing is an important one, not only for this
community but, frankly, for Congress as well. Sadly, in Native
American communities across the country, native languages are
in rapid decline. In fact, it's estimated that only 20
indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. As a
result of this rapid decline, some communities across the
country have made language recovery and preservation one of
their highest priorities. The link between education, language
and culture is considered by many as paramount to preserving
the identity of Native Americans. Many in the Native American
community believe the loss of native languages may be slowed by
increasing support for Native immersion programs. With that in
mind, in February of this year, Congresswoman Wilson introduced
the Native American Languages Preservation Act.
Congresswoman Wilson's bill would establish grants for
Native American language educational organizations, colleges,
governments and organizations to help preserve native cultures
and languages. The philosophy behind these programs is very
basic. Advocates of these programs argue that language
immersion programs are effective ways of creating fluent native
language speakers. And data also points to another benefit.
Native students who go through an immersion program perform
substantially better academically than Native students who have
not gone through such a program. In fact, some national studies
on language learning and educational achievement have indicated
a direct correlation between language learning and higher
academic achievement.
Today we will have an opportunity to examine the concept of
language immersion in greater depth and consider the role it
could play in our efforts to slow the decline in Native
languages. We will hear the perspectives of expert witnesses on
how to address the issue of language loss, recovery, and
preservation. And, indeed, we will be taking an in-depth look
in Representative Wilson's Native American Languages
Preservation Act.
Can you hear me back in the back? I am giving a wonderful
speech. Can you hear me now? Now? We're working on this. Now?
Should I turn the mike on? Now?
It really wasn't that good. OK. Somebody said we might just
need a battery in this mike.
I want to thank our witnesses for being here with us today.
We have a distinguished panel of witnesses. I would like to
begin by welcoming all of them here. Right after we have some
statements from the other members. Who are we going to start
with? Mr. Petri? Are you giving an opening statement? Let's go
right down the line.
[The prepared statement of Chairman McKeon follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce
Good afternoon--and welcome. In August, the congressional district
work-period offers us a unique opportunity to personally visit
districts, such as Congresswoman Wilson's, and encourage dialogue on
matters affecting local citizens. This hearing represents such an
opportunity. Today we will be discussing an issue important to this
community and much of the Southwest: the loss of Native American
languages as well as potential solutions for language preservation.
Before we get started, though, I'd like to take a moment to thank
Representative Heather Wilson for hosting today's hearing here in her
district and for her work on the important issues we'll discuss. I also
thank my colleague and the Vice-Chairman of our Committee,
Representative Tom Petri, as well as Representative Tom Udall--also
from New Mexico--for joining us here.
Today's hearing is an important one, not only for this community,
but frankly for Congress as well. Sadly, in Native American communities
across the country, Native languages are in rapid decline. In fact, it
is estimated that only 20 indigenous languages will remain viable by
the year 2050. As a result of this rapid decline, some communities
across the country have made language recovery and preservation one of
their highest priorities. The link between education, language, and
culture is considered by many as paramount to preserving the identity
of Native Americans.
Many in the Native American community believe the loss of Native
languages may be slowed by increasing support for Native language
immersion programs. With that in mind, in February of this year,
Congresswoman Wilson introduced the Native American Languages
Preservation Act. Congresswoman Wilson's bill would establish grants
for Native American language educational organizations, colleges,
governments, and organizations to help preserve Native cultures and
languages.
The philosophy behind these programs is very basic. Advocates of
these programs argue that language immersion programs are effective
ways of creating fluent Native language speakers. And data also points
to another benefit: Native students who go through an immersion program
perform substantially better academically than Native students who have
not gone through such a program. In fact, some national studies on
language learning and educational achievement have indicated a direct
correlation between increased language learning and higher academic
achievement.
Today, we'll have an opportunity to examine the concept of language
immersion in greater depth and consider the role it could play in our
efforts to slow the decline in Native languages. We'll hear the
perspectives of expert witnesses on how to address the issues of
language loss, recovery, and preservation. And, indeed, we'll be taking
an in-depth look into Representative Wilson's Native American Languages
Preservation Act.
I believe today's hearing will be very insightful and will help us
better understand the importance of preserving indigenous languages and
cultures, and I thank our witnesses and other stakeholders for joining
us this afternoon.
______
Mr. Petri. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It's a real
pleasure for me to be here in beautiful, sunny, pleasant, early
fall Albuquerque, New Mexico to discuss the recovery and
preservation of Native American languages. I am looking forward
to the opportunity to hear from Native American language
advocates on what can be done to preserve these languages for
future generations.
While several bills have been introduced in this general
area, I would like particularly to recognize our colleague,
Congresswoman Heather Wilson, for her recognized leadership on
this issue embodied by her introducing of H.R. 4766, the Native
American Languages Preservation Act, which would provide
Federal support for programs that provide training for young
children and their family.
It's increasingly clear that each year the numbers of
Native American speakers of their own language as a first
language is rapidly declining. Of the nearly 300 Native
languages of the United States only some 210 are still spoken,
and one of the witnesses we are going to be hearing from, Mr.
Ryan Wilson, President of the National Indian Education
Federation, references in his testimony a prediction that there
will not be 210 but possibly only 20 languages spoken in the
year 2050. That's a trend we don't want to see--prediction we
don't want to see translated into reality. Of course, quite
often these languages are spoken only among the elderly.
Efforts are underway to preserve these languages and
encourage a new generation of Native Americans to keep these
languages alive as an integral part of Native American culture
and identity.
Please, and I should note, I am not the only one to come
from the northern tier, as it's called, of Wisconsin. We have a
representative I have the Oneida tribe in my home state joining
us today. As you will hear, Dr. Carol Cornelius has led efforts
among the Oneida nation to preserve its language since 1996
after recognizing that only 25 to 30 elders spoke Oneida as a
first language. Oneida since made language preservation a
priority by pairing elder native speakers with younger English
speakers to train a new generation to appreciate and preserve
their traditional language. I look forward to hearing from all
of our witnesses on current programs underway and what we can
do to further preserve traditional languages. I thank you
again, Chairman McKeon, for your leadership on this issue and
having the hearing today.
Chairman McKeon. Ms. Wilson.
Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I
wanted to thank you personally for coming here to New Mexico. I
know for you it's a trip back to New Mexico and that for a time
in your misspent youth you lived here in Albuquerque.
Chairman McKeon. Well-spent youth.
Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico. And we wanted to welcome you
back to New Mexico and thank you for your interest in this
issue that's very important to us. And I also wanted to thank
Tom Petri for coming down. I know there's no direct flight from
Wisconsin to Albuquerque that I know of and I very much
appreciate your efforts to get here today.
I also wanted to thank my colleague, Tom Udall for his
involvement and support on this issue and, of course, our
witnesses that are here today, those who are visiting New
Mexico as well as those who are deeply involved in the issue
here locally. I look forward to your testimony today, very much
so.
And, of course, those of you who have chosen to come today
to hear this, I wasn't sure how many folks would come. I was
expecting maybe 20 or 30, you know, and the fact that so many
people have come today, so many tribal leaders are here, tribal
council leaders and Governors and lieutenant Governors and
educational leaders are here today, is a visible demonstration
of how important this is to New Mexico and to our tribes. Here
in New Mexico we have 19 different Pueblo and three tribes,
multiple language and dialects, but I first became interested
in the issue when the Hickory Apache tribal council came to see
me and said they were starting a language nest to preserve
their language, and shortly after that, I was at Sandia Pueblo
at their early childhood education center where they led the
stream of money from Head Start with other tribal funds and
have a very good child care program that starts at 6 weeks old
and goes all the way to the first day of kindergarten.
What was to me--there were a lot of wonderful things going
on there, but one of them was that the grandmas come, and they
come to sing and speak to the babies and the children so that
they will have a language that their parents do not have; that
it's skipping a generation, and that's how they are trying to
restore their own use of their own language.
Survey of native languages found that among the Apache in
the Mescalero reservation in Southern New Mexico there are only
ten native speakers left. At Sandia Pueblo north of Albuquerque
most of their native speakers are middle-aged or older because
they wanted their children to learn English and now they are
having to skip a generation to preserve the language.
Even among the Navajo, Navajo is spoken by more Native
Americans about any other language in the United States. Even
Navajo is endangered. Navajo children, only half of Navajo
children starting kindergarten are fluent in their native
language. That's why I introduced H.R. 4766, to try to preserve
these languages, because language is connected to culture, and
culture is what we celebrate here in New Mexico.
It's intended to create and expand this idea of language
nests and language survival schools and also to set up a
demonstration program with universities and combine the
strength and teaching at universities with the ability to teach
language in new ways and preserve this wonderful heritage and
culture that we enjoy here in New Mexico.
Mr. Chairman, thank you again for your willingness to be
attentive to this issue, to come back to New Mexico and to
share this day with us. We appreciate it.
Chairman McKeon. Mr. Udall.
Mr. Udall of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much,
and I also very much appreciate you being here and being a part
of this community. You can see how welcome you are by this
incredible attendance we have today, so thank you for coming.
Knowing what you did when you were here in New Mexico as a
youth, I am not sure it was misspent. I think it was very well
spent. But we won't get into that.
First of all, I just would like to put in two statements
into the record, Mr. Chairman. The New Mexico Department of
Education is represented here by Dr. Kathryn Cross-Maple of the
Indian Education Division. Kathryn is the cabinet secretary,
and they have a statement on what the State of New Mexico has
done in Indian education and native language initiatives. Also,
your committee member, Betty McCall, was unable to be here, but
she wants to have a statement put into the record.
Chairman McKeon. No objection. So ordered.
Mr. Udall of New Mexico. With that, let me thank you and
Ranking Member Miller for holding this hearing on an issue that
is central to the culture and history of our great state. I
hope your visit will help underline the need to quickly pass
bipartisan legislation on language preserving native languages
as so many of our tribes and Pueblos will demonstrate the
importance that language has in their way of life.
Additionally, I would like to welcome the various Pueblo
leaders, Native American language experts and others who are in
attendance. I thought it was particularly nice that we had a
small reception before where we were able to exchange some
ideas there.
For too long in this state and throughout our country, we
did not appreciate the importance of language and its ability
to enhance the rich dynamics of our history. From learning the
ancestry of those who came before us to passing stories down
through generations, to maintaining religious, cultural and
social ties, language is fundamental. We now recognize the need
to cultivate and pass languages along to our children and
grandchildren.
I have had the great honor of visiting the Pueblo in my
district during my four terms in office and learning the
traditions and characteristics unique to each individual tribe.
In those visits, I have had the opportunity to go to two
Pueblos that I would just like to recognize for their native
language program. One is Santa Clara, where I visited in the
last couple years, and they have an excellent program, and also
I was at Tesuque Elementary School where their program is
making great progress.
Both of these Pueblos, I think, have excellent programs and
they are making great progress in having every tribal member
speak his native language.
There's no doubt in my mind that we need to strengthen our
efforts at promoting native language preservation, and we must
do so starting today. Native languages are being lost at a
rapid pace. Tribal members are often the only ones fluent in
the language as an increasing number of children are growing up
in homes that only speak English. If we do not act soon, we
will face a situation where the languages begin to die with the
elders.
If we truly hope to prevent the loss of these languages, we
must find a solution, a bipartisan solution, which will put in
place new immersion programs that are urgently needed. Studies
show such programs offer the best opportunity for languages to
be passed on. Certainly if there is a shortage of individuals
speaking Native American language, there is no shortage of
those who hope to see those languages revived and preserved and
immersion programs will help fulfill that need.
I want to applaud the efforts made by Representative Ed
Case and my colleague here in New Mexico, Representative
Heather Wilson, to expand and enhance the Native American
language preservation programs currently in place, and I
believe that their legislation is a big step in the right
direction. While there are some differences between the bills
that have been introduced, I have complete faith that common
ground can and will be found. Authorizing legislation for new
programs must move forward and time is of the essence if we
want to stem the loss of these languages.
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you and Ranking Member Miller
once again for focusing the attention of the committee on this
extremely important issue and for taking the time to visit our
state. I believe we can all agree that there's an urgent need
to protect and preserve Native American languages and we must
invest by implementing new immersion programs.
With the current state of Indian education, our great
nation faces many great challenges. I am thankful for your
attention to this issue and hope that we will see in the very
near future subsequent hearings on these issues. There is
definitely a deep reservoir of intelligence and expertise in
New Mexico, and we are happy to welcome you and your committee
back any time.
I also want to just recognize Representative Petri.
Representative Petri and I are sponsoring a piece of global
warming legislation, bipartisan piece of legislation. Why would
I bring this up in this context? Because for me native
languages are about the traditions with the earth, the fact
that we come from Mother Earth, that we are part of Mother
Earth, and I believe that the traditions that are represented
in those languages have much to teach us. If we had adopted the
ways that you had and the views that native people had of the
earth, we would be a lot further along in terms of protecting
our planet.
So Representative Petri, you and I are on the front on the
global warming battle but the native tribes are way ahead of us
so we have a lot to learn today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Great
to be here today.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you very much. Now I would like to
introduce our witnesses. First will be Mr. Amadeo Shije. He is
chairman of All Indian Pueblo Council here in Albuquerque. The
All Indian Pueblo Council is a consortium of the 19 Pueblo
tribal governments in New Mexico and provides essential
services to the Pueblo people. He was born and reared on the
Zia Indian reservation and is a former Governor of the Pueblo
of Zia. At age 18 he was inducted into the tribal council and
is serving a lifetime appointment. Mr. Shije is a veteran of
the U.S. Navy and a graduate of New Mexico Highlands
University.
Then we will have Mr. Ryan Wilson, President of the
National Indian Education Association, which is the largest and
oldest Indian educational organization in the Nation that is
committed to increasing educational opportunities and resources
for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students
while protecting their cultural and linguistic traditions. He
is a member of the Ogalla Lakota Nation from Pine Ridge, South
Dakota.
I served a mission here for our church with the Latino
people. My brother served a mission in Pine Ridge with the
Indian people. I didn't know you were from there. That's good.
He is also highly involved in tribal youth development
where he serves as the Executive Director of the American
Indian Youth Leadership Institute, the Northwest Indian Youth
Conference and the IWSA Boys and Girls Club. Mr. Wilson is a
graduate of the University of Washington.
Then we will have Dr. Christine Sims, Assistant Professor
in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural
Studies at the University of New Mexico. She is one of the
founding members of the Linguistic Institute For Native
Americans, which is a New Mexico based nonprofit organization
serving Native American tribes and language programs. Over the
course of 20 years, she has organized summer institutes in New
Mexico known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics for Native
Americans, regional Native language conferences and workshops
for Native Americans' local tribes. She is a tribal member of
Acoma Pueblo and resides on the Acoma Pueblo Indian Reservation
in Northwestern New Mexico.
Then we will have Dr. Carol Cornelius. She has been an area
manager for the Oneida Cultural Heritage Department for the
Oneida Tribal Indians for the past ten and a half years. She is
also adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin in Green
Bay. She has written numerous publications on the history of
the Oneida tribe and served as consultant for numerous Native
Americans at this time. In addition, school board member for
the Oneida Native Elementary School and is co-president of the
Cornell Education Society at Cornell University.
I used to serve on a local school board. I had a friend
tell me there's a special place in heaven for people who serve
on the local school boards. I am hoping that's the case.
Dr. Cornelius earned her Ph.D. From Cornell University.
Then we will hear from Mr. Sam Montoya, the Language and
Cultural Resources Administrator at the Pueblo of Sandia. Mr.
Montoya also works as an Area Roads Program Manager and the
Economic Development Program for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
He is fluent in Southern Tiwa and Spanish, and I presume
English. Mr. Montoya is a graduate of Fort Louis college in
Durango, Colorado.
Finally, Ms. Kimberly Tabaha is a senior at Window Rock
High School. You are just a kid. In Fort Defiance, Arizona, and
also a student of the Navajo Language Immersion School.
Welcome, all of you. Let's hear first then from Mr. Shije.
STATEMENT OF AMADEO SHIJE, CHAIRMAN, ALL INDIAN PUEBLO COUNCIL
Mr. Shije. Thank you. Thank you, Chairman McKeon and
members of the committee. Welcome to New Mexico, and in
particular I would like to welcome back Representative Heather
Wilson and also Mr. Tom Udall. Welcome back to New Mexico. It's
always good to see you back on the home grounds.
You know, when tribes get together, we always seem to talk
about some negative things and some things that we are reactant
to, and hardly ever do we talk about those things that are
really good news. Today I would like to, if the committee will
indulge me for a minute or two, I would like to introduce a
group of young people--I don't know if they are in the
audience--but these young people hail from the very village
where I was born and raised. They attend the Zia Elementary
School up in Zia Pueblo. The good thing about that school is in
the last four consecutive years they are the only school in the
Albuquerque region, the Albuquerque Bureau area, that had
attained the annual yearly progress, what a lot of people call
AYP.
These students have been able to do that with a lot of
obstacles, and one of the biggest obstacles was the fact that
there is not enough funding for language teachers up at that
school.
One individual, one young lady--I don't know if she is in
the audience--Laurie Pino, if you will stand. There she is
right there. She, by herself, has been able to go through all
these classes and teach these young people the language and
everything associated with the tribe, the cultural background,
the histories and sitting around and talking to them, telling
stories, because that's the way of the Pueblo people, and that
is how you learn because the language is not written. So
everything has to be communicated orally. With that, I would
like to congratulate the students as well as the faculty from
the Zia Elementary Middle School. They have attained so much
and we hope that they continue to flourish as they go along,
because we do have students that are excelling up in that area.
Today I sit before you as the 19th Chairman of the All
Indian Pueblo Council. The Council was first recorded as having
its first meeting in the year 1598. There was 30 some odd--38
tribal leaders at the time. They were holding the meeting.
Insofar as what the topic of discussion I can only assume was
probably discussion about the emergence from the east, the
emergence from the west of non Indian individuals, and they
were probably sitting around wondering and talking how they
should accept these visitors coming in from these two
directions.
And I always tell this story about I think the Pueblo did
such a great job of having a welcome reception for these people
that they never left the country. They stayed behind. That's
what you call Pueblo hospitality.
As Pueblo Indians, we value our language, traditions,
culture, religion, people and way of life. In spite of
detrimental Federal policies of the United States, the Pueblo
communities still practice their daily ceremonial lifestyles.
There are no rights or duties more precious to us than those
regarding religion and ceremonies, and in every aspect of our
daily lives and fulfilling our daily existence the use of the
language is there. Language has been and continues to be our
last stronghold of the traditional form of government which
existed long before Columbus and long before the formation of
the United States.
The protection of our language and religious freedom of our
communities is critical to the pueblo's existence and survival.
As Pueblo people, we give value to those things that make us
Indian people. Our language, our culture, the values and
traditions that perpetuate our cultural survival.
At the same time, we must give equal value to educating and
developing those skills necessary to deal with the external
communities, to protect our communities internally, thus
creating a balance in our lives. This statement I took from a
Pueblo man, Mr. Regis Pecos.
The continuance of Pueblo values and traditions are
dependent upon the continued use of our native language.
Unfortunately, this process has been seriously impacted by
historical factors that have attempted to destroy our language
and culture. This has included constant changes to Federal
educational policies, key events throughout the history of this
nation that have impacted tribes and treatment of native
people.
Chairman McKeon, you indicated earlier it is estimated that
only 20 indigenous languages will remain viable by the year
2050. For some tribes, this is already occurring. The loss of
the language has already occurred. In others, efforts to
maintain and revitalize native languages are being seriously
pursued through community-based and school-based language
efforts. This is accompanied by utilizing fluent speaking
elders, traditional leaders and encouraging young parents who
speak the language to teach and take the responsibility to
teach their young children.
One of the ways that we continue to immerse language in our
communities here in the Pueblo country is we still have
community gatherings. We still have community work where the
tribal members come together and work on certain project as a
whole. The whole family comes out to help. This is one way to
teach our young people the culture and also at the same time,
during these functions, the tribal language is spoken.
Because the Pueblo people are close-knit, they live in
close proximity to one another, and growing up I thought that
was one of the reasons why I was able to really grasp hold of
the culture and traditions of my tribe and to be able to speak
the language. I am considered to speak fluent Pueblo language,
but is it really fluent? Because some of our elders that are
currently with us still are telling us, ``You are losing. We
are not speaking what we used to hear when we were young
people,'' so I am assuming that the language has already been
lost to some certain extent. Whether we are able to retrieve it
or get it back, that's a question and answer that has to be
answered by the tribe themselves.
The need for language survival is an issue of increasing
concern. In particular, the Pueblo language in our state
reflects a history which I would like to think as some of the
oldest and longest sustained culture in the nation. Our
languages have existed and today all functions within the
sociocultural and socio-religious community continues on.
What I mean here is that the language that we speak is not
written, so in order for us to maintain the language, we have
to teach our young people through storytelling, through
activities, as I mentioned earlier, by community work. We also
have some areas where we have in some of our younger people the
Head Start program where we have been able to bring tribal
members to come and talk to these young people in their
language, and by doing that the young people have been able to
speak. I am glad to say in my community and most of the Pueblo
communities our very young people are starting to speak the
language once again, and that's great to see and that's what
makes, I believe, our elder people happy when they see that.
To lose our language means the loss of everything that we
Pueblo people stand for. I don't think there is a single
individual in this room that can say that we will lose our
language, because I don't think we will. We have sustained,
been able to carry on the language and we will continue to do
so.
So on behalf of the All Indian Pueblo Council, a consortium
of New Mexico's 19 Pueblo nations, we support H.R. 4766, the
Native American Language Preservation Act 2006, which will
provide much needed support to Native American Immersion
schools. The Native Language Act Amendment of 2006 will provide
much needed support for native language emergent schools
because it is, as you mentioned, Chairman McKeon, it is well
proven that language immersion programs are effective ways to
create fluent speakers in the native language. We urge the
Committee to act on H.R. 4766 and for Congress to pass H.R.
4766. H.R. 4766 would amend the Native American Language Act
which was passed in 1990, amended in 1992 and will create a
competitive grant program with the Department of Education to
support many language immersion programs in our communities.
I am sitting here thinking maybe one of the immersion
initiatives could be as of recently the All Indian Pueblo
Council and also the Indian Pueblo Council filed a Federal
injunction against the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the
Department of Education. You can consider that as some type of
immersion because we are requesting certain things to take
place that directly affect our young people.
If taking things to Court is one way to do it, I think
tribes now have the ability to do that. And they have shown
that they will do it and they continue to do certain things
that a lot of people think they were not able to do.
So with that--I know I was only given 5 minutes--I thank
you, Committee, for allowing us to speak. I am sure the rest of
the panel will go into depth and detail on some of the things
that I have mentioned to you today. I will stand for questions
when the time is appropriate.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Shije follows:]
Prepared Statement of Amadeo Shije, Chairman, All Indian Pueblo Council
My name is Amadeo Shije, Chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council
(AIPC) representing the 19 Pueblos in the State of New Mexico.
I am writing on behalf of the All Indian Pueblo Council in support
of H.R. 4766, the Native Language Act Amendments Act of 2006. This bill
was introduced by Representative Heather Wilson to provide much needed
support for Native language immersion schools. We strongly urge you to
support the passage of this important legislation.
The AIPC and the Native communities across the country are
realizing a rapid decline in Native languages. It is estimated that
only 20% of indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050.
The AIPC and the Pueblos have made language recovery and preservation
one of their highest priorities. It is proven that language immersion
programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in
Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who go
through an immersion program perform substantially better academically
than Native students who have not gone through such a program. For
these reasons, it is urgent that Congress pass H.R. 4766 this session.
By amending the Native American Language Act passed in 1990 and
amended in 1992, H.R. 4766 would create a competitive grant program
within the Department of Education to support Native language immersion
programs in Native communities that would be called language nests and
language survival schools. The language nest grants would provide
financial support to tribes and tribal entities to create and/or
continue Native language immersion programs for children under the age
of seven and their families. The language survival school grants would
provide financial support to tribes and tribal entities to expand
language nest programs to provide immersion programs for students in
elementary and secondary schools. H.R. 4766 would also allow for four
demonstration programs based upon certain eligibility criteria. The
demonstration programs would serve as technical experts to immersion
programs, tribes, and the Department of Education as well as an
information clearinghouse on immersion concepts and best practices.
With so many Native languages and traditions becoming near the
brink of extinction, the AIPC firmly believes that access to education
through Native language immersion programs can be used to help preserve
rather than replace Native culture. For the 19 Pueblos, the link
between education, language and culture is fundamental and cannot be
stressed enough as we preserve to maintain our identities. We
appreciate your efforts to improve the education of Native children and
thank you for your consideration of this important piece of
legislation.
______
Chairman McKeon. Thank you very much.
Mr. Wilson.
STATEMENT OF RYAN WILSON, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION
ASSOCIATION
Mr. Wilson. Good afternoon, Chairman McKeon, Vice Chairman
Petri, Congresswoman Wilson. We want to give you a special
thanks as well for introducing this Bill and Congressman Udall
as well. Good afternoon and thank you again.
As we understand it, the National Education Association,
this is the first time in the history of the U.S. House of
Representatives that there's been a field hearing on Indian
education and this critical issue of immersion so we applaud
you in those efforts and we understand as well that in our
annual legislative summit on a cold, snowy night in the heart
of the winter the bill was introduced on February 14th. When
Congresswoman Wilson introduced it, it really ushered in a
joyous daybreak to a long, long night of apathy when it came to
our native languages so you hold a special place in our heart
and we want to acknowledge you for that.
I'm going to elaborate a little more on our Chairman Shije
and what he expressed and I want to kind of jump into that. So
far--when we look at--we are going to give you a little bit of
an overview on some of the schools. And Dr. Sims is going to
advance some of the critical data that you need to be hearing
as well that will really accentuate where the schools place our
young people academically. And I would like to give--what we
want to say is a national perspective or overview on what some
of the schools are doing now.
But I want to start by also saying that today, we are at
the beginning of a new century, the dawning of the 21st
century. The United States of America and other countries
around the world are supporting human rights, including the
rights of indigenous minorities in places like Eastern Europe,
the Middle East and other places in the world including Asia.
The time has come now for equal recognition of the basic
human rights of America's native peoples and the control of our
education, tribal control, and what chairman Shije was talking
about, the issue with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They are
approaching them from the issue of consent and consultation and
what that really means. This is what we want as tribal people
is really respectful, heightened ability to have communication.
By having this hearing today, this historic hearing, you are
taking a very, very important step in doing so.
America, as you are going to hear from the other panelists
through a variety of policies, became the single largest
investor in the destruction of these languages, and there's a
common theme that we hear so many times in Indian country when
we approach our non Indian brothers that this should be taught
in the home. This way of life belongs in your tribal community,
in your village, wherever that may be, but in actuality, when
you understand fully of history of what has happened, the
trauma that has happened to these tribal communities, and that
these languages, sacred languages, were put on trial, they were
judged, they were convicted and they were jailed, and we were
told--the only people here--to never stress our First Amendment
rights, to never use our languages, have it outlawed, and here
we are in 2006 everywhere we go we are told that, that they
don't belong in the schools. They don't belong being taught
this way.
What we are saying here, everybody in the room, and you see
this huge crowd that's come out, that it really exemplifies
what's dear to our hearts. We are in a crisis and we are really
saying that it belongs in our schools. Maybe not every school,
but we have to create venues in our tribal communities where
this can be taught, and we have to codify forever a place in
the Department of Education to fund these schools. And that's
what this bill is about and that's what this hearing is about
and this is why we have come here.
As I get more into what I'm going to say, it is not just
the Pueblo people. We are so very happy to be here in Pueblo
country. What they have done here. The All Indian Pueblo
Council was the first tribal organization to endorse this bill.
But subsequently other ones have come forward and say now is
the time. And with one voice the National Congress of American
Indians, affiliated tribes of Northwest Indians and we have a
representative from the Muckleshoot Tribe from the Northwest
that's come down to join us as well. The Great Plains tribes,
the Wyoming Montana Tribal Leaders Association, the large,
land-based tribes which represent those tribes that control 60
percent of the entire land base in all of Indian country; the
United Southeastern tribes, and of course, the National Indian
Education Association, which has led us in this newly formed
national alliance to save native languages, they have all come
here, and I would like, with your permission, to submit letters
of support and other supporting testimony for the congressional
record.
Chairman McKeon. No objection, so ordered.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Chairman. What we want to really say
is, as Representative Udall expressed, now is the time. We can
no longer, as we sit by and watch these languages erode at
lightning speed move at horse and buggy pace to replace them
and to revitalize them. This revitalization movement, some
people said we want to isolate ourselves from the rest of
America. That's not true. That's not accurate. What you are
going to hear today from this distinguished panel is this isn't
an isolation movement, this is actually a movement to elevate
the acquisition of English, to elevate our standards in
academic progress and to really enjoy the full fruits of
American dream, equity of opportunity and equality of
opportunity.
We are doing that in a way that's very purposeful and
meaningful, because if you look at it, and I want to take you
back to 1968, and some in the room maybe are too young to
remember this. I obviously am, but I was able to read about it,
and in a very, very powerful way the U.S. Congress investigated
for the first time ever the conditions of Indian children, and
it was led by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Robert
Kennedy, and they went out into Indian country like what you
are doing here. They went and traveled and visited our schools.
They went into our homes, and they uncovered something that
was appalling to mainstream America but it wasn't to us because
we live this amongst it. You though this, Chairman McKeon,
because your brother did his mission in the poorest place in
America, in Pine Ridge. But the American Indian that was
documented through this report is systematically chronicled
that we ranked at the bottom of every socio, every health,
every education, housing and economic indicator that there was
in America. And now here we are all these years later, 38 years
later, and we still rank at the bottom of every one of those
indicators.
When we talk about Indian education, we gave up millions of
acres of the richest land in the world in exchange for this
continued inherent sovereignty and for these other things, and
education was a piece of that. You heard yesterday it's a trust
responsibility. It's a treaty right. And this is what we have
come here to say is we want to express that right through these
immersion schools as well.
Because what we know, the current data shows us this, what
is happening now, if we send 100 kids into kindergarten we know
only 50 of them are going to graduate from high school. This is
on average nationally. That wouldn't be accepted anywhere in
America, but that's the reality of Indian country.
Out of those 50 kids that graduate, only 20 of them might
be ready to go on to a Division One college and be competitive
academically. Out of that 20 that are even academically capable
of doing that, maybe only 10 might apply, and even out of that
ten only a handful are going to actually go on to higher
education. I am talking non tribal colleges, but our mainstream
universities.
This is the reality that we face and we have to be honest
about it in a way that says what is happening now, it isn't
working. No Child Left Behind was an incredible step in the
right direction for accountability, for setting goals and for
really making the Indian count for the first time in so many
schools where he was invisible, and we applaud this Committee
for the work they did in that. But the implementation of it
hasn't really quite been what we had thought. What we are
asking you is to help close that achievement gap between
promise and fulfillment. And this immersion school movement,
this revitalization movement is really going to establish a new
way of thinking, and as I said, through the Department of
Education, to really impact for the first time since 1972 and
that's when the original Indian Education Act was passed.
Chairman McKeon, your predecessor, I was in his office with
some of our staff, and we were talking about the Indian
Education Act and the statute as it applies to this elementary
and second education act. I was explaining that we had a desire
for you guys to come out to Indian country and have a field
hearings during the whole reauthorization process. The Chief of
Staff for your predecessor, Congresswoman Barnard, she was
explaining there's a lot of special interest groups that want
to have inclusiveness and weigh in on reauthorization. I had to
give her the explanation in a gentle way, Indian country is not
a special interest group.
Title 7 of the No Child Left Behind Act is the Indian
Education Act. This is because we have a unique relationship
with the Federal Government, and it's based on those treaties,
based on the trust responsibility. This is what we want to help
you guys understand in a good way and this is what our needs
are. And what we are saying, when we look at our young people
who go to the Piegan Institute in Browning, Montana; our young
children that go to the Akwesasne Freedom School in the St.
Lawrence River in New York, Ahapunanaleo School in Hawaii; the
Lower Kuskokwim School District up there in Bethel, Alaska;
what is happening here, our neighbors in Navajo Country, fort
Defiance, Rock Point, those young people that go there, what we
are finding now, this emerging research, this emerging data,
what it's showing is beyond any shadow of a doubt when these
schools are run properly, when there's an investment--and none
of these schools are receiving those same Federal dollars as
these other tribal schools, grant schools, BIA schools or
public schools that are housing students. Most of them are
privately funded and they are outpacing every one of them. They
are outpacing their counterparts going to the other schools.
What we have to say collectively among us is what are we
doing to our own children when we are not advancing these
practices? When we know something works yet we systematically
prevent them from having access we are cheating generation
after generation of young people. We can't do that anymore. We
can't sit idly by when we know something is working and not
advance it to the forefront. That's what the National Indian
Education Association tried to do.
We know how difficult it is for a Bill to get through
Congress. But what we are saying is we have elders all over the
country that are watching this bill. They are living and
hanging on to life because they want to see this get passed.
They want to have a tool, a vehicle, a conduit, so to speak, to
pass our engendered way of life and languages on to our young
people.
And as I said earlier, those awesome challenges that face
Indian country, and again, we know that. You heard about the
meth epidemic yesterday. We all know about our alcoholism. We
know about our diabetes, all these things, the high school
dropout rate, the truancy, the low academic standards in the
schools. What this does is this creates a commitment to
excellent, because that's what our way of life is. It's an
excellent way of life. It creates healthy minds. It creates
young people that have assets, that are resilient and that are
achieving because they are biculturally competent.
We don't just want to reach the same standards. They use
that word ``closing the achievement gap.'' We don't want to
just close the achievement gap. We want our young people to be
the most educated people in America, not just equal to our non
Indian brothers. We want them to be the most educated people in
America, and that will never come through the exclusive
dominance of the English language. It will come through
biculturally competent people. We have to create native
thinkers and learners who have conquered the language, not
Indian children who have been conquered by the English
language. That comes from our own way of life and promoting
that.
So Chairman, I thank you again this historic day. I thank
you for inviting me to give testimony and I will be here as
well to answer any questions that you may have, the Committee.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Wilson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Ryan Wilson, President of the National Indian
Education Association
Good afternoon, Chairman McKeon, Vice-Chairman Petri,
Representative Wilson, and Representative Udall. My name is Ryan
Wilson, President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA)
located in Washington, D.C. I am honored to be here to testify today
before this Committee to provide the views of NIEA on the importance
and benefits of Native language immersion programs.
Before I begin, I would like to take this moment to thank you for
holding this important hearing on preserving Native languages. We
appreciate the dedication to this serious issue you show by the fact
that you are here--far away from Washington, D.C.--to seek our views
and to see Indian Country first hand. I also want to thank, in
particular, Representative Wilson for introducing H.R. 4766 and for her
leadership in working with Native communities to provide them with much
needed resources to save our precious languages.
The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) is the oldest and
largest Native education advocacy organization. Founded in 1969, NIEA
has over 3,000 members. Its membership is comprised of American Indian,
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian educators, tribal leaders, school
administrators, teachers, parents, and students. NIEA's membership also
includes tribal governments located across the country. NIEA focuses
its advocacy on the unique educational and culturally-related academic
needs of Native students. Also, NIEA works to ensure that the federal
government upholds its responsibility for the education of American
Indians. The trust relationship of the United States includes the
responsibility to ensure educational quality and access. NIEA works
with all tribes to support innovative educational approaches.
You have requested that my testimony focus on the importance of
preserving Native languages and on Native language immersion programs.
Further, you have requested that I discuss the benefits of language
immersion programs, describe what Native communities are currently
doing to encourage such programs, and to provide NIEA's views on H.R.
4766, the Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I hope
that you find that my testimony provides you with the information that
you seek.
Importance of Preserving Native Languages
For Native people in the United States, our cultural beliefs,
traditions, social structures, heritage, and governance systems depend
on our Native languages. We conduct our ceremonies, prayers, stories,
songs, and dances in our Native languages just as we have done since
the beginning of time. Our languages connect us to our ancestors, our
traditional ways of life, and our histories. For us, the survival of
our cultures and identities is inextricably linked to the survival of
our languages. If our languages die, then it is inevitable that our
cultures will die next.
The United States, in one of its darker moments in history, adopted
an assimilationist policy where it pro-actively sought to eradicate
Native languages by harshly forbidding the speaking of Native languages
at BIA schools. The United States adopted this policy because it knew
that people disconnected from their languages were more apt to lose
their cultural identities and that a society's culture more quickly
dies if the language dies. One linguist stated in his research that
`Lieutenant Richard Pratt, architect of the BIA school system, summed
up its educational philosophy succinctly: ``Kill the Indian * * * and
save the man.'' '\1\
Ms. Rita Coosewoon, Language Instructor, Comanche Nation College
and Elgin High School, very eloquently described the deep impact that
the United States' assimilationist policies had on her personally and
why these policies have hastened the deterioration of our Native
languages. At a Senate Indian Affairs Committee's hearing on Native
language immersion schools on May 15, 2003, she stated:
When I was old enough to begin my formal education I was taken to
Fort Sill Indian Boarding School. Because I was reared by my
grandparents, the only language I was exposed to was Comanche. There at
the school we were forbidden to speak our language. We were severely
punished if we were caught speaking anything other than English. So, at
an early age I was being taught that my language was a hindrance to me.
Consequently, I didn't teach my own children to speak the language. As
I grew older I realized the mistake, I along with others had made. We
robbed them of their culture and now we are struggling to teach them
what we can.\2\
Native languages are one of the treasures of this country's
heritage and history. Native American languages have contributed to the
rich fabric of what makes our country so great. Many states, cities,
towns, streets, rivers, and other geographical places in our country
are Native words. For example, the name ``Connecticut'' means ``beside
the long tidal river'' in Mohican; the name ``Oklahoma'' means ``red
people'' in Choctaw; the name ``Alaska'' means ``great land'' or ``that
which the sea breaks against'' in Aleut; the name ``Chicago'' means
``garlic field'' in Algonquian; the name ``Minnesota'' means ``sky-
tinted water'' in Dakota; the name ``Malibu'' is believed to derive
from the Chumash Indians; the name ``Manhattan'' is believed to mean
``isolated thing in water'' in Algonquian; the name ``Missouri'' means
``town of large canoes'' and is believed to derive from the Missouria
tribe; the name ``Nebraska'' means ``flat water'' in Otoe; the name
``Tahoe'' means ``big water'' in Washoe; and the list goes on and
on.\3\ It would be a shame to continue to lose the languages from where
these words are derived.
Indeed, these languages have played a vital role in protecting our
country in times of war. In World Wars I and II, many brave Native
Americans performed the role of code talkers, using a code language
derived from Native languages. This ensured secure and rapid
communication of critical information on the battlefield. We should
honor these patriots by protecting their languages that helped protect
this great country. Recently, NIEA held a Native Languages Legislative
Summit in Washington, D.C. Navajo and Lakota Code Talkers from New
Mexico, Arizona, and South Dakota participated along with many Members
of Congress and language immersion practitioners. The passion for
protecting Native languages was palpable at the Summit; and, when the
Code Talkers spoke about their experiences in the military and their
love for their language in the midst of discriminatory treatment,
everyone who was there was energized to do all that they could to
preserve these languages.
Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world;
and, if they are not preserved, then they will disappear forever. In
Native communities across the country, Native languages are in rapid
decline. Sadly, many tribes have already lost their languages. Language
scholars estimate that there were approximately 300 languages spoken in
North America prior to the arrival of Columbus.\4\ Some project that
only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year
2050.\5\ According to the 2000 U.S. Census, out of a population of 4.1
million American Indians and Native Alaskans, only 32.3% report
speaking a language other than English at home. Given the rapid pace of
deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to
save Native languages. Therefore, Native language recovery is one of
NIEA's highest priorities.
As one linguist stated, ``Every language loss causes serious damage
to individual and group identity, for it destroys a sense of self-
worth, limits human potential and complicates efforts to solve problems
in the community.'' \6\ Another linguist stated, `Each language is a
unique tool for analyzing and synthesizing the world, incorporating the
knowledge and values of a speech community. Linguistic ``categories
[including] number, gender, case, tense, mode, voice, `aspect' and a
host of others * * * are not so much discovered in experience as
imposed upon it.'' Thus to lose such a tool is to ``forget'' a way of
constructing reality, to blot out a perspective evolved over many
generations. The less variety in language, the less variety in
ideas.'\7\
Native Language Immersion Programs and the Benefits of These Programs
The key to stemming the loss of Native American languages is by
significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion
schools and other immersion programs. It is well proven that language
immersion schools are one of the few effective ways to create fluent
speakers in Native languages.\8\ For example, in Fort Defiance,
Arizona, the students that participated in the Navajo immersion program
did considerably better on the tests of Navajo language ability and
tested as well in English proficiency as the English-only students. The
resulting impact is that the Navajo immersion students were gaining
control of their own language with no loss to their knowledge of
English. Meanwhile, the English-only students were minimally competent
in English, and scoring at lower levels than they previously scored in
Navajo competency.\9\
Native language immersion is a way of learning language that
concentrates on communication exclusively in a Native language.
Immersion teachers provide instruction on all topics with the Native
language being the learning medium. Also, immersion programs are
typically performed in the context of the culture of the community.
Linguists estimate that a time frame of 4 to 7 years is needed to
develop age appropriate levels of academic proficiency in a second
language.\10\ There are many grassroots programs designed to revitalize
Native languages throughout tribal schools, communities, and families;
but these efforts are fragmented and inadequately funded.
In addition to developing fluent speakers, language immersion
schools have other remarkable benefits. Studies and analyses are
showing that Native language immersion programs provide a proven method
in decreasing Native drop-out rates and in increasing educational
attainment.\11\ Keeping students interested in school is a challenging
prospect for all educators and parents. For many Native students living
in rural and isolated areas, if subjects are taught in non-cultural
pedagogies and removed from their community's perspectives, then often
Native students lose interest in school due to the non-relevance of the
materials to their lives and identities. Immersion programs are
facilitating academic achievement of Native students in a wide array of
subject areas, including math, reading, and science as well as in the
areas of arts and languages. Also, these programs are valuable in
fostering self-awareness, self-esteem, social growth, and problem
solving skills, which are crucial in developing confident individuals
who can tackle life's challenges.
One study reported that, while Native American children and youth
have exhibited stagnant educational achievement (and have the poorest
achievement of all American ethnic groups), Native language immersion
has demonstrated remarkable promise in participants' educational
achievement and in improving cognitive abilities.\12\ Another study
reported that solid data from the immersion school experience indicates
that language immersion students experience greater success in school
measured by consistent improvement on local and national measures of
achievement.\13\ For example, in Hawaii, there are twenty-two public
schools either with immersion streams or with entire immersion
curriculum. These schools have approximately 1700 students enrolled
that outperform the average Native Hawaiian student in Hawaii public
schools.\14\ While data specific to Native American language immersions
schools is continuing to be compiled, national studies from both the
public and private sectors emphasize the positive impact of language
studies on educational achievement.\15\
Below are a few more examples of successful immersion schools where
the students are doing better than their counterparts who are not in
immersion programs.
The Piegan Institute is located in Browning, Montana, and serves
students in grades K though 8 through instruction in the Blackfeet
language. Piegan Institute programs provide an integrated approach that
encompasses social, intellectual, academic, and linguistic dimensions.
The focus throughout is on making connections across the various
contexts of a learner's experience, the classroom, the family, the
community and what language means for a learner in each of these
contexts.
The Akwesasne Freedom School is located on the St. Lawrence River
in upstate New York and is an independent elementary school for grades
pre-K through 8 run by the Mohawk Nation. The school was founded in
1979 by Mohawk parents concerned that their language and culture would
slowly die. In 1985, a Mohawk language immersion program was begun. The
Mohawk ``Thanksgiving Address,'' which teaches gratitude to the earth
and everything on it, is used as a curriculum base. Students study
reading, writing, math, science, history and the Mohawk ceremonial
cycle. The Akwesasne Freedom School combines solid academics with a
strong foundation in Mohawk culture.
In an effort to reverse language loss, the Lower Kuskokwim School
District, located in western Alaska, began a Yup'ik Immersion program
in Bethel under the state's Language Other than English as a Second
Language program option. Thirty-two kindergarten children initially
enrolled in this program. Today, the program has expanded to several
villages and offers both Two-Way Immersion and Full Early Immersion
programs. However, these programs are limited by materials, teachers,
and financial resources while dealing with the continuing pressure to
meet the standards of No Child Left Behind.
The successes of Native language immersion schools and programs is
demonstrated by many of the language schools meeting the standards
outlined in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) through Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) and the students' abilities to outperform their Native
counterparts in non-immersion schools. The seven schools that met AYP
in 2004 in the Lower Kuskokwim School District all had strong Yup'ik
language and culture programs, especially at the primary levels. In
2005, two schools, one with a Yup'ik language Development Program and
one with an early immersion program, met AYP for the second year.\16\
This information demonstrates that the standards for the Yup'ik program
are high and the Yup'ik instruction at the primary level results in
strong academic proficiency in reading, writing, and math. The Yup'ik
example is just one of many that shows the positive impact Native
language programs have on student achievement.
Also, in northern Arizona, the two language programs at the Rock
Point Community School and the Navajo immersion program at Fort
Defiance Elementary School have proven that instruction in Native
languages fosters Native student achievement.\17\ At the Rock Point
Community School, where the emphasis on instruction is on Navajo
language and thought, the students performed better than comparable
students in nearby schools at all grade levels, ``and the margin of
differences tended to be larger at each succeeding grade.'' \18\ At the
Fort Defiance Elementary School, where kindergarten and first grade are
taught entirely in Navajo with increased instruction in English in
second through fifth grades, the students performed considerably better
on local assessments of writing-in-English and the math portion of
standardized tests than their counterparts.
Recognizing the significant deterioration of Native languages, many
Native communities across the country are implementing wonderful
language immersion programs through either school-based or community-
based programs, but many are struggling due to limited financial means.
Below is the list of Native immersion programs of which NIEA is aware.
Given that Native immersion efforts are grassroots-based, there is no
one repository for this information. Therefore, this list is not
exhaustive.
Akwesasne Freedom School, Rooseveltown, NY
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, Anadarko, OK
Native American Studies Department, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Bahweting Elementary School, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Bay Mills Community College, Brimley, MI
Blackfeet Community College, Browning, MT
Cannisbrulee Native American Center of the Gulf South, Kenner, LA
Catawba Cultural Preservation Project, Rock Hill, SC
Center for Gifted and Talented Native Hawaiian Children, Hilo, HI
Cherokee Nation Cultural Center, Tahlequah, OK
Cheyenne River Community College, Lakota Studies, Eagle Butte, SD
Cheyenne Eagle Butte Schools, Lakota Language Program, Eagle Butte, SD
Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, Tishomingo, OK
Dean C. Jackson Center, Navajo Language Curriculum, Chinle, AZ
Chitimacha Tribe, Cultural Education Department, Charenton, LA
Choctaw Nation Government Offices, Choctaw Language Dept., Durant, OK
Cocopah Language Program c/o Cocopah Museum, Somerton, AZ
Comanche Language and Cultural Committee, Lawton, OK
Comanche Preschool Language Program, Lawton, OK
Coushatta Tribe, Elton, LA
Delaware Indian Language Project, Bartlesville, OK
Dine' Community College, Navajo Language Program, Tsaile, AZ
Dine' Cultural Language and Community Services, Window Rock, AZ
Dine' Nation Language Program, Window Rock, AZ
Dull Knife Memorial College, Lame Deer, MT
Euchee Language Class, Sapulpa, OK
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Cloquet, MN
Ft. Belknap Community College, Gros Ventre & Assiniboine Languages,
Harlem, MT
Hale Kuamo'o, Center for Hawaiian Languages and Culture, University of
Hawaii, Hilo, HI
Hoopa Languages Program, Hoopa, CA
Little Big Horn Community College, Crow Studies Department, Crow
Agency, MT Little Hoop Community College, Fort Trotten, ND
Loyal Shawnee of Cherokee Nation, Psaslagi Cultural Center Language
Project, Tahlequah, OK
Marty Indian School, Marty, SD
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, Wampanoag Language Development
Committee, Mashpee, MA
Menominee Language Instructor/Programs, Native American Educational
Services (NAES) College, Keshena, WI
Mescalero High School , Mescalero, NM
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Miami, OK
Muskogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma, Okmulgee, OK
Nebraska Indian Community College, Macy, NE
Northern Ute Tribe Education Department, Fort Duchesne, UT
Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, WA
Oasis Primary School, Sells, AZ
Oglala Lakota College, Kyle, SD
Ojibwe Mekana, Ojibwe Language Instruction, Duluth, MN
Oneida Tribal High School, Oneida, WI
Peach Springs School District, Bilingual Academic Excellence Program,
Peach Springs, AZ
Piegan Institute, Blackfeet Language Program, Browning, MT
Project Tradition and Technology, Peach Springs, AZ
Pueblo of Acoma, Sky City Community College, Acoma, NM
Pueblo of Acoma, Acoma Language Retention Project, Acoma, NM
Pueblo of Cochiti, Cochiti Language Preservation Program, Cochiti, NM
Pueblo of Isleta del Sur, El Paso, TX
Pueblo of Nambe, Naminbi Ecocultural Language Program, Nambe Pueblo, NM
Pueblo of Picuris, Penasco, NM
Pojoaque Language Program, Poeh Cultural Center, Sante Fe, NM
Pueblo of San Juan, Ohkay Owingeh Community College,San Juan Pueblo, NM
Pueblo of Sandia, Bernalillo, NM
Pueblo of Santa Ana, Department of Education, Bernalillo, NM
Pueblo Santa Clara,
Espanola, NM
Pueblo of Taos, Taos Day School, Taos, NM
Pueblo of Tesuque, Education Office, Santa Fe, NM
Pueblo of Zia, Zia Day School, Zia, NM
Pueblo of Zia, Zia Language Preservation and Enhancement Program, Zia
Pueblo, NM
Pueblo of Zuni, Zuni Public School District, Zuni, NM
Puyallup Tribe, Chief Leschi School Bilingual Program, Puyallup, WA
Rock Point Community School, Rock Point, AZ
San Ildefonso Day School, Tewa Language Program, Santa Fe, NM
Sahaptin Language Department, Heritage College, Toppenish, WA
Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, MT
San Carlos High School, Apache Language and History, San Carlos, AZ
Sanders Unified School District, Sanders, AZ
Sealaska Heritage Foundation, Juneau, AK
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Seminole Language Curriculum, Wewoka, OK
Seneca Language and Culture Program, Salamanca, NY
Sinte Gleska UniversityLakota Studies Program, Mission, SD
Sisseton Wahpeton Community College
Dakota Studies Program, Agency Village, Sisseton, SD
Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Program, Hayward, WI
Yup'ik Immersion Program, Lower Kuskokwim School District, Bethel, AK
Also, please find attached to this testimony a bibliography of
materials discussing Native language immersion programs.
Views on H.R. 4766
NIEA strongly supports H.R. 4766 and urges the Committee to mark it
up when it returns from August recess. Further, NIEA urges the Congress
to enact this legislation this session. We realize that the legislative
session is shortly coming to a close, but our languages are quickly
dying out.
H.R. 4766 would assist in the preservation of our Native languages
while also providing a resource to our Native students to help them
stay motivated in school, achieve academically, and gain greater self-
esteem and confidence. H.R. 4766 would do this by amending the Native
American Languages Act to create a competitive grant program within the
Department of Education to support Native language immersion programs
called language nests and language survival schools. The language
immersion grants would provide financial support to tribes, Native
American language educational organizations, Native American language
colleges, and other Native educational entities to create and/or
continue Native language immersion programs for children and students
under the age of seven and in elementary and secondary school.
Language immersion costs money, and most Native communities have
very limited funds. NIEA believes that the cost for this new grant
program would be in the range of $8 million. Of course, if more could
be appropriated, then the better. This funding would allow for firmer
financial footing for existing language immersion programs and would
provide encouragement for others to begin. With this federal support,
we can slow down and hopefully reverse the loss of our Native languages
and culture.
Currently, the Native American Languages Act is administered by the
Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Native
Americans (ANA) and provides for a very broad grant program for Native
language projects that span the spectrum from recording and compiling
information on extinct Native languages to teaching Native languages.
This grant program provides minimal support for language immersion
programs. Over the past few years, ANA's funding has been flat-lined at
$44 million with less than 10% of this funding going toward language
immersion programs, which include summer and seasonal camps, weekend
retreats and seminars, and some year-round schools. This broad language
grant program at ANA is one of several grant programs that ANA
administers. At ANA, language grant applications must compete against
ANA's other grant programs, including social and economic development,
environmental regulatory enhancement, healthy marriages, and
environmental mitigation. Further, the length of these grants varies
from 1 to 3 years, which is not enough time to develop a successful
language immersion nest or school.
NIEA believes that the language immersion grant program set forth
in H.R. 4766 would be appropriately administered by the Department of
Education in its Office of Indian Education given that it is the
federal agency that administers Native education and can provide
stability for an immersion nest or school through its grant funding
stream and other resources. Also, the language nests and survivor
schools squarely fit within the purpose of Title VII of No Child Left
Behind to provide for the ``unique and culturally related academic
needs of Indian students.'' As you know, No Child Left Behind is
administered by the Department of Education.
For the demonstration program provision contained in Section 3 of
H.R. 4766, NIEA recommends that the demonstration program participants
be selected through a competitive grant process, such as the one set
forth in S. 2674.
Conclusion
Saving our Native languages is synonymous with preserving our
Native culture and identities. The rapid loss of Native languages
affects not only Native people but also all Americans. Native people
and their languages are an integral part of America's history and
heritage. We urge the Congress to take immediate action to help us
preserve our languages for future generations. Further, improving the
academic achievement and personal growth of our Native children
benefits all Americans today and in the future. We look forward to
working with you to enact H.R. 4766.
bibliography of articles and research discussing native language
immersion
Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. Fairbanks, AK:
University of Alaska, 1998.
Benjamin, R., Pecos, R., Romero, M.E. (1996) Language Revitalization
Efforts in the Pueblo de Cochiti: Becoming literate in an Oral
Society. In Nancy Hornberger (Ed.) Indigenous literacies in the
Americas: Language Planning from the Bottom Up. Berlin/New
York: Mouton.
Blair, Heather, John Janvier, Sally Rice, and Valerie Wood. Daghida:
Cold Lake First Nation Works Towards Dene Language
Revitalization. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University,
2002.
Blue Arm, Marion. Assessing Lakota Language Issues on the Cheyenne
River Reservation. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University,
2002.
Christie, Ella and Marilyn Cochran, Dora Dunn, Lula Elk, Ed Fields,
JoAnn Fields, Tracy Hirata-Edds, Anna Huckaby, Lizette Peter,
Margaret Raymond, Hastings Shade, Gloria Sly, George Wickliffe
and Akira Yamamoto. Assessing the Impact of Total Immersion on
Cherokee Language Revitalization: A Culturally Responsive,
Participatory Approach. Flagstaff, NM: Northern Arizona
University, 2003.
Crawford, J. Bilingual Education: History, Politics, Theory and
Practice. (4th Ed.) Bilingual Education Services: Los Angeles.
1999.
Crawford, James, Endangered Native American Languages: What Is to Be
Done, and Why? Reprinted in Language and Politics in the U.S.
and Canada: Myths and Realities, ed. Thomas Ricento and Barbara
Burnaby (Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998).
Deyhle, Donna and Karen Swisher. ``Research in American Indian
Education: from assimilation to self-determination.'' Review of
Research in Education. Vol. 22 (1997): 113-194.
Demmert, William G. Improving Academic Performance Among Native
American Children. Bellingham, Washington: Western Washington
University, 2004.
Demmert, William G. and John C. Townsend. A review of the research
literature on the influences of culturally based education on
the academic performance of Native American students. Portland,
OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 2003.
Dick, Galena Sells and Teresa McCarty. Mother Tongue Literacy and
Language Renewal: The case of the Navajo. Tuscon, AZ:
University of Arizona, 1996.
Ditmar, Selena, Douglas R. Parks, Julia Kushner, Wallace Hooper,
Francis Flavin and Delilah Yellow Bird. ``Documenting and
Maintaining Native American Languages for the 21st Century: The
Indiana University Model.'' Revitalizing Indigenous Languages.
Ed. Jon Reyhner. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University,
1999.
Ebmeier, Howard, Darrell Kipp, Paul Markham and John Monahan.
Evaluation of the Inupiaq Immersion Program. Lawrence, KS:
University of Kansas, 2000.
Estes, James, How Many Indigenous American Languages are Spoken in the
United States? By how many speakers? National Clearinghouse for
Bilingual Education. www.ncbe.gwu.edu.
Greymorning, Stephen. ``Going Beyond Words: The Arapaho Immersion
Program.'' Teaching Indigenous Languages. Ed. Jon Rehyner.
Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University, 1997.
Greymorning, Stephen. ``Running the Gauntlet of an Indigenous Language
Program.'' Revitalizing Indigenous Languages. Retrieved on July
6, 2006 from http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/?jar/RIL--2.html.
Guanish, George and Bill Jancewicz, Marguerite MacKenzie, and Silas
Nabinicaboo. Building a Community Language Development Team
with Quebec Naskapi. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona
University, 2002.
Harrison, Barbara. ``Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga: The Development of
an Indigenous Language Immersion School.'' Bilingual Research
Journal. Volume 22:2, 3, & 4 Spring, Summer, & Fall. (1998)
Hartley, Elizabeth and Pam Johnson. ``Toward a community-based
transition to a Yup'ik first language (immersion) program with
ESL component.'' The Bilingual Research Journal. Summer/Fall
1995, Vol. 19, Nos. 3 & 4, pp. 571-585, (1995).
Holm, A. & Holm, W. (1995). Navajo language education: Retrospect and
prospects. Bilingual Research Journal, 19(1).
Jacobs, K.A. ``A chronology of Mohawk language instruction at
Kahnawa:ke.'' Eds. Grenoble. L.A. and L.J. Whaley. Endangered
Languages: Language Loss and Community Response. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Johnston, Bill. ``The Rise and Fall of a Dakota Immersion Pre-School.''
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Vol. 9,
No. 3. (2002) 195-213.
Kipp, Darrell R. Encouragement, Guidance, Insights, and Lessons Learned
for Native Language Activists Developing Their Own Tribal
Language Programs. Browning, MT: Piegan Institute, 2000.
Kula Kaiapuni O Anuenue School. Honolulu, HI: Planning and Evaluation
Office, Office of the Superintendent. Retrieved June 26, 2006
from http://arch.k12.hi.us/pdf/ssir/2004/Honolulu/SSIR103-
1.pdf.
Linn, Mary S., Tessie Naranjo, Sheilah Nicholas, Inee Slaughter, Akira
Yamamoto, and Ofelia Zepeda. Awakening the Languages:
Challenges of Enduring Language Programs: Field reports from 15
Programs from Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Santa Fe, NM:
Indigenous Language Institute, 2002.
Lipka, Jerry. Schooling for Self-Determination: Research on the Effects
of Including Native Language and Culture in the Schools. (2002)
Retrieved July 6, 2006 from http://www.ael.org/snaps/edorc01-
12.htm.
Malone, Dennis. ``Developing Curriculum Materials for Endangered
Language Education: Lessons from the Field.'' International
Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Vol. 6, No. 5.
(2003): 332-348.
McCarty, Teresa and Lucille Watahomigie. Indigenous Community-based
language education in the USA. Tucson, AZ: University of
Arizona, 1998.
Native Hawaiian Early Education, Development and Care. Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs Hearing transcript. Report No. Senate-Hrg-
107-451. (2002).
Pease-Pretty On Top, Janine. Native Language Immersion: Innovative
Native Education for Children and Families. Denver: American
Indian College Fund. 2003.
Reardon, Nita, & Williams, Bev. (2006). ``Yup'ik Language Programs at
Lower Kuskokwim School District, Bethel, Alaska.'' The Journal
of American Indian Education, Volume 45, Issue 2.
Rehyner, Jon. ``Identity, Schooling and Success.'' NABE News. Vol. 25,
No. 4. (2002).
Rehyner, Jon. ``Place- and Community-Based Curriculum for High School
English Language Learners.'' NABE News. Vol. 25, No.3. (2002)
23-24.
Stiles, Dawn B. ``Four Successful Indigenous Language Programs.''
Teaching Indigenous Language Programs. Ed. John Rehyner.
Flagstaff, NM: Northern Arizona University, 1997.
Sugarmen, Julie and Howard, Liz. ``Two Way Immersion Shows Promising
Results: Findings of a New Study.'' Center for Applied
Linguistics, ERIC/CLL Language Link. ERIC Clearinghouse on
Language and Linguistics: Washington, DC. September 2001.
Toulouse, Pamela Rose. Sagamok Anishinawbek: The Decision Makers and
Varying Conceptions of Cultural Inclusion at Beedaban School.
Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 2001.
Walsh, Michael. Teaching NSWs Indigenous Languages Lessons from
Elsewhere. Sydney, Australia: University of Sydney, 2002.
endnotes
\1\ Crawford, James, ``Endangered Native American Languages: What
Is to Be Done, and Why?,'' reprinted in Language and Politics in the
U.S. and Canada: Myths and Realities, ed. Thomas Ricento and Barbara
Burnaby (Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998) (quoting
Pratt, R.H. (1973). Official report of the nineteenth annual Conference
of Charities and Correction [1892], in F.P. Prucha (Ed.), Americanizing
the American Indians: Writings by the ``Friends of the Indian,'' 1880-
1900 (pp. 260-71). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press).
\2\ Testimony of Rita Coosewoon, Hearing before the Committee on
Indian Affairs, United States Senate, 108th Congress, first session, on
S. 575, to Amend the Native American Languages Act to Provide for the
Support of Native American Language Survival Schools, May 15, 2003, p.
75.
\3\ Brunner, Borgna, American Indian Place Names, Pearson Education
publishing as Infoplease (2006), http://print.infoplease.com (taken
from O Brave New Words! Native American Loanwords in Current English,
Charles L. Cutler).
\4\ Estes, James, How Many Indigenous American Languages are Spoken
in the United States? By how many speakers? National Clearinghouse for
Bilingual Education. www.ncbe.gwu.edu.
\5\ Crawford, J. Bilingual Education: History, Politics, Theory and
Practice. (4th Ed.) Bilingual Education Services: Los Angeles. 1999.
\6\ Pease--Pretty on Top, Janine. Native American Language
Immersion: Innovative Native Education for Children & Families.
American Indian College Fund: Denver, Colorado. 2003, p. 18.
\7\ Crawford, James, ``Endangered Native American Languages: What
Is to Be Done, and Why?'' Reprinted in Language and Politics in the
U.S. and Canada: Myths and Realities, ed. Thomas Ricento and Barbara
Burnaby (Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998) (quoting
Sapir, E. (1931). ``Conceptual Strategies in Primitive Languages.''
Science, 74, 578).
\8\ Benjamin, R., Pecos, R., Romero, M.E. (1996) Language
Revitalization Efforts in the Pueblo de Cochiti: Becoming literate in
an Oral Society. In Nancy Hornberger (Ed.) Indigenous literacies in the
Americas: Language Planning from the Bottom Up. Berlin/New York:
Mouton; see also Johnson, K. & Swain, M. (1997). Immersion education:
International perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press;
Stiles, D.B. (1997). ``Four Successful Indigenous Language Programs,''
In J. Reyhner (Ed.), Teaching Indigenous Languages, pp. 248-262.
Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University.
\9\ Holm A., Holm, W. (1995). ``Navajo language education:
Retrospects and prospects.'' Bilingual Research Journal, 19(1), p.150.
\10\ Testimony of Dr. Teresa McCarty, Interim Dean, College of
Education, University of Arizona, and Professor of Language, Reading
and Culture, Co-Director, American Indian Language Development
Institute, Hearing before the Committee on Indian Affairs, United
States Senate, 108th Congress, first session, on S. 575, to Amend the
Native American Languages Act to Provide for the Support of Native
American Language Survival Schools, May 15, 2003, p. 122.
\11\ Pease--Pretty on Top, Janine. Native American Language
Immersion: Innovative Native Education for Children & Families.
American Indian College Fund: Denver, Colorado. 2003, p. 9.
\12\ Pease--Pretty on Top, Janine. Native American Language
Immersion: Innovative Native Education for Children & Families.
American Indian College Fund: Denver, Colorado. 2003.
\13\ McCarty, Teresa L. and Dick, Galena Sells. ``Mother Tongue
Literacy and Language Renewal: The Case of the Navajo.'' Proceedings of
the 1996 World Conference on Literacy. University of Arizona: Tucson,
AZ. 1996, pp. 5-6.
\14\ Op. cit. Pease- Pretty on Top. 2003, p.16, Aha Punana Leo. Our
Language: e ola ka olelo Hawaii- the Hawaiian language shall live.
Website, www.ahapunanaleo.org/HTML/OL,htm.Pp.6-7.
\15\ Sugarmen, Julie and Howard, Liz. Two Way Immersion Shows
Promising Results: Findings of a New Study. Center for Applied
Linguistics, ERIC/CLL Language Link. ERIC Clearinghouse on Language and
Linguistics: Washington, DC. September 2001, p. 2-3.
\16\ Reardon, Nita, & Williams, Bev. (2006). ``Yup'ik Language
Programs at Lower Kuskokwim School District, Bethel, Alaska.'' The
Journal of American Indian Education, Volume 45, Issue 2, p. 40.
\17\ Holm, A. & Holm, W. (1995). ``Navajo language education:
Retrospect and prospects.'' Bilingual Research Journal, 19(1), p. 141-
167.
\18\ Id. at p. 148.
______
Chairman McKeon. Thank you very much. Those were eloquent
words. The problem is, if all of you take that much time, we
are going to run out of time before we have time to finish. But
let's hear now from Dr. Sims.
STATEMENT OF CHRISTINE SIMS, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF
LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND SOCIOCULTURAL STUDIES, COLLEGE OF
EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
Ms. Sims. [Introduction spoken in Native American
language.]
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman McKeon and members of the
committee. I am getting an echo for some reason. I will go
ahead and go on. Mr. Chairman, I am thankful for the
opportunity to come and speak before you today.
Chairman McKeon. Try holding it back just a little.
Ms. Sims. Now can you hear me? My name is Christine Sims. I
am Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico in the
College of Education. I am one of six native faculty in our
department. We are part of a growing institute called the
Institute for American Indian Education. We are dedicated to
the promotion of indigenous leadership and research in
education and we seek to increase the capacity of American
Indian tribes with regard to the development, expansion and
improving the delivery of instructional services that address
the educational and linguistic needs of American Indian
children.
I would like to acknowledge those folks that are sitting in
the audience today, many of whom are not only from the
University of New Mexico but as well many of our own tribal
leaders, our elders, our parents are here, students are here.
All of them are here in support of this very important meeting
and also in support of the bills that are being proposed here.
I would like to also say that in coming to New Mexico, as
Chairman Shije mentioned has before, we take great pride in
knowing that our villages here are some of the oldest
continuously inhabited villages in all of the United States and
many of the language communities that you see represented here
are representative of languages that have been here hundreds
and perhaps thousands of years. And our concern for the
survival of languages comes from the fact that many of our
communities, as Mr. Shije alluded to, are still very much
dependent on an oral-based tradition where many of the
languages aren't necessarily written. But in carrying on an
oral tradition, many of the values, the beliefs, our own
indigenous forms of education, are transmitted through
language, and so for communities like ours especially, we have
a special concern that children continue to learn these
languages, even throughout their school years.
I would like to note that this hearing comes at an
especially significant time in our history for a couple
reasons. First of all, it's noteworthy that the Committee is
considering for the first time a number of education bills that
would provide the resources most needed for Native American
language survival. These bills at the same time, candidly
speaking, being looked at with a little bit of skepticism and I
will tell you why. Because throughout the history of education
in this country, native people have always had their own
indigenous form of education. It's an education rooted in
language and culture. This indigenous form of education is what
has enabled many of our tribes to survive in the face of
historical events that Mr. Wilson alluded to just a few minutes
ago.
This history of American education in this country is
replete with examples of where they would deliver attempts time
and time again, especially with Federal education policy
leading the way, to undermine these very foundations of
indigenous education.
So convening today's hearing in the context of what
education can do to assist in the maintenance and survival of
native languages is, therefore, especially significant to us
today.
The second reason that this hearing is significant is
because I believe that at no time in the history of this nation
has the possibility existed as it does now for Congress to
support a conscious movement among Native American people to
define for themselves a vision of education for their children,
reflecting what is of most concern to them.
The inclusion of language as an integral part of daily
education that children could and receive and the potential
benefits that children derive from the experiences and provide
such opportunities is a part of that education vision that
native people have for their children.
Native communities want the best for their children. They
want their children to do well academically and they want to
see them develop as competent learners. Not just in mainstream
societies but as members of their own tribal communities. The
need for preparing future leaders of these communities rests on
the kind of educational programs we provide to support Indian
students as they come to appreciate and understand the value
and the application of their ancestral languages to their daily
lives as well as the life of the communities from which they
come.
Unfortunately, this vision for education has never fully
embraced or has never been fully realized in the history of
this nation as Federal legislation has often tended to drive
practice and policy away from the concerns of native people
regarding the maintenance of language and culture.
Within the last decades, as we have seen language shift
happen in many of our communities, the concern for language
survival is driven by many tribes who want to see their
children learn these languages. In New Mexico, as an example,
there are a number of tribal communities who have established
community-based language efforts as Senator Udall alluded to
earlier, places like Tesuque, Santa Clara, San Juan, San
Alfonso, Acoma, Cochiti, Zuni. These are all examples of
communities, they are not all of them, but who have stepped to
the plate and established their own initiatives as community-
based efforts first.
Many of the circumstances though that we come up against
has forced many of us to take these community-based efforts
into that school settings and this is where we feel that the
Committee can be especially helpful because we need that
support. We need that support in terms of education bills that
are going to make a way for children to learn these languages
in schools.
The significance of these developments is that they have
also set in motion a whole new set of precedents concerning the
treatment of native languages in schools.
Consider that states like New Mexico, for example, now have
in place statutory laws that not only support the establishment
of heritage language programs as a new category of state-wide
legal funding, but also acquiesced to tribes the development of
their processes for certifying tribal members as language
teachers in public schools.
MOUs that have been developed between local school
districts and tribes have also begun to open the doors for
native communities to develop their own programs of native
language instruction. It follows that as these kinds of
developments emerge at the local and at the state level, that
there should also be a similar movement within Federal
education policy that fully supports the intent of the original
native languages act by making available the funding necessary
for such initiatives. As well the need for teacher training
resources to successfully initiate and maintain these efforts
is crucially needed. Tribal communities who do not have the
infrastructure nor the resources to provide these services can
be assisted by having the means to access technical service
from training centers such as what you proposed back in 2003
when the Senate Indian affairs Committee held their hearing in
Washington.
I know I only have a few minutes, and I know that the full
text of my testimony has been submitted to you all, but I would
like to just----
Chairman McKeon. The full text of each of your testimonies
will be in the record.
Ms. Sims. I would like to summarize my comments today by
saying that for all of us here in this room, not just the
communities from New Mexico, but all across this nation,
language is at the heart of our survival. It's the heart of our
sociocultural systems. It's the heart of our own systems of
jurisprudence in governments that we had from time immemorial.
Language is the means by which we pass on to our children the
things that are essential for their socialization into the
lives of our communities. It's the link by which we pass on
values and beliefs.
For many communities, such as our own Pueblo tribes here in
New Mexico, these languages are the primary and sole means for
transmitting traditional knowledge, religious beliefs and
practices. These aspects of language use all combine to form
the essence of what has been for us the foundation for
educating native children. And we hope as members of this
Committee that you will take back to Congress and your
colleagues in the House and the Senate the notion and the ideas
and what has been expressed to you today of how critical these
languages are and how critical they have been to our survival
for thousands of years.
And in this room there are students, there are children
that have every desire to learn these languages, and as part of
the education for these children, there should be no question
that language it a part of that and that language doesn't have
to be something set aside or that it's something special or
something additive; that language learning is just as important
as learning other things in school. And we know from research
that has been done, latitudinal research on one-way and two-way
bilingual language programs, that benefits children derive from
being in these classrooms where they are schooled in their
heritage language, they go beyond just the fact of learning the
language itself. They come with the added benefits that
children derive from having lessons taught that reflect where
they come from.
In essence, the things that they receive as part of
language learning with their own community people teaching
them, that is the foundation of learning that oftentimes when
children don't have that, I'm afraid some of all these kinds of
ills we see in terms of academics grow from that, from not
having that opportunity.
So I would remind you all, gentlemen and ladies of the
Committee, that as you have this discussion with us today,
please don't forget that what's at stake here is the children
that are out there and the children that are probably in the
classrooms now that couldn't be here today.
So I will end my comments here, and I also want to just
mention very briefly that I do also have additional letters of
support that I would like to hand to the Committee that come
from different organizations as well as the University of New
Mexico and if I could submit that to the Committee, I would
appreciate it.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Sims follows:]
Prepared Statement of Christine P. Sims, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,
Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies, Institute
for American Indian Education, College of Education, University of New
Mexico
Part I: Introduction
Mr. Chairman and Members of this Committee: My name is Dr.
Christine Sims. I am an Assistant Professor at the University of New
Mexico in the College of Education. I am one of six Native faculty in
the Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies who
represent professionals in the field of American Indian Education. We
are part of a growing institute, namely the Institute for American
Indian Education, based in the UNM College of Education. The Institute
is dedicated to the promotion of Indigenous leadership and research in
the field of education and seeks to increase the capacity of American
Indian tribes in developing, expanding, and improving the delivery of
instructional services that address the educational and linguistic
needs of American Indian students. I would like to acknowledge many of
my colleagues from the University who are here today in support of the
important matters that will be discussed today concerning the recovery
and preservation of Native American languages.
I am here today also speaking in the capacity of a tribal member
from the Pueblo of Acoma, one of the 19 Pueblo Indian tribes of New
Mexico. I have lived all my life in this Pueblo and have been involved
in our community's language retention program as a language teacher
trainer and an advisor to the tribe for its various language
initiatives. I would like to acknowledge their presence here as well
today. As you can see, there are many other members of various tribal
communities also present with us. While I cannot name them all
individually in the time I have been allotted, I do want to recognize
these individuals who represent Native communities in their various
capacities as tribal leaders, elders, Native language teachers,
parents, and students all of whom are especially concerned about the
issue of native language survival. Some of these individuals have
brought with them letters of support for the proposed amendments and
they would like to submit these at some point to this body.
On behalf of my fellow tribal people I would like to welcome you to
New Mexico. We take great pride in knowing that here in New Mexico, our
Native cultures and villages represent some of the oldest and longest
sustained tribal communities in this nation. Many of our present-day
Pueblo villages still exist in their original locations predating the
entrance of Europeans to the Southwest. Your presence here today is
therefore one that we have anticipated with great interest and concern
about what is being proposed as amendments to the Native Languages Act.
We hope that in your conversations with us today, that you will take
back to Congress the essence of why these proposed bills are so
important to all of us in Indian Country.
I want to thank this Committee for the invitation to speak at this
hearing and while I recognize that the time allotted to me for my
comments is short, I hope that the full text of my written testimony
will provide you with information that will be helpful and insightful
as you deliberate the various amendments to the Native Languages Act.
Specifically I am referring to the following three bills that have been
proposed by various members of the U.S. House and Senate: 1) the
American Language Preservation Act (H.R. 4766); 2) the Native American
Language Amendment Act of 2006 (S.2674); and 3) the Native American
Language Amendment Act of 2006 (H.R. 5222). All of these bills which
propose funding support for language immersion programs and assistance
to language survival schools and language nests are amendments which we
support. We are especially supportive of these same provisions included
in Representative Heather Wilson's bill (H.R. 4766) but which also
includes training services for native language instructors,
demonstration programs and research in language policy based at the
University of New Mexico.
Part II. Language and Culture, the Foundations for the Education of
American Indian Children
I would like to note, that this hearing comes at an especially
significant time in the history of American Indian education for
several reasons. First, while it is noteworthy that this Committee is
considering for the first time a number of education bills that would
provide the resources most needed for Native American language
survival, these bills are at the same time, candidly speaking, being
met with a bit of skepticism from among many in Indian Country. Why?
Because throughout all the thousands of years that our tribal
communities have existed, there has always been a system of indigenous
education for our children that is essentially rooted in language and
culture. This indigenous form of education is what has enabled many of
our tribes to survive in the face of historical events and federal
education policy that have attempted at various times to tear away at
the very fabric of Native American life (Adams, 1995). The history of
American Indian education in this country is replete with examples of
how such deliberate attempts have occurred time and time again, often
with federal education policy leading the way, in undermining the very
foundation of what should have been for Native people, the rightful
education of their children as members of unique and sovereign nations
(Hinton, 2001). Convening today's hearing in the context of what
education can do to assist in the maintenance and survival of Native
languages is therefore especially significant, considering this past
history.
The second reason this hearing is significant is because I believe
that at no time in the history of this nation has the possibility
existed as it does now, for Congress to support a conscious movement
among Native American people to define for themselves a vision of
education for their children, reflecting what is of most concern to
them. The inclusion of language as an integral part of the daily
education that Indian children could and should receive and the
potential benefits that children derive from these experiences when
provided such opportunities is a part of the vision that Native people
have for their children (Blum Martinez, 2000; Sims, 2001). Native
tribal communities want the best for their children. They want their
children to do well academically and they want to see them develop as
confident learners both in mainstream society as well as in their own
tribal communities. The need for preparing future leaders of these
communities, as well, rests in the kind of educational programs that
support Indian students as they come to appreciate and understand the
value and application of their ancestral languages to their daily lives
as well as in the life of the communities from which they come.
Unfortunately this vision for education has never been fully realized
in the history of this nation as federal legislation has often tended
to drive practice and policy away from the concerns of Native people
regarding the maintenance of language and culture.
Within the last several decades as the growing phenomenon of
language shift towards English has evolved in many Native communities
this concern for language survival has driven many tribes to consider
establishing native language initiatives in schools. Here in New
Mexico, there are a number of tribal communities who have established
community-based language efforts that work in conjunction with local
schools to provide language immersion classes for their students. The
intent of these initiatives has been to provide children the
opportunity to learn their tribal heritage languages alongside their
regular academic studies. Other communities have established entire
schools that teach all school subject matter in the native language.
Regardless of how different tribal communities have chosen to address
the need for language instruction the bottom line for these communities
has been the need for re-strengthening and revitalizing Native
languages as spoken living languages.
The significance of these developments, therefore, is that they
have set in motion a whole new set of precedents concerning the
treatment of Native languages in schools. Consider that states like New
Mexico, for example, have in place statutory laws that not only support
the establishment of heritage language programs as a new category of
state funded bilingual programs but have also acquiesced to tribes the
development of their own processes for certifying tribal members as
language instructors in the public schools. The development of local
MOUs between local New Mexico school districts and tribes has begun to
open the doors for Native communities in the development of their own
programs for Native language instruction in public schools. Lastly, as
educational institutions such as the University of New Mexico's
Institute for American Indian Education have responded to tribal
leaders' calls for the inclusion of Native language in the education of
New Mexico's Native children, new multi-agency collaborations have
begun to emerge that support this vision. This includes the University
of New Mexico's College of Education working in conjunction with state
level agencies such as the New Mexico Public Education Department and
the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. In summary, it follows
that as these examples of new collaboration at the local and state
level emerge, there should also follow a similar movement within
federal education policy that fully supports the intent of the original
Native American Languages Act of 1990, by making available the funding
necessary for such initiatives. As well, the need for Native language
teacher training should also be considered an integral part of
sustaining successful efforts in language maintenance. Tribal language
communities who do not have the infrastructure nor the resources to
provide these services to their own members can be assisted by having
access to these services through a language teacher training center as
originally proposed by this witness in hearings conducted on this same
topic in 2003 to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
The skepticism I alluded to earlier lies in the fact that tribal
concerns about the education of Native children may not always be
appreciated in light of current federal education policy that drives
mainstream educational practice. This is especially apparent when
tribal priorities in education are inclusive of native language
instruction but where mainstream education policy does not follow or
omits any direct support for such initiatives. Support for language
nests, school based and community based language immersion programs
therefore also need to be considered in light of tribal priorities and
how current federal education policy will need to change in order to
fully support these efforts.
Part III. The Significance of Native Language Immersion Programs
For indigenous people across this nation, the issue of language
survival is inextricably linked to cultural survival. Language is at
the heart of our sociocultural systems of kinship and identity.
Language is at the heart of our systems of jurisprudence and governance
as is still carried on in many tribal communities such as the Pueblos
of New Mexico. It is the means by which our children are socialized
into the life of the community and our unique tribal ways of life. It
is the link by which values and beliefs are handed down between and
through successive generations. For many tribal communities such as the
Pueblo tribes of New Mexico oral based foundations in the respective
native languages, are also the primary and sole means for transmitting
traditional knowledge, native religious beliefs and practices. These
aspects of language use all combine to form the essence of what has
been the foundation for educating Native children to take their place
in our respective communities.
With the introduction of mainstream American forms of education in
the lives of Native children at the turn of the 20th century, however,
much of the elements of Native education began to rapidly erode (Adams,
1988). The legacy of federal education systems and policies carried out
in the early decades of the 20th century were especially detrimental to
Native tribes, often exacerbating the already painful experiences of
forced removal from traditional lands in many cases. The continuing
legacy of such circumstances continue to haunt us today, when we view
the problems and issues that are often associated with the low academic
performance of Native children, including high drop out rates, high
rates of youth suicides, and low academic test scores. There is much
that will be said here today concerning the efficacy of educational
initiatives that provide funding support for Native language
initiatives. My remarks about the benefits to native students when they
are provided the opportunity to learn their heritage language in an
immersion setting are provided in the following section.
Part IV. The Benefits of Language Immersion Programs
Much of what we know as successful models of native language
instruction are based on models of language immersion approaches first
introduced by the Maori and Hawaiian language initiatives. These models
have been successful in revitalizing these languages especially among
school age and pre-school populations where students have had the
opportunity to hear the spoken language used in the normal everyday
contexts of the classroom by their teachers and their peers. These
models have also been the basis for several community-based initiatives
here in New Mexico.
The Pueblo of Cochiti, for example, is a Keres speaking community
in which a day care center was established in 2002 for toddlers and
infants. It is a small day care center that provides a place for
working parents to leave their children with fluent Keres speaking
caregivers. In this way, young children who are at the critical stages
of language development receive the full benefit of hearing the native
Keres language spoken to them as they eat, play, nap, and engage in the
normal everyday contexts of spending time in the care of Keres
speakers. Once these children enter Head Start, it is very apparent
when they participate in the community's summer immersion camps that
they are a step ahead of their peers who have not had exposure to the
Keres language. Their comprehension and receptive abilities in the
native language are readily apparent in their response to questions and
directions given by adult language speakers.
As these children matriculate to succeeding grades, they are given
the opportunity to continue learning their language through daily
immersion classes at the local elementary public school. For those
groups of Cochiti children who have had successive years of
participation in language immersion summer programs over the last 6 to
8 years as well as daily immersion classes at school the gains that
they have made in learning the native language have been especially
promising. These children are now at the stage where they are able to
speak in the language and are able to use it as a means for
communicating with peers, family members and their teachers.
Furthermore, they exhibit a confidence in learning that extends beyond
the immersion classes and into other areas of their schooling where
many of them excel in various academic subjects.
A similar model for an immersion class for Acoma Pueblo high school
students was also recently begun in 2001. This initiative was developed
as an extension of community-based efforts in the local Acoma community
to provide language instruction in an immersion setting. Students
receive high school credit for taking this elective which is provided
through daily classes. Some of these students have also had the benefit
of attending the Pueblo's summer immersion programs over the past six
years. Many of them have also begun to use the native Keres language on
their own. Some students have often noted how this learning opportunity
has afforded them the confidence and the language skills that are
necessary for participation in the community's traditional practices.
This year was also the first time one of the Keres language students
was able to deliver her high school valedictorian address in both
English and in Keres. A recent external evaluation of the high school
program found that many students were especially aware of this critical
tie between language learning and its application to the traditional
life of the community.
Thus, initiatives such as these reflect the nature of what I stated
earlier as being the core and foundation for educating Indian students.
In these contexts the students begin to acquire the ability to use the
skills learned in the native language and apply them in their daily
lives. The ways in which these students interact with their teachers
who are from the community speaks to the high level of respect this
students gain from the using the language in its rightful contexts as a
language of respect. It is also reflected in other aspects of their
academic work leading to successful completion of a high school
education.
While these examples are but a sample of what children can gain
from being instructed in the native language, the emerging results we
see as language and culture are infused in the regular instructional
program for American Indian students points to the important role that
native language instruction can play in the daily lives of pre-school
and school age children in our tribal communities. We therefore want
this Committee to know that we fully support HR4766 proposed by NM
Representative Heather Wilson and we wish to underscore the importance
of providing appropriate levels of funding for language immersion
programs whether they be in schools or in communities. We see as well
the need for demonstration programs housed within an entity such as the
Institute for American Indian Education here at UNM so that technical
assistance in teacher training and program development can be provided
to American Indian communities in the Southwest and across this
country.
references
Adams, David A., (1988). ``Fundamental Considerations: The deep meaning
of Native American schooling, 1880-1900.'' Harvard Educational
Review. Vol. 58. No.1. Pp. 1-28.
Blum Martinez, R. (2000). Languages and tribal sovereignty: whose
language is it anyway? In Theory Into Practice 39, No. 4, 211-
219.
Hinton, L. (2001). Federal language policy and indigenous languages in
the United States. In K. Hale & L. Hinton, (Eds), The Green
Book of Language Revitalization in Practice. San Diego:
Academic Press, 39-48.
Sims, C. (2001). Native language planning: a pilot process in the Acoma
Pueblo community. In K. Hale & L. Hinton, (Eds), The Green Book
of Language Revitalization in Practice. San Diego: Academic
Press, 63-73.
______
Chairman McKeon. We would be happy to accept those. Without
objection, they will be included in the record.
Ms. Sims. Thank you.
Chairman McKeon. Dr. Cornelius.
STATEMENT OF CAROL CORNELIUS, AREA MANAGER, ONEIDA CULTURAL
HERITAGE DEPARTMENT, ONEIDA TRIBE OF INDIANS
Ms. Cornelius. [Introduction spoken in Native American
Language.]
I couldn't do that 10 years ago. I'm learning right with
the kids. I said, ``Greetings to all of the people here.'' In
our language, my name is Ga neka o lu, which means ``a little
bit of water, water is precious.'' I am of the Turtle Clan of
the Oneida Nation, which is a member of the Haudenosaunee. You
would have heard of us as the Iroquois confederacy. I am also
Muhhecanneuw, which is the people by the Hudson River who were
removed to Wisconsin also. The last speaker of that language
died in the 1950's, so I know absolutely what it's like for
part of my heritage--there are no elders to go to. And I am
also a little bit of mom-taught.
I wish--first I wish to extend a thank you to the Committee
for having us here and having this opportunity to testify on
this Act. The Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin is located
near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Green Bay Packers. They need a
little help right now.
Chairman McKeon. A lot of help.
Ms. Cornelius. I stand by them. Our tribal membership is
15,591 with about 6120 living on or near the reservation, our
65,000 acre reservation. Our homelands is what is known today
as New York State. Our homelands are down to 32 acres of land
there. And we were removed to Wisconsin in the 1820's.
History demonstrates we lost most of our speakers due to
Federal policies prohibiting tribal boarding schools and public
schools from allowing our languages to be spoken by the
children attending those schools. Every Oneida family,
including my own, has a story about why we don't speak the
language. When I was a child I asked my grandmother to teach me
and she said, ``The only way you make it in the white man's
world is to speak English,'' and she refused to teach me. It's
taken us a long time to understand that she was doing that to
protect us from all of the hurt that she had been through, and
to be forgiving in that way. It took a lot of time to know
that.
There are heart-rendering stories of how our ancestors were
abused in boarding schools both physically and psychologically
for speaking our language. The Oneida Language Revitalization
Program has determined that we have only five tribal members
who learned Oneida as their first language who are alive yet
today. Two of those are over 95 years old and they have helped
us in the past but they are no longer able to teach us. The
other three remaining elders, and the youngest of those is 86,
comes to work with us anywhere from two to 7 hours a week when
their health permits.
The Oneida Language Revitalization Program has also
determined it will take at least 100 people to speak Oneida to
keep the language alive among our nearly 16,000 members.
Unfortunately, to date there's only one person who has become a
fluent speaker of Oneida as his second language, and he did
that with his grandmother, learning right from her. And now he
is currently teaching our trainees. There are more details of
our program and our tribal government support for our language
in our written comments.
We have people who are still at the beginners stage,
meaning they just know some basic vocabulary and they are
teaching already, what they do know, at the daycare, the Head
Start in our school system. We don't have any teachers for the
students in the public schools and they are asking us for
language and culture teachers. We could impact 2036 children
daily if we had enough language teachers.
While we continue to explore every possible way to keep our
language alive, we have not yet found the key to producing
fluent speakers. However, unlike previous generations,
including mine, our youngest children attending Oneida child
care, the Head Start, Oneida Nation School System, are exposed
to the language everyday as part of their daily life.
Additionally, from 2000 to 2003 the tribe received a grant
from the ANA grant. This provided two more trainees in multi-
media capabilities. Our role is to produce fluent speakers who
teach our language to the rest of the tribal members so once
again you hear our language spoken on a daily basis.
In summary of the bill, I took the chance to look at it,
and I know it's crucial for the survival of native languages.
As our language was taken away by forbidding our children to
speak, the revitalization of our languages needs to begin with
teaching our children again to speak our languages. I applaud
the authors of this legislation for recognizing that we must
begin with the children and the families. I notice the strong
component in there for families' involvement, and that's just
absolutely critical to a survival.
There are several concerns I have with the legislation. Not
major, but some. In Section 108 B No. 4, ``Provide a preference
in enrollment for students and families who are fluent in
native languages.'' Since we do not fit this categories and
many nations will not, this could be restated, if you are
willing to do this, to say ``preference for those families who
are committed to speaking the native language,'' so that way
you are involving the whole family. You know that the parents
will support this when the children go home, and the parents
will be learning also.
In Section 108 B 6, ``ensure that a Native American
language becomes a dominant medium of instruction in the Native
American Language nest not later than 6 years after the date on
which the Native American language nest first received funding
under this title.'' Should not the requirement be that Native
American language is the dominant language from the beginning
of the establishment of the language nest.
We have done some step-by-step immersion types of program,
and we find that people will go flip back into English as soon
as they are out of class so we need to do everything,
everything from the minute you walk in the door, stay in the
language.
Section 110, Demonstration Program B 3, said
``demonstration programs is located in the state in which at
least seven Native American languages are spoken.'' Could this
be a regional consortium several states, if necessary. I don't
know that all states have seven different native languages in
them, so that would be more inclusive.
Without the enactment of this legislation, the prospects
for native languages are dim, as we heard from other panelists.
The grants awarded by ANA are so highly competitive, because
they don't have that much funding, that we have not been able
to receive another grant since 2003.
Additionally, the United Nations Education and Scientific
and Cultural Organization has adopted a series of standards
that will critically endanger the viability for future
generations. This legislation rights the hope with the right
resources we should keep our native languages alive and spoken.
Our language, Oneida language, is critically in danger,
according to New Mexico standards, and we are working as hard
as we can, but we really need the help.
I had a chance at the beginning of August to go to
Cherokee, North Carolina and see the language nest. The
children were--there were 2-year-olds in the room I went in and
they had been in since they were 7 weeks old and everything
said to them those children did exactly what they were told.
They responded that way. They were even teaching 2-year-olds
with flash cards of the Sequoia Sillabary. There was one boy
who knew what it meant. It was beautiful. In the other room
were about 1-year-olds to a year-and-a-half and everything they
did that they told them in the language, they responded. That
just made my heart soar, and passing this legislation will also
do that for all of us.
[Conclusion spoken in Native American Language.]
[The prepared statement of Ms. Cornelius follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Carol Cornelius, Oneida Tribe of Indians of
Wisconsin
She.ku kawantyokwa.
I wish to extend a thank you to the Committee for this opportunity
to testify on Native language.
I would also like to acknowledge two members of our government, the
Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, who could join us today: Melinda Danforth
and Paul Ninham
The Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin is located near Green Bay, WI. Our
tribal membership is 15,591 with 6,120 living on or near our 65,000
acre reservation. Our homelands are in what is known today as New York
State, and we were removed to Wisconsin in the 1820's.
We lost most of our speakers due to historical events such as the
boarding school and public schools. Every Oneida family has a story
that explains why they don't speak Oneida. My grandmother said, ``the
only way you'll make in the White man's world is to speak English.''
And, she refused to teach me. There are heart-rending stories of how
our ancestors were abused, both physically and psychologically, in the
boarding school for speaking our language.
We have only five fluent speakers left who learned Oneida as their
first language. Two of those are over 95 years old and unable to assist
us anymore. Three of those Elders who are over 86 years old, work with
our 8 language trainees for 2-7 hours per week.
We currently have eight language trainees in our Language
Revitalization program for our enrollment of 15,591 people. We need at
least a hundred people speaking Oneida to keep the language alive.
There is only one person who has been able to learn and become
proficient in Oneida as a second language, and he learned from his
grandmother. He is currently teaching our trainees.
The Oneida Language Revitalization Program began in the spring of
1996 when a survey found that only 25-30 Elders were left who learned
to speak Oneida as their first language. A ten year plan was developed
to connect Elders with Oneida Language/Culture Trainees in a semi-
immersion process which would produce speakers and teachers of the
Oneida language. We began with ten Elders and five trainees. Today we
have 3 Elders left and 8 trainees. Our trainees are in language class
from 8:30 am to noon, and from 1pm to 3 pm daily, and then they have 1
1/2 hours study time. They have just completed a two year program in
basic vocabulary. These next two years they are moving into what we
call conversational functionality, meaning they can understand when
spoken to and respond to situational conversation in the language. The
next phase will be the advanced, when the trainees can stay in the
language and respond in a flowing manner, and they will be teaching the
Nation. The Trainees utilize Oneida stories from the Works Progress
Administration (WPA) from the 1930-1940's, and the Bilingual program
(1970's) and are currently documenting the language by recording the
Elders.
We have six people who are still at the beginner speaker stage who
are already teaching basic vocabulary for our Child Care (100
children), Head Start (108), and our school system (350 elementary, and
125 high school students.) These teachers have not been able to attend
classes to advance their speaking ability due to their teaching load.
We don't have any teachers for the students in the public schools
(1,353 students) and these young people have asked for language
teachers for their schools. We just don't have the language speakers/
teachers to meet the needs.
We have tried, and are trying, every possible way to keep our
language alive, but we have not yet found the key to producing fluent
speakers, yet. What has changed in the current generation is that they
are exposed to our language on a limited basis as part of their daily
life if they go to Child Care, Head Start, and our Oneida Nation School
system. The last two or three generations did not have that
opportunity. Our goal is to produce fluent speakers who can teach our
language to the rest of our tribal members so that we hear the language
spoken on a daily basis.
We have the support of our government as evidenced in four
resolutions since 1994 which declare Oneida as the official language of
our Nation, and support all efforts to regain our spoken language. We
have an Oneida language Charter Team which works on short,
intermediate, and long range planning. Language nests and survival
schools have always been part of our goals.
Our long range plans include: 1) Official recognition of our elders
as National Treasures--completed in 2003, 2 ) Developing and
implementing Oneida Nation Language Teacher Certification based on
competencies in speaking, teaching, curriculum, linguistics, and
teaching materials development, 3) Developing a career path for our
youth to become fluent speakers and teachers, 4) Planning for summer
immersion family language experience, 5) a radio station in the
language, and 6) hearing Oneida language spoken throughout our Nation.
As Oneida people, it is our responsibility to carry the Oneida language
to the present and future generations.
The Oneida Language Revitalization Program has a WEB site that has
the history of the program, a page dedicated to the staff, and on-line
language lessons.
This legislation HR 4766 is crucial for the survival of Native
languages which are critically endangered by UNESCO standards. Just as
our language was taken away by forbidding our children to speak, so
should the revitalization of our languages begin with our children
being in language nests. I applaud the authors of this legislation for
recognizing that we must begin with the children and their families.
There are several areas of concern in the legislation.
Sec 108, b # 4 ``Provide a preference in enrollment for students
and families who are fluent in a Native American language.'' Since we
do not fit this category, and many Nations will not, this could be
restated to: Preference for those families who are committed to
speaking their Native language.
Section 108, b, 6 ``ensure that a Native American language becomes
the dominant medium of instruction in the Native American language nest
not later than 6 years after the date on which the Native American
language nest first received funding under this title.'' Should not the
requirement be that the Native American language is the dominant
language from the beginning of the establishment of the language nest?
Sec. 110 Demonstration Program b, 3 ``is located in a State in
which at least 7 Native American languages are spoken'' Could this be a
regional consortium of several States if necessary?
We had an ANA grant from 2000-2003 which provided two more trainees
and multi-media capabilities. However, because ANA has limited
resources its grants are so highly competitive we have not been able to
receive approval of a grant since 2003. This legislation provides the
hope that with the right resources we could keep our Native languages
alive.
Yawko, Dane.ho.
______
Chairman McKeon. Thank you. Mr. Montoya.
STATEMENT OF SAM MONTOYA, LANGUAGE & CULTURAL RESOURCES,
ADMINISTRATOR, PUEBLO OF SANDIA
Mr. Montoya. [Introduction spoken in Native American
language.]
In my language that means, ``How are you this afternoon''?
My name is Sam Montoya. I am from Sandia Pueblo where I serve
as the Tribe's Language and Cultural Resource Administrator. I
work with other tribal members to support policies and
procedures that will encourage the preservation of our language
and culture at Sandia.
Chairman McKeon, Vice Chairman Petri, Representative Wilson
and Representative Udall, I thank you for the opportunity to
discuss native language programs in New Mexico. I hope this
meeting will be productive step encouraging native language use
in our communities. Thank you for introducing the proposed
legislation.
Today I'm going to discuss briefly the state of languages
at Sandia Pueblo, what we have done so far and suggestions for
ways in which lawmakers here and in Washington can support our
efforts and the efforts of our tribal groups. I grew up
speaking Southern Tiwa at home with my parents and
grandparents. Many other people of my generation went to Indian
school in Albuquerque or Santa Fe but I attended school in
Bernalillo. A lot of Indian-schooled people were punished for
speaking native languages and told that English was the
language of school and work. These people returned home and
wanted to make things easier for their children, started
speaking English more in the home. As a result, I am one of the
youngest speakers of Sandia Tiwa. I am 60 years old.
Even though children in the Pueblo attend schools in
Bernalillo and Albuquerque now, the missing generational link
in terms of language transmission at home has meant that fewer
and fewer people are able to speak our language. Community
members speak English at work, return home, watch programs in
English and listen to music in English words. Our language is
one of the important connections we have to history, our
culture, our land, and our future as Pueblo people.
During the last 20 years people in the community realize
that the language was indeed passed down and have taken steps
to promote language learning. Since starting to work on
language preservation for the tribe, I have been working with
other education staff to expand these efforts. Our approach has
been to try to create as many different kinds of learning tools
as possible while ensuring that the Sandia Tiwa language
remains in the community.
So far we have developed an alphabet enabling us to write
the language, finished the first draft of the Tiwa/English
Dictionary, completed a 15-lesson dialog-based adult
curriculum, developed materials for use in the Head Start
classrooms and started a Master-Apprentice Program. In
addition, we have just received word that money has been made
available for tribal members from Sandia to teach the language
to committee members attending Bernalillo County public
schools.
We are especially excited about the Master-Apprentice
program at Sandia. Because we have few speakers, it is
difficult to create situations where total immersion can take
place, situations where a large group of people are speaking
nothing but Tiwa in order to teach the language in the way it
was traditionally passed down--orally. The Master-Apprentice
program pairs the speaker or a master with a language learner
or apprentice for sessions where instruction in the language
can take place anywhere--at home, walking around in the Pueblo,
at the store. While these individual immersion sessions can
take place outside of the classroom environment, which is the
ideal learning situation, we still support making other written
tools for learners to use. After the learner has worked with
the teacher, written materials can help supplement language
skills or can be used during times that the teacher is not
available. It is our belief that because there are so many
different types of learners, it is up to us to provide as many
different materials as possible, some written, some oral, to
support learners and encourage them to speak Tiwa whenever they
can.
Although writing is controversial in Pueblo communities,
and many others, we are committed to implementing the change
while preserving our right to control the written materials
created for language instruction.
The benefits of encouraging indigenous language use in our
community are numerous. For instance, many of the children at
Sandia have recently been learning to use traditional greetings
for adults, Nana and Tata. These titles indicate respect in the
presence of family structure that extends beyond the nuclear
model with all adults responsible for guiding children in the
Pueblo and all children recognizing older people as respected
elders. Similarly, people are using the Tiwa names for native
plants used for medicinal purposes. As you can see from these
examples, not everything about our culture that our language
captures can be simply translated into English.
Another benefit in our community we have seen as a result
of expanding our language program is language use is now
something that people discuss, even individuals who are not
currently active as teachers or learners. For example, people
often avoided talking about the history of forced assimilation
in boarding schools I mentioned earlier because of feelings of
shame and regret associated with the experience there and the
resulting language loss. After educating ourselves about
language loss and revitalization and realizing we are one of
the communities facing such issues, community members at Sandia
are more likely to participate in language programs and talk
about what should be done.
Finally, we believe that growing up in a bilingual
community is a asset, not a liability. As psychologists and
linguists have found, children who are able to communicate in
two or more languages have an easier time learning additional
languages and new skills. We would like to offer all the
advantages of language learning, both specifically and
generally, to our children.
In order to continue the expansion of the Sandia Tiwa
language program and realize these benefits, I welcome the
chance to make several suggestions regarding what can be done
at the national level to support our community-based efforts of
other tribal groups. For the last 4 years, we have been working
with a linguist who helped us to develop our alphabet and other
materials. She was fortunate enough to be the recipient of the
National Science Foundation/National Endowment for the
Humanities Documenting Endangered Languages Fellowship last
year, which allowed her to devote her time to working with
myself and other education staff on the language program and to
train tribal members on using the alphabet and developing Tiwa
materials. We strongly recommend increasing funding for this
program and others like it so those that can offer technical
support to tribes can apply for funding as well as tribal
members could be compensated for the time spent participating
in activities such as the Master-Apprentice program, or working
on new language materials for the community.
I would like to stress all the materials documented as part
of this grant are being archived at the Pueblo library. The
absolute necessity of recognizing the native people should
decide who has access to language materials, and how to
approach language revitalization in the individual communities
must be part of the new program funding as well.
As I mentioned before, we have recently received word that
there is an opportunity for Sandia Pueblo to choose a community
member to teach Tiwa language in the Bernalillo County Schools.
This is an important step for the State of New Mexico. We would
also like to see, as part of this program, more instructional
support to help such programs get off the ground. As many of
you in this room who are from communities who have already
participated in the program know, people who are fluent
speakers do not always have classroom experience and have to
develop all their own teaching materials. Providing training on
curricular design, second language learning and teaching should
be a part of this program which would allow new teachers to be
supported during the first year of instruction.
Again, increasing funding opportunities for tribes
participating in the process would be helpful. In terms of more
intangible ways that we feel our elected representatives can
support community efforts to promote indigenous language use,
we urge you to withhold support for so-called ``English Only''
legislation which aims to establish English as the official
language of the United States, and support bilingual education
in general.
Although Native peoples are part of the individual
sovereign nations, we also have a stake in the national
language debate as decisions made about policies affect the
schools we attend and our participation in the state and
national programs.
Trying to establish English as the only official language
in this country erases our hard-earned claims to sovereignty
and sends a message to our children that our languages are not
as valued or as important as English. This runs counter to all
of our efforts as indigenous people to reverse language loss
and take control of the language policy in our communities.
Thank you all so much for inviting me to talk a little bit
about language at Sandia Pueblo, and I look forward to working
with all of you to in New Mexico. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Montoya follows:]
Prepared Statement of Sam Montoya, Language and Cultural Resource
Administrator, Pueblo of Sandia
Hinu mam kima? In our language this means How is your afternoon
going? My name is Sam Montoya. I am from Sandia Pueblo, where I serve
as the Tribe's Language and Cultural Resource Administrator. I work
with other tribal members to support policies and procedures that will
encourage the preservation of our language and culture at Sandia.
Chairman, McKeon, Vice Chairman Petri, Representative Wilson, and
Representative Udall, I want to thank you for the opportunity to
discuss Native language programs in New Mexico. I hope that this
meeting will be a productive step in encouraging Native language use in
our communities.
Today I am going to discuss briefly the state of language use at
Sandia Pueblo, what we have done so far, and suggestions for ways in
which lawmakers here and in Washington can support our efforts and the
efforts of other tribal groups. I grew up speaking Southern Tiwa at
home with my parents and grandparents. Many other people of my
generation went to Indian School in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, but I
attended school in Bernalillo. While at Indian School, people were
punished for speaking their Native languages, and were told that
English was the language of school and work. These people returned home
and, wanting to make things easier on their kids, started speaking
English more in the home. As a result, I am one of the youngest
speakers of the Sandia Tiwa language.
Even though children from the Pueblo attend school in Bernalillo or
Albuquerque now, this missing generational link in terms of language
transmission at home has meant that fewer and fewer people are able to
speak our language. Community members speak English at work and return
home and watch programs in English and listen to music with English
words. Our language is one of the most important connections we have to
our history, our culture, our lands, and to our future as Pueblo
people.
During the last twenty years, people in the community realized that
the language wasn't being passed down, and have taken steps to promote
language learning. Since starting to work on language preservation for
the tribe, I have been working with other Education staff to expand
these efforts. Our approach has been to try to create as many different
kinds of language learning tools as possible while ensuring that the
knowledge of the Sandia Tiwa language remains in the community. So far
we have developed an alphabet enabling us to write our language,
finished the first draft of a Tiwa/English Dictionary, completed a
fifteen lesson dialogue-based adult curriculum, developed materials for
use in our Head Start classrooms and started a Master-Apprentice
Program. In addition we have just received word that money has been
made available for a tribal member from Sandia to teach the language to
community members attending Bernalillo Public Schools.
We are especially excited about the new Master-Apprentice program
at Sandia. Because we have so few speakers, it is difficult to create
situations where total immersion can take place--situations where a
large group of people are speaking nothing but Tiwa in order to teach
the language the way it was traditionally passed down--orally. The
Master-Apprentice Program pairs one speaker or ``Master'' with one
language learner or ``Apprentice'' for sessions where instruction in
the language can take place anywhere--at home, walking around the
Pueblo, at the store. While these individual immersion sessions can
take place outside of the classroom environment, which is the ideal
learning situation, we still support making other, written tools for
learners to use. After a learner has worked with their teacher, written
materials can help to supplement language skills, or can be used during
times that a teacher is not available. It is our belief that because
there are so many different types of learners, it is up to us to
provide as many materials as possible--some written, some oral--to
support learners and encourage them to speak Tiwa whenever they can.
Although writing is controversial in Pueblo communities, and many
others, we are committed to implementing this new change while
preserving our right to control the written materials created for
language instruction.
The benefits of encouraging indigenous language use in our
community and others are numerous. For instance, many of the children
at Sandia have recently been learning to use the traditional greetings
for adults: Nana and Tata. These titles indicate respect and the
presence of a family structure that extends beyond the nuclear model,
with all adults responsible for guiding children at the Pueblo and all
children recognizing older people as respected elders. Similarly,
people are learning the Tiwa names for native plants that can be used
for medicinal purposes. As you can see from these examples, not
everything about our culture that our language captures can be simply
translated into English. Another benefit to our community that we have
seen as a result of expanding our language program is that language use
is now something people discuss, even individuals who are not currently
acting as teachers or learners. For example, people often avoided
talking about the history of forced assimilation in boarding schools I
mentioned earlier because of feelings of shame and regret associated
with experiences there and the resulting language loss. After educating
ourselves about language loss and revitalization and realizing that we
are one of many communities facing such issues, community members at
Sandia are much more likely to participate in language programs and
talk about what should be done. Finally, we believe that growing up in
a bilingual community is an asset, not a liability. As psychologists
and linguists have found, children who are able to communicate in two
or more languages have an easier time learning additional languages and
accomplishing new tasks. We would like to offer all the advantages of
language learning, both specific and general, to our children.
In order to continue the expansion of the Sandia Tiwa language
program and realize these benefits, I welcome this chance to make
several suggestions regarding what can be done at the national level to
support our community based efforts and the efforts of other tribal
groups. For the last four years we have been working with a linguist
who has helped in the development of our alphabet and other materials.
She was fortunate enough to be a recipient of the National Science
Foundation/National Endowment of the Humanities Documenting Endangered
Languages Fellowship last year, which allowed her to devote her time to
working with myself and other Education staff on the language program
and to train tribal members on using the alphabet and developing Tiwa
materials. We strongly recommend increasing funding for this program,
and others like it, so that those that can offer technical support for
tribes can apply for funding as well as tribal members who could be
compensated for their time spent participating in activities such as
the Master-Apprentice Program, or working on new language materials for
the community. I would like to stress all materials produced as part of
this NSF/NEH grant are being archived at the Pueblo library. The
absolute necessity of recognizing that Native people should decide who
has access to language materials and how to approach language
revitalization in their individual communities must be part of any
funding program as well.
As I mentioned before, we have recently received word that there is
an opportunity for Sandia Pueblo to choose a community member to teach
the Tiwa language in the Bernalillo Schools. This is an important step
forward for the State of New Mexico. We would also like to see, as part
of this program, more institutional support to help such programs get
off the ground. As many of you in this room who are from communities
who have already participated in this program know, people who are
fluent speakers do not always have classroom experience, and have to
develop all of their own teaching materials. Providing training on
curricula design, second language learning and teaching should be part
of this program, which would allow new teachers to be supported during
the first years of instruction. Again, increasing funding opportunities
for tribes participating in this process would be helpful.
In terms of more intangible ways that we feel our elected
representatives can support community efforts to promote indigenous
language use, we urge you to withhold support of so-called ``English
Only'' legislation, which aims to establish English as the official
language of the United States, and support bilingual education in
general. Although Native peoples are part of individual sovereign
nations, we also have a stake in the national language debate as
decisions made about policy affect the school we attend and our
participation in State and National programs. Trying to establish
English as the only official language of this country erases our hard-
earned claims to sovereignty and sends a message to our children that
our languages are not as valued or important as English. This runs
counter to all of our efforts as indigenous people to reverse language
loss and take control of language policy in our communities.
Thank you all so much for inviting me to talk a little bit about
language at Sandia Pueblo, and I look forward to working with you all
to increase Native language use here in New Mexico.
Haweu.
______
Chairman McKeon. I thank each and every one of you who
attended this hearing today.
STATEMENT OF KIMBERLY J. TABAHA, SENIOR, WINDOW ROCK HIGH
SCHOOL
Ms. Tabaha. Ya'ateeh to each and every one of you who are
attending this hearing today.
[Portion spoken in Native American language.] What that
means in my language is, ``My clan are Red Running Into the
Water People clan.'' My maternal grandfather is Red Bottom
People clan and my paternal grandfather is Water Edge People
clan. I am 17 years old and currently a senior at Window Rock
High School. My parents are George and Imogene Tabaha. I am
second oldest of my siblings. I have one older brother who
recently graduated and three younger brothers. All together, I
have a family of seven. We reside in Coalmine, New Mexico. We
moved closer to my mother's relatives because, as my culture
usually says, the husband would have to move or the wife goes.
First of all, I would like to thank the committee and, of
course, Darrel Begay for the opportunity of a lifetime for me
to share with you my way of expressing my culture. Good
afternoon to the honored guests, dignitaries and the audience
who are present here on this fine afternoon.
I am here sitting in front of you all today to share how my
Dine culture helped me through my life. I started out in a
Navajo immersion program since my kindergarten days. I have
been a part of many cultural events and I still continue today.
My Navajo tradition is important aspect of my life, my
family, my friends and my fellows in the Nation. I joined a
princess pageant during my Middle School year that required
native talent and speeches written in Navajo. I was devastated
to know that not even half of the contestants could speak their
own Native tongue but they all were excellent and that is why I
am here today to strongly support the Navajo immersion classes
to continue that will benefit all the younger generations from
here as long as we have your full support.
My language helped me obtain a title that I well deserved
and am proud of. I was the Miss Tse Ho Tse Middle School
princess and I represented my school well. To be honest, I was
proud to know my knowledge of my language and traditions which
gave me a strong self-esteem to succeed in school. To me and
most of my peers, also some of the adults, say our language
itself has many meanings symbolizing our way of life. My
teachers, Ms. Lydia Fasthorse Begay and Lucy Antone and my
parents agree with what I am representing to you all. Their
support is what I have right now, including many other
supporters. The grievance our grandparents go and still go
through is knowing they couldn't really rely on their grandkids
who don't know nothing of their native tongue.
Yes, we do have Navajo classes located in our schools but
what of the other schools that don't? Not all Dine are learning
their language and it hurts me and our parents, mainly our
grandparents. Some say our language is on the verge of
extinction and my generation has a chance to save our language.
How can we if there's only two or three schools located in the
country who have Navajo classes as one of their subjects? We
need more Navajo language programs provided to us teen-agers
and young children around.
I once saw a movie that said, ``With great power comes
great responsibility'' and I strongly agree. Our weapon to
society is our language and that gives us strength to go on and
pursue our dreams. From experience I know my Navajo tradition
has made me see beyond what I thought and wondered about my
whole life. For example, I plan to attend college and major in
computer science. Being a part of something that means on lot
to more than one person is something I have foreseen a lot in
my younger days but many students don't really have the same
vision as some of us because they don't have the encouragement
very few of us young adults have.
But the future now holds the truth of how our language and
tradition can change the course of the future. I will maintain
and balance my tradition, including my language, along with the
Western way of life, and I leave that up to you all. If you do
consider more schools with Navajo immersion classes, I'm sure
we will have the chance to save our Dine language. Thank you
all for your time and your strong support to keep our Navajo
immersion class going.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Tabaha follows:]
Prepared Statement of Kimberly J. Tabaha, Student of Window Rock High
School
Ya'ateeh, each & every one of you who are attending this Hearing
today. First of all I would like to thank Congressman Mr. Rick Renzi,
Mr. Daryl Begay for this opportunity of a life time to share with you
my way of expressing my Dine Culture. And Good Morning to the honored
guess, distinguish guess, dignitary guess and the audiences who are
present here this fine morning.
(Introduction in Navajo but revised in English)
Hello my name is Kimberly Tabaha. My clans are Red Running into the
water people clan, born for the Towering House clan, My Maternal
Grandfather is Red bottom people clan, My Paternal Grandfather is Water
Edge People Clan. I'm 17 years old and currently a senior at Window
Rock High School. My parents are George and Imogene Tabaha. I am the
second oldest of my siblings. I have one older brother who recently
graduated and three younger brothers. All together I have a family of
seven. We reside in Coalmine, New Mexico, we move closer to my mother
relative because as the culture usually says the Husband would have to
move where his wife goes.
I'm standing here in front of all of you today to share how my Dine
Culture helped me through my life. I started out in Navajo Immersion
Program since my kindergarten days. I've learned many of my Navajo
Traditional value since then. I have been apart of many cultural events
and I still continue today. My Navajo Tradition is an important aspect
of my life, family, friends, and my fellow Dine Nation.
I've joined the Princess Pageant during my Middle School year that
required native talent and speeches written in Navajo. I was devastated
to know that not even half of the contestant couldn't speak there own
native tongue but they all were excellent. And that is why I am here to
strongly support the Navajo immersion classes to continue that will
benefit all the younger generation from here as long as we gat your
full support. My language helped me obtain a title that I well deserved
and most proud of. I was the Miss Tse Ho Tso Middle School Princess,
and I represented my school well. To be honest I was proud to know my
knowledge of my language and tradition.
To me and most of my peers also some adult say our language itself
has many meanings symbolizing our way of life. My teachers Mrs. Lydia
Fasthorse Begay and Mrs. Lucy Antone and my grandparents agree with
what I'm presenting to you all. There support is what I have right now
including many others supporters. The grievance our grandparents go and
still go through is that knowing they couldn't really rely on there
grandkids who don't know nothing of there native tongue. Yes, we do
have Navajo classes located in our schools but what of the other school
that don't? Not all our Dine are learning there language and it hurts
me and our parents, mainly our grandparents. Some say our language is
on the verge of extinction and my generation has a chance on saving our
language. How can we, If there is only two or three school located in
the country who have Navajo classes as one of there subjects. We need
more Navajo language programs provided to teenagers and young children.
I once saw a move that said ``With Great Power comes Great
Responsibility * * *'' and I strongly agree. Our weapon to society is
our language and that gives us strength to go on and pursue our dreams.
From experience I know my Navajo Tradition has made me see beyond what
I have thought and wondered about my whole life. Being apart of
something that means a lot to more than one person is something I have
foreseen in my younger days. But many students don't really have the
same vision as some of us because they don't really have the
encouragement and the classes very few of us young adults have. But the
future now holes the truth of how our language and tradition can change
the course of the future. And I leave that up to you all, and if you do
consider more school with the Navajo immersion classes I'm sure we will
have the chance on saving our dine language.
Thank you for you time and your strong support to keep our Native
Immersion class going.
______
Chairman McKeon. We only have about 20 minutes left, so Ms.
Wilson, would you please lead us out in the questioning.
Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico. Thank you Mr. Chairman. With
your permission, I would like to enter into the record a
resolution of support from All Indian Pueblo Council.
Chairman McKeon. No objection.
[The resolution referred to follows:]
The National Congress of American Indians
Resolution #ABQ-03-026
TITLE: Reaffirmation of Tribal expertise on all issues pertaining to
heritage language and cultural knowledge
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians
of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the
Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for
ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of
our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and
agreements with the United States, and all other rights and
benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and
Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public
toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve
Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health,
safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish
and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was
established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national
organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal
governments; and
WHEREAS, universities and colleges historically have been considered
the education experts for the training of the teachers of our
children;
WHEREAS, the public school system has historically determined the
educational standards for our children;
WHEREAS, Indian people have been led to believe through the practices
of this educational system that these standards are the best
for our children;
WHEREAS, First peoples' languages are falling silent due to both past
and present education and assimilation policies in the United
States;
WHEREAS, our heritage languages are an integral part our cultures and
identities and form the basic medium for the transmission, and
thus survival, of our cultures, literatures, histories,
religions, political institutions, and values;
WHEREAS, languages are the means of communication for the full range of
human experiences and are critical to the survival of cultural
and political integrity of any people;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the NCAI does hereby reaffirm the
inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured
under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States,
and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled
under the laws and Constitution of the United States; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NCAI does hereby reaffirm that sovereign
tribal nations are the sole owners of Native cultural property
rights and sole experts of their heritage languages and
cultural knowledge and shall be consulted in all matters
regarding the conceptualization, development and implementation
of any language/culture initiative, research or program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no language/culture policy will be
conceptualized, developed or implemented without the direct
involvement of sovereign tribal nations; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of
NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent
resolution.
certification
The resolution was adopted at the 60th Annual Session of the
National Congress of American Indians, held at the Albuquerque
Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 21, 2003, with
a quorum present.
Adopted by the General Assembly during 60th Annual Session of the
National Congress of American Indians, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
from November 17-21, 2003.
______
Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Dr.
Cornelius, I have to say any class that can get 2-year-olds to
do what they are told has more going for it than just language.
I want to know what the secret is there. I really have one
question of really the four of you: Dr. Cornelius, Mr. Ryan,
Dr. Sims and Mr. Montoya.
That is, what are the characteristics of language programs
or language recovery programs that make them successful? I know
there are probably some that work better than others. What are
the things that make a good or successful immersion or recovery
program and so how do we make sure that this works? And what
have you seen from your experience? If the four of you would
comment on the question, I would appreciate it.
Mr. Wilson. That's the first time I have seen Chairman
Shije give up a mike. What I believe is important in this bill
is it creates a demonstration project, whatever that may be, to
exactly extrapolate what are those elements that make that
happen. What we have seen through visiting these programs in
schools is what Dr. Cornelius said is complete immersion, for
one thing. That's a critical element of it. It's that when you
walk through those doors and you are around it, you are
completely 100 percent immersed in that particular language of
that tribal community.
We have spent millions of dollars over the years since this
Native American Language Act was passed on programs, on
activities, on camps, on cultural stuff that hasn't created
fluent speakers. What we have seen that actually works to
create fluent speakers and the young people that can complete
academically in mainstream is the complete immersion. The
ownership of the--the panel talked about this as well. It's a
sense of validation, sense of ownership in the school. You talk
to any young people all over. We don't have these big alumni
associations to donate back to their schools because they never
felt that they owned the school in the first place. That's not
happening. There's incredible sense of pride from the students
coming out of them.
Ms. Sims. I think what I would like to add to that is some
key things that we have observed in terms of language immersion
programs that we have here in our own communities, and one
thing that is very key is that you have people who are trained,
who know something about language teaching. That's crucial.
That is why we advocate so strongly and underscore the need for
training native speakers who can teach language.
You must realize for many of our communities this is a
fairly new thing to be actually teaching language. Because up
to a certain period of time in our history, languages were
strong. Now that we have generations who don't learn or know
the languages as their first languages, then you need to have
folks who understand the principles of how languages work. So
training is an important one.
Beyond that, we know that the consistency and the long-term
opportunity that children have to learn language is also very
key. We are not talking about language programs that go from
kindergarten and suddenly stop at Grade Three. We are talking
about the need to develop language and let that language grow
all the way through secondary school and beyond. So that's
another key element.
The other key element I think that we find especially among
our programs is--and I don't know how you quantify this, but
it's an element of the teachers using curriculum, using lessons
that come from the children's communities themselves. That
provides the relevancy of language teaching and it also
provides a way in which children learn the context for how the
languages are used so that ties in the link, the people who
come from the community, who are trained, that link that comes
from using the things that come from the community as the
vehicles for language teaching, those are some of the most
critical elements that we see time and time again.
Ms. Cornelius. We tried for a while--we had a program--our
trainees were still learning but we sent them out to families.
And the rules were that the family had to make the commitment
they would all be there. They would turn off the T.V., turn off
the telephone, the cell phones, everything. Everything was on
hold for that couple hours. And what we found was that you
would start with the family, like the nuclear family, and
pretty soon grandma was coming and uncles and the aunties were
coming and cousins would start. Of course, we would have to
eat, so it was always around suppertime, but we found that to
be one of the better ways to learn the language.
But in time, though, there has to be a way to structure
around, like you are saying, curriculum and units of
accomplishment because all the sudden the kids are in
basketball and baseball so they have other activities, so if we
could do it so the families make this commitment, say 2 months
at suppertime everyday--once a week doesn't work, found that
out--everyday we will do the language, be learning, and after 2
months take a break and start again for a little while, you
know, for a period of time, that that may even help.
But that family commitment, having the whole family
involved in the language makes a tremendous difference. I think
that's the success of the family nest. That was the grandma who
started that with the little ones, and was with them all the
time. So I think that's critically important.
Also keeping the culture, the values. Last week our
trainees went out berry picking. It's that time of year. But
they did it in the language. So it's what you are doing. Then
we have a ceremony that goes with that, so that the values and
the traditions, our beliefs that I must say.--native words--
what our mother earth teaches us is incorporated in everything
we learn. There's a lot of ways and I have totally back-trained
teachers. I think the lessons, too. That's very important.
Mr. Montoya. I think for successful program, it has to be
community. You know, you want to have teachers, you want to
have masters, apprentices, but it has to be something that is
committed to by the whole community. Because the classroom is
wherever you are and you create your own opportunities, and
many times the teacher is looked upon as she is the one that's
going to do it. In actuality, the apprentice has to take half
the responsibility to say, hey, ``Wait a minute, I am just
trying to learn. Be patient.'' They have to learn to say,
``Again''? They have to learn to say, ``Slower,'' so for people
like myself, one of the things that I had to learn was that we
started with vocabulary. We started under the assumption that
there was no embarrassment and no guilt on the part of the
people that didn't know their language.
And many times I noticed that they were so busy trying to
keep away from each other what they didn't know that most of
their effort was toward that and it impaired trying to absorb
the language. So the culture has to be there to bring this
thing together and everybody pulling toward wanting to learn.
Everybody is a master and everybody is an apprentice.
So I think the other consideration that's very important,
you have to spend time. Just because you are a fluent speaker
doesn't mean that you are a teacher or you have the ability.
There has to be curricular design. There has to be patience on
the part of the master. Because I thought that somebody could
say something ten times and the apprentice would be able to
pick it up. Not necessarily so.
In reading other efforts throughout the world, not just in
this area, it's not unreasonable to expect somebody to have to
say something 350 times in order to get it right because they
didn't hear it well enough, they didn't say it. They don't
recognize things like toa which is meat, and doa which is hip.
And they don't recognize the sounds that don't exist in
English. In my language, there's 15 sounds that don't exist in
English.
So in my efforts to teach vocabulary, I ended up having to
back off of vocabulary and teach how to make sounds like cha,
like ta like pa. Kind of silent sounds. So now we have
characters for all of those in our alphabet. We have a 36-
character alphabet. It has almost all of the sounds of English
except C, J, C, X and one more letter. I can't remember what
that is. But we do have 15 sounds that don't exist in English
and if you are a nonspeaker, you have to learn to make those
sounds before you can say a word because you might say a word
and get slapped in the face. So you have to get down to some
very basics and you have to get rid of the shame and get rid of
the guilt and it has to be community.
Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you very much. Mr. Udall.
Mr. Udall of New Mexico. Thank you Mr. Chairman. All of you
on the panel, I think, a very powerful testimony to support
immersion programs, and I think it demonstrated for us how
important native languages are to continuing native traditions.
And we know from language experts, I think, a couple things
that are important here that I want to ask you about.
First of all, when you have a newborn, a newborn knows and
can recognize all the sounds needed for learning any language,
and we also know it's much easier to learn languages at an
early age, and if you learn two languages you are then able to
learn other languages more quickly. So knowing that and looking
at the bills that are before this committee, all of these bills
create Native American immersion programs, which I think we are
all in agreement that these are very important programs.
My question goes to the idea of you have what in the bills
are called language nests which serve children under the age of
seven and their families, and you have language survival
schools serving students in elementary and secondary schools.
Should we be putting our limited dollars toward the earliest
stages or should we be spreading them out from the early ages
on up? I am just wondering if you can comment a little, too, on
the kinds of programs. I mean, I have seen at many of the
Pueblo where they get the grandmas and grandpas into Head Start
and try to get at those very, very early ages.
So what are the mechanisms that we should be utilizing that
you know about to assist in moving language learning along as
quickly as possible at the right age? Thank you. Any panelist
that would like to jump in on that, please.
Ms. Cornelius. What we found is that we are teaching like
just basic vocabulary with the little ones in the child care
and the Head Start, but they learn a little prayer they say
before they eat. It's just beautiful and I have taught the
management people my age with that prayer because we don't want
to be behind these little kids. They are doing so great.
But then after you get through Head Start they have the
choice, they can go to five public schools or to our tribal
school. The majority, about 400 and some go to the tribal
schools, so there's another 1500 going to public schools, and
then they lose it. So that's why I really liked in this bill
that you were going to do the nest and really get them speaking
and put them in survival schools so then keep on learning and
speaking. Otherwise, I have parents come to me and say, ``They
used to be able to say all of that. Now in third grade they
don't know it anymore.'' I said, ``It's in there. It's tucked
away. But they have gotten out of the chance to learn.'' So I
think the emphasis on the little ones and the progression in
the school they are going to is crucial.
Ms. Sims. Limited dollars are always, you know, something
that all of us, I guess, contend with, especially when you have
limited resources in communities. From the example that we have
here in New Mexico of one language nest actually that is the
Pueblo of Cochiti. Many of the resources that we see are
needed, yes, need to be put into programs where we provide
children that very early experience in language development.
When you figure that two and 3-year-olds are just right at the
cusp of all kinds of learning, development potential, it makes
sense that we start with providing funding for those kinds of
programs.
But as well, if we are to realize that these children need
that support and consistency in language learning throughout
their school years, then we have to think about those resources
also spread as well, not just elementary school but also
through high school. I mention that simply because we see so
much of the efforts that have gone into early language nests
like, say, the Pueblo of Cochiti. We see the efforts that some
communities put in organizing summer immersion language
programs which are community-based efforts. Those should also
be available for funding support. We also see the kinds of
efforts that are taking place in the public schools where we
find heritage language programs being implemented. And it's at
that particular stage also, middle school, high school, where
some of these first kinds of things are--children are
developing in terms of their identity where that language
becomes so crucial, and we see that in the high school
immersion classes that we do have in two communities, two or
three communities here in New Mexico, where secondary kids need
that support because it really, I think, provides them the kind
of foundation that prepares them for life-long language
learning, not just in schools but also beyond. So when you ask
where do we spread limited resources, I have to say from the
earliest all the way up to the secondary.
Mr. Shije. Representative Udall and members of the
committee, to answer that question I think my viewpoints are
probably going to be a little different from what you heard. In
my own experience, I believe when a child is born--because
Pueblo themselves here in this region, some of them are--a
majority of them, let's say a majority of them are very
traditional. So when a child is born, that child receives a lot
of attention. Not only from the parents but also from the
grandparents and the close relatives that are nearby.
Where the child starts encountering some problems as far as
the language barrier is not in the early ages but once they
start going to school, because these children at that point in
time are receiving a lot of pressure. They are under some
tremendous pressure from not only the parents or relatives
telling them that, ``You have to learn your language first.''
They are told that and they try to do that to the best of their
ability and a lot of them do succeed. But when they start going
to the school systems, then the school systems is telling them,
``You have to learn English. That is priority over your native
language.'' And then all the sudden they are confused.
They are asking themselves, they are asking their parents,
they are asking, ``what are he we supposed to do? Which
language is more important for us''? And so my thinking is
where the monies start coming in is right at that age where the
students start going to school. That's where the limited funds,
as you call it, should be sent to the school system. From that
point on, I believe the child will learn from, as we did, those
of us who grew up at my age group. We played together, you
know, and we always stuck to each other. I mean, we don't see
that anymore. These young people have cars and they can just
jump in the car and go off someplace else, and be doing
something other than what we grew up doing.
So my thinking is these funds should be immersed into once
a child is entering school, from that point on you need to hire
staff people that can teach these young people the language or
anything having to do with their culture and tradition. That's
what I talked about earlier regarding the Zia Elementary School
where one individual was teaching it. That doesn't do justice
to those kids nor does it do justice to the teacher because she
also has other functions within the school system where she
drives the bus or helps out with some of the other classroom at
the schools. So that would be my answer.
Mr. Montoya. We are making a game of catch-up here. The
community, in terms of its heritage language, is lacking in the
community itself. So in my view, it's very important that it
starts at infancy. But it needs to continue beyond the school
level because our experience has been that children are going
home, beginning to speak and ask questions, ``pass the salt,''
so on at the meal, and the parents don't know what's going on.
So we are trying to build curriculums that are responsive at
all levels.
But it's very important that we start with infancy where
they can recognize the sounds that don't exist in English and
they need the exercise for the tongues to learn how to make
those sounds. They are going to learn English. There's no
problem with that. But they need to learn how to make the
sounds that don't exist in English.
Ms. Tabaha. I have to say I have a little brother who is
now 2 years old and I have been teaching him Navajo for I don't
know how long now, and I agree that it should start from
infancy because, like he said, they need to learn to adjust to
the way it is taught.
So what the teachers have been doing and the principal at
Navajo immersion has been doing is they have a program that is
set from six to eight or six to eighth grade teaching Navajo
immersion only, and another school that is English but it still
has Navajo also as one of their subjects.
So what they are shooting for is a school for Navajo from K
through 12, so students can have a choice of learning our full
language fluently and also English fluently so we can know both
languages at the same time. I think that's the way it should
be, start from infancy, from kindergarten to 12th grade, so you
have both languages.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you very much. Mr. Petri.
Mr. Petri. One quick question. I know we are about at the
end of the allotted time and it's fascinating. The actual
question, I know Dr. Cornelius or Mr. Wilson alluded to it in
your testimony. Of the 300 languages roughly Indian languages
that existed in North America, it's down considerably, are they
in archived? Are they being lost or are they being--even if not
spoken are they being preserved so people can use them and
bring them back as part of their culture or are they lost
forever. Do you know what the situation is? This might be
another area that we should be taking a good look at.
Mr. Wilson. We did a couple surveys. One was funded by the
Administration for Native Americans and we came up with that
number after consulting with other people. When we say 300
primary languages pre contact, that's just the core languages.
It's not including the different dialects of those as well,
which could be over 1,000 different ones. When we did the
survey what we found, we didn't ask how many languages are
still spoken per se. We did find that out. To the best of our
abilities we came up with a little bit over 100 are still used
in tribal communities. But out of that, the scary thing we
found is only 20 of those languages, give or take a few, were
spoken by children. So we looked at the health of the language
isn't how many languages you have, it's at what age groups is
it and the generations and that's what was really frightening
to everybody, this crisis.
When you talk about preservation, we understand that is a
word that you can look at both ways. One is you preserve a
language to revitalize it later, but what we have also seen is
there's huge efforts on preserving recorded languages without
reviving them and creating fluent speakers.
So there's a repository set up here at the American Indian
Art Institute. There's also the Smithsonian Museum has done a
lot with the Library of Congress as well, and there's early
ethnographers that worked on recording that, too, and there's
been a lot of money through ANA that's gone into recording the
language.
But what we have also seen is this doesn't create fluent
speakers. We don't want the languages in a jar on the shelf
like a butterfly that's preserved or whatever. We want them
used and that's what we really want.
Ms. Cornelius. They say native peoples are the most studied
peoples on the face of the earth and we are. Our language has
been--in the 1930's through WK Project they first recorded our
language and linguists created a writing system for it. In the
1970's they took those tons of documents and started to
translate them, so we have them in Oneida, and English
underneath the Oneida, and then the English. They recorded
those. So those were sitting in a box of reel-to-reels and
cassette tapes and it was like fingernails on a chalkboard to
me that I knew they were deteriorating so I reassigned one of
our young folks--not that young, he is about fifty--to archive
these. So what he has done is gotten everything from that
medium and now they are digitalized. I say that word carefully.
I had to learn how to pronounce it.
So we are making those steps but the bigger thing we had to
do next is to put those--not only just preserved but put on a
data base so anybody who wants to learn can go and find it on
the data base. So we are applying for a grant for that, so I go
back to grant writing after we are done with this.
So yes, we are looking at that. Like Mr. Wilson said, all
of those documents and the studies of us, all the linguistic
things have not produced a fluent speaker, so we know those are
a tool, but to me, to be able to find a cassette tape of my
great grandma telling a story, to hear her voice doing that is
just phenomenal. So we are preserving. What we are doing with
the few elders we have left is getting them to tell stories and
recording that. So there are a lot of materials available.
Chairman McKeon. I think that's very important. That was
one of the questions that I was wondering about, too, because
if you got just one person left that can speak, I know you
don't want it in a jar but better having it in a jar than
nowhere and you need to do some intervention there to do that.
Sounds like you are doing that.
We have really come to the end, and I want to thank all of
you. This has been most educational and most inspirational, I
think, to hear your stories and most motivational, I think, to
get us to do something.
You know, in this country it's sad but it seems like we
think that we are only capable of learning and speaking one
language. I remember when I took Spanish in high school. It was
kind of a waste of time because I didn't really learn Spanish.
But in Europe they speak six, seven languages. They don't think
anything of it. For some reason we never have, as a nation,
several nations, have felt or been capable of learning more
than one language. I think that's a deficiency in our
educational process that needs to be looked at.
Let me tell you, just in wrapping up just a little bit,
about my family so you know that this is not something
hopefully that I think that was mentioned, that you look at
this a little skeptical that maybe this is a show that we are
doing that we are not going to do anything after this. I want
you to know my commitment to this.
I have three grandsons that are one-eight Quapaw. They are
struggling now learning English. I don't know if there is a
Quapaw language because their father only learned, only is just
now trying to engage and get back with his Indian heritage.
They went to a pow wow--they live in Utah. They went to a pow
wow down in Oklahoma. My daughter thought boy, these people are
going to be so happy to see me. They didn't care about her.
They were sure glad to see him and involved him in the tribal
leadership. It's just a start for them to get back to that
culture. So I have Indian grandchildren and I am proud of it
and I am happy about it.
When I was serving on my mission here in New Mexico, a lot
of the families that we visited, and as I said, I was working
with Latino people, a lot of the families would not teach their
children Spanish because they said then they will have a accent
and won't be able to get a job. Now it's very important to know
Spanish and English and especially in California where I am
from, and I'm sure it is here in New Mexico and Arizona and
Texas and many other places throughout the country.
It really saddens me to hear what the Nation has done, what
this country has done to your nations with stopping you from
learning the language. I am not concerned about Spanish. I am
not concerned about French. There will be lots of people around
the world speaking those languages. But I am concerned about
losing your languages so I am committed to doing that.
I think there are a lot of ways to learn language. You have
mentioned you have to have somebody that knows teaching, not
just the language, but how to teach the language. There's a
difference. But, you know, I was in China and I saw millions of
little Chinese kids that could speak Chinese. The problem is
that only now the grandparents know, so that generation was
skipped so we need to teach the children the language. I know
that we have through the military, and I know the FBI has
language training schools in Santa Barbara and other places
around the country that are very, very proficient at teaching
languages, so we need to reach out to them and find out some of
those skills. I know our church has a great ability to teach
languages. We have language training centers where we send our
young people and they learn before they go to foreign countries
to speak lots of languages. I know there's skills that they
have to reach out to them to try to get all of those.
This hearing, we very easily could have held this in
Washington. That's where we hold most of our hearings. As you
said, this is a momentous occasion to have this hearing here.
It's at Heather's urging--Ms. Wilson's urging, her leadership,
her work on the issue that we are here, and we will continue to
look at her for continued leadership on this issue. She is not
on the committee. However, I sat on Armed Services Committee
with her for a long time, and I know what a tough proponent she
is when she gets behind something, so I know that I will be
hearing from her very often with this issue. I will be very
supportive of all of that.
So thank you for being here. Thank you for being here. Do
you want the last word?
Mr. Shije. I just want the record to let you know that I'm
going to request testimony submittals from the 19 Pueblo
Governors, too, to be a part of the record so you will be
receiving those also, and also before we leave, because this is
a forum that we are talking about language and cultural values,
as Pueblo people, we started the meeting with the call of the
spirits to give us the strength and wisdom to carry the meeting
through. Now before we close we have to also release those
spirits and send them on their way so they can take those
messages back. So we will ask that you call on Governor Coriz
when the time comes for him to give the closing.
Chairman McKeon. I appreciate that. Thank you very much. We
will hold the record open for you to--seven days? Fourteen days
so you can add any additional comments. I hope that you will
work with us as we go through the process. You gave some
discussions today for changes in the legislation. That's the
process that we work through, and we will continue to work on
that. We have very little time left in the session. I can't
promise we can get it done in this session, but we will do our
best and see what we can do. Sometimes it's better not to hurry
something, make mistakes. Sometimes we would drag things too
long. So we will try to get a balance and get movement on this
issue.
Again, thank you all for being here, and for bearing with
us and listening through this and with your suggestion,
Governor, could we ask you to give us a benediction here and
the hearing will be closed.
Governor Coriz. Thank you. Congress and panelists, we were
discussing how important it is that our child's early language
had begun. One of the things as a traditional Pueblo, I think
the early age where the child is being in the womb of the
mother. That's the earliest part of the thing. I think if we
are going to promote education, it has to begin from a good,
positive, caring loving care that our Native people, that we
need to carry forth at the earliest possible age in the
mother's womb.
When the child is born into this world he has to have love
and care and the child has been loved by the mother when he
comes into this world. Very innocent child born into this
world. Thank you.
[Benediction spoken in Native American language.]
And have a good holiday.
[Whereupon, at 4:40 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
[Additional testimony submitted for the record follow:]
[The prepared statement of Ms. McCollum of Minnesota
follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Betty McCollum, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Minnesota
I regret that I cannot attend today's field hearing--``Recovery and
Preservation of Native American Languages.'' There has long been an
urgent need to recover and preserve Native American languages and to
reaffirm the Federal government's commitment to strengthening Native
American education, and today's hearing is an important step in
reinvigorating the Federal government's partnership with Native people
and communities.
As a nation we must reaffirm our commitment to preserve, to honor,
and to teach the living traditions, cultures, and languages of the
First Americans who have and continue to contribute to the strength of
our nation and communities as teachers, community leaders, business
owners, artists, elected officials, and neighbors.
The National Indian Education Association, which speaks on issues
on behalf of Native Americans, continues to identify the recovery and
preservation of Native languages as one of their highest priorities. I
strongly support their efforts.
As a country, I believe we have a moral obligation to live up to
the commitment of the laws and executive orders that promise the
incorporation of Native culture in education, such as Title VII. The
facts cannot be ignored--decades of federal restrictions on the
instruction and use of Native languages in everyday life led to a
deliberate and regrettable decline in Native languages spoken. As a
country we must commit the resources to recover and preserve Native
languages and to ensure that Native students receive the unique
cultural education, including language, promised to them.
Unfortunately, if we continue down the path we are on--it is
estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will be viable by 2050.
This would be shameful.
Within the state of Minnesota, there are two tribal nations--the
Dakota Nation and the Ojibwe Nation with eleven reservations. Across
these different reservations, language dialects vary. While much more
can be done to strengthen these languages, the Dakota language is doing
fairly well. In fact, there are significant numbers of elders teaching
language to youth-especially in Head Start programs.
But in Minnesota, it is only becoming more difficult to find elders
to teach the Ojibwe language--the fourth most spoken Native language in
North America, which has 10,000 speakers.
Like in other parts of the nation, there are additional, smaller
indigenous languages across the state of Minnesota--but the efforts to
recover and preserve them have been difficult because the populations
are so small.
This cannot be the fate of any more indigenous languages.
While Minnesota has a variety of language resources available at
area colleges, schools and organizations, these learning arenas
continue to need our support more than ever.
In the urban areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul, American Indian
language instruction and learning has been hindered due to the small
and diverse number of tribes and languages represented in their
community-but this should not hinder efforts to foster language
preservation and revitalization. In fact, within the Minneapolis and
St. Paul areas, community language tables are held and it is these
types of efforts that must continue to be fostered and developed. These
are the kinds of efforts that must be supported by the federal
government. And Native Americans are right to request the help of
Congress.
Unfortunately, it appears that despite treaties and laws and
executive orders that call for the preservation and incorporation of
Native language and culture into education-we are living at a time when
Native American languages and culture are being eroded and neglected.
And, despite significant research that indicates Native children do
better in all subjects when taught through the use of Native languages
and culture-Title VII funding and other Indian education resources are
being reduced or inappropriately assigned to Title I functions of the
No Child Left Behind law.
I am concerned about recent policies put forth by this
Administration that have weakened Native education through the
weakening of Title VII--which will negatively affect the preservation
and recovery of Native languages and culture.
Schools and Title VII administrations have felt pressure to focus
Title VII resources-specifically set aside for Native children-on Title
I goals-which have nothing to do with Native culture and language.
Schools should be able to focus Title VII resources on Title VII
goals-this funding should not be siphoned off and diverted to support
the other goals of NCLB--especially at the expense of Native culture
and the children set to inherit it.
Native children are guaranteed the right to not only the highest
quality education-but also a unique and culturally relevant education
that includes Native language instruction.
It is for these reasons that I joined with several of my colleagues
in sending a letter to the Secretary of Education requesting a
clarification of the Department of Education's policy towards Title
VII.
The response I received did not address the concerns I heard from
the Native community--and I will continue to press the Bush
Administration to ensure the unique and high quality educational
opportunities Native children deserve-and have been promised.
I submit for the record both the letter to the Secretary and her
response.
I commend the work of those who refuse to allow Native language and
culture to disappear and who instead work to strengthen and preserve
Native languages-such as the National Indian Education Association.
Your efforts are important and necessary and I look forward to
continued work with you on this critical issue.
______
[The prepared statement of Dr. Gregory follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. George Ann Gregory, Choctaw/Cherokee
I grew up without the benefit of either my mother or my father's
Native languages. Not having those languages breaks me from the past of
my peoples. Language represents reality, so I do not have that reality.
And this is a loss to me. It is a loss to my peoples. It is a loss to
this nation. This country is losing its original languages and being
completely supplanted by the colonial language of English. I would like
to note that there has never been a time in history when
multilingualism was more needed, and the US is losing that ability.
A year ago in May, I returned from New Zealand, where I spent four
months as a Fulbright scholar studying Maori language revitalization.
The Maori have been working on this for about 30 years now. Thirty
years ago, the Maori language was spoken primarily by people over 50
years of age. It was a dying language. Today, there are young Maori
entering graduate school, who started off in the immersion kohanga reo
(language nests) and English is their Second Language: They are able to
function academically in two languages now. As in the US, English is in
little danger of disappearing. It is everywhere.
The revitalization of the Maori language has gone hand-in-hand with
economic and educational development by Maori communities. By that I
mean that regaining their own language has given many Maori the self-
confidence to achieve more in both their own traditions and in the
current technological, economic development of New Zealand itself. It
has improved their citizenship and their contribution to both ways of
life. Additionally, the non-Maori, the Pakeha, have also benefited
because as one group of people advances so do all groups. Many non-
Maori are learning te reo Maori (the language) and embracing it
alongside English.
What could be more American than speaking an American language?
(English, as you know, is the language of the UK and its former
colonies.) US culture is a blend of many contributions by many groups,
but at its core lie the indigenous peoples of the US. This is its
foundation. Certainly better authors and authorities than I have
pointed this out. Our brand of ``democracy'' is truly American: It
comes by way of the Iroquois Confederacy. It strikes me as particularly
unkind and ungrateful not to help the original peoples of this nation,
who have contributed so greatly to its formation (through land cession
is nothing else), maintain their own identities through language. As we
live in a monetary age, this support should come in the form of
increasing grants to Native communities for maintaining and
revitalizing their own languages.
Yakoke and wado (thanks).
______
[The prepared statement of Ms. Wacondo follows:]
Prepared Statement of Elizabeth Wacondo, Librarian, the Laguna Public
Library, Pueblo of Laguna
Many people my age have spoken the language fluently, but as the
years have gone by our younger generation do not speak the language,
because we are going into the modern age. Our young parents do not
speak the language so they can not teach their children.
I believe that it is in the home where we need to teach our
siblings. I myself was taught the language by my grandparents. I was
also taught that while we are at the table eating this is the time when
we need to teach our young children; in order for them to swallow the
words and meanings we are teaching them as well as manners.
I grew up with parents who spoke the language and who taught me
tales, that someday I might teach our young people. The tales that I
was taught were winter tales, because we did not have electricity, no
radios or television. When our school homework was done we would sit on
the floor on sheep pelts, maybe in front of the fire place; if we had
one. And one of the elders' would teach us and tell these tales. I have
had ``Winter Tales'' book published.
I am sure the Laguna Schools have gotten Grants to pay for someone
to teach our young children the language.
I have been the Director and Solo Librarian for Pueblo of Laguna
for 31 years.
______
[The prepared statement of Eddie Tso follows:]
Prepared Statement of Eddie Tso, Program Director, Office of Dine
Culture, Department of Dine Education, the Navajo Nation
Program
The Office of Dine Culture, Language & Community Services
coordinates with teachers, schools and communities within the three
state area of NM, UT and AZ to develop and implement Dine (Navajo)
Culture Standards and Curriculum; Dine (Navajo) Language Standards;
Curriculum guide for Dine (Navajo) Government and History; Dine
(Navajo) Language Assessment Instrument; and Dine (Navajo) language
Certification with New Mexico Department of Public Education and Utah
State Department of Education.
The Navajo Nation on July 22, 2005 enacted the Navajo Sovereignty
in Education Act of 2005, amending Title 10 of the Navajo Nation Code
to establish the Navajo Nation Department of Dine Education to confirm
the commitment of the Navajo Nation to the education of the Navajo
People and provides a vehicle for implementation of specific Navajo
language and culture policies for the schools serving children on the
Navajo Nation.
Proposed Amendments to the Native American Language Act:
1. Native Americans should be recognized as the owner of their
Language. With this ownership, Native Americans should partner towards
the goal of strengthening, revitalizing, or reestablishing a American
language and culture as a living language and culture of daily life.
(Native Americans are not recognized nor involve in these plans and
development. Native government must be eligible to be involved in the
revitalization of language and culture)
2. Applicants shall inform, coordinate and collaborate with Native
Governments, Native Education Committees, Native Boards of Education
and/or Native Department of Education in applying, implementing,
monitoring, reporting, and the sharing of project information, etc.
(Too often, schools will not involved Native organizations on grants or
plans on Native language and culture).
3. Applicants should inform, coordinate and collaborate with other
schools on their application. (Too often, schools receiving these
grants don't want to share information, and best practices; and schools
claim ownership of the materials developed).
4. Applicants who are considered as demonstration programs should
become models for the Native area or reservation by informing and
sharing their plans and successes with schools and Native governments.
(Too often, demonstration program claim ownership on their language and
culture projects and do not involve Native communities and government)
5. Applicants should be required to spend their award funds on
specific Native Language and culture programs, not other school
projects. (Too often, schools may use project funding to accommodate
other needs)
6. Federal and State policies on Native American Education should
be changed to incorporate Native teaching on culture, language,
government and history in school curricula. (No Child Left Behind
advocates English Only and Arizona Proposition 203 is an English Only
proposition, not Native American language, culture, government or
history)
7. Federal and State policies on education should be required that
do not let local School Superintendent dictate their own policies and
plans, leaving out the strengthening, revitalizing, or reestablishing
of Native America language and culture. (Too often, School
Superintendents leave out the teaching of Native language, culture,
government and history)
8. The law should support the funding of the Institute of American
Indian Education on the UMN campus to provide technical assistance to
tribes and pueblos in strengthening, revitalizing, or reestablishing
Native American language and culture. (Tribes and Pueblos need
technical assistance in development of curriculum, policies, research,
etc., as related to language and culture revitalization)
______
[Native American Review article follows:]
Native American Review Article by Jon Reyhner, Ed.D., Professor of
Education, Northern Arizona University*
The National Indian Education Association and National Congress of
American Indians are currently supporting legislation to help revive
tribal languages in immersion programs where in the primary grades
students are taught all day in their tribal language. Their goal is to
stem the rapidly accelerating decline in the number of speakers of
tribal languages, which some conservative commentators see as a good
thing. John J. Miller, author of The Unmaking of Americans: How
Multiculturalism Has Undermined America's Assimilation Ethic, declared
in The Wall Street Journal in 2002 that the increasing pace of language
death is ``a trend that is arguably worth celebrating [because] age-old
obstacles to communication are collapsing'' and primitive societies are
being brought into the modern world.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Note: This article from ``Native American Review'' is adapted from
a presentation on Nurturing Native Languages and Cultures in Schools
the author gave at the National Indian School Board Association's
Summer Institute in Denver in July 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
However, there are a number of reasons why all Americans, even
conservatives, should support Native language revitalization.
Conservatives like Arizona State Representative J.D. Hayworth promote
assimilation into American society, including speaking only English, as
the solution to America's social problems. However, assimilation today
for teenagers, whether it is for recent immigrants or American Indians,
is all too likely to mean a television dominated world that is selfish,
pleasure-seeking, and fattening.
The larger school-based immersion efforts to revitalize indigenous
languages in New Zealand and Hawai'i and smaller efforts in the
Blackfeet, Navajo, Mohawk and other Indian Nations are showing that
language revitalization can help heal the wounds of colonialism and
improve students' behavior and academic success.
There is a need for healing because through most of the history of
the United States the Indian way of life was considered ``savage'' and
something to be replaced by English speaking civilization that would
unite this country. As Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek) notes, ``colonization
teaches us to hate ourselves. We are told that we are nothing until we
adopt the ways of the colonizer, till we become the colonizer.'' But
even then Native people are often not accepted--a brown skin can't be
washed off. For most of history, schooling systematically devalued
being Indian.
In 1869 after the Civil War (America's bloodiest war where both the
North and South spoke English), President Ulysses S. Grant's Indian
Peace Commissioners concluded that language differences led to
misunderstandings and that ``by educating the children of these tribes
in the English language these differences would have disappeared, and
civilization would have followed at once.'' Teacher and Indian agent
Albert H. Kneale in the early twentieth century found that ``the Indian
Bureau, at that time, went on the assumption that any Indian custom
was, per se, objectionable, whereas the customs of whites were the ways
of civilization.'' As was noted on a sign at the entrance of the Ganado
Mission School in the Navajo Nation in the 1950s, ``tradition'' was
seen as ``the enemy of progress.''
Well-meaning ``friends of the Indians'' did not realize the damage
that assimilationist education could inflict on Indian people. In 1975,
Dillon Platero, the first director of the Navajo Division of Education,
described the experience of ``Kee,'' a typical Navajo student: ``Kee
was sent to boarding school as a child where--as was the practice--he
was punished for speaking Navajo. Since he was only allowed to return
home during Christmas and summer, he lost contact with his family. Kee
withdrew from both the White and Navajo worlds as he grew older because
he could not comfortably communicate in either language. He became one
of the many thousand Navajos who were non-lingual--a man without a
language. By the time he was 16, Kee was an alcoholic, uneducated, and
despondent--without identity.'' Students who are not embedded in their
traditional values are only too likely in modern America to pick up a
drug-filled identity of consumerism, consumption, competition,
comparison, and conformity.
A second reason to support Native language immersion is to improve
students' behavior. In 1998 the National Research Council reported that
immigrant youth tend to be healthier than their counterparts from
nonimmigrant families. It found that the longer immigrant youth are in
the U.S., the poorer their overall physical and psychological health.
The more ``Americanized'' they became the more likely they were to
engage in risky behaviors such as substance abuse, unprotected sex, and
delinquency. There is evidence the same is true for Native youth, with
those being less assimilated into the dominant culture doing better in
school and in life.
The positive effects of Native language and culture can be found in
schools that have given strong Native language support. Agnes and Wayne
Holm reported that in the 1970s the all-Navajo Rock Point Community
School Board felt ``that it was the breakdown of a working knowledge of
Navajo kinship that caused much of what they perceived as
inappropriate, un-Navajo, behavior; the way back, they felt was to
teach students that system.'' Their answer was to establish a bilingual
education program with an extensive Navajo Social Studies component
that included the theory of Navajo kinship.
The Rock Point Program was modified and is continued today in the
Window Rock Public School's Navajo Immersion School. Marie Arviso and
Wayne Holm found there that ``More-traditional Navajo expectations of
children were that they would work hard and act responsibly--in
adultlike ways. Anglos [``white'' people] tend to expect children to
act in more childlike ways. * * * More-traditional parents tend to
perceive such [childlike] behavior as self-indulgent and irresponsible.
At worst, children come to exploit the gap between parental and teacher
expectations.'' In the Navajo immersion school students tended to act
more responsibly as that was the behavior that was taught and expected.
A researcher for Arizona State University's Native Educators
Research Project observed at Window Rock that, ``Navajo values are
embedded in the classroom.'' A parent, ``noticed a lot of differences
compared to the other students who aren't in the immersion program.
[The immersion students] seem more disciplined and have a lot more
respect for older [people], well anyone, like teachers. They
communicate better with their grandparents, their uncles. * * * [It]
makes them more mature and more respectful. I see other kids and they
just run around crazy.''
Navajo elder and statesman Jack Jackson noted at the 2004 BIA
Office of Indian Education Programs' third annual Language and Culture
Preservation Conference in Albuquerque how at Dine College they are
``in a search to create our future based on our past.'' Jackson
emphasizes the importance of teaching Navajos their philosophy of
``Ke,'' being a balanced person. This involves examining ``beauty
before me [where am I going?], beauty behind me [where did I come
from?], beauty underneath [my relation to mother earth], beauty above,
and beauty around'' with the outcome of becoming a ``balanced person.''
A third reason to support Native language immersion schools is to
improve students' academic success. Reviews of research on fluent
bilinguals indicate they have some cognitive advantages over
monolinguals and are thus more intelligent (See for example Colin
Baker's Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism,
Multilingual Matters, 2006).
A conflict between a student's home culture and the school culture
can lead to academic problems for students. Mick Fedullo in Light of
the Feather Pathways Through Contemporary Indian America (1992)
illustrates a case of cultural conflict with a quote from an Apache
elder who stated that students' parents had, ``been to school in their
day, and what that usually meant was a bad BIA boarding school. And all
they remember about school is that there were all these Anglos trying
to make them forget they were Apaches; trying to make them turn against
their parents, telling them that Indian ways were evil.'' Instead of
assimilating, ``a lot of those kids came to believe that their teachers
were the evil ones, and so anything that had to do with ``education''
was also evil--like books. Those kids came back to the reservation, got
married, and had their own kids. And now they don't want anything to do
with the white man's education. The only reason they send their kids to
school is because it's the law. But they tell their kids not to take
school seriously. So, to them, printed stuff is white-man stuff.''
Unfortunately, efforts to reduce the cultural divide between
schools and Indian homes is being hurt today by the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 that is driving education today in America. Its
``Reading First'' approach to teaching reading is just one example.
Bruno Bettelheim and Karen Zelan in their book On Learning to Read
write, ``If, rather than concentrating on developing reading skills,
educational efforts from the very beginning were concentrated on
developing the desire to become literate--essentially and inner
attitude to reading--then the final result might be that a much larger
segment of the adult population would be literate. In our present
situation, most adults are able to read but see little purpose in
reading, beyond gaining some specific information in which they are
interested or as a means for killing time through some trite
diversion.''
While it is rightly pointed out by critics of the ``Whole
Language'' approach to teaching reading that this inner attitude'' is
not enough to produce good readers, it is a consideration that teachers
would do well not to forget as they teach reading skills. As Jonathan
Kozel pointed out at the National Indian School Board Association's
2006 Summer Institute, the US Department of Education's ``Reading
First'' program that emphasizes phonics first tends to put reading
comprehension last, and I would add pretty much ignores student
motivation.
Student motivation is critical for their success. Nineteenth
Century missionary Stephen R. Riggs who in 1852 published a Grammar and
Dictionary of the Dakota Language found teaching English ``to be very
difficult and not producing much apparent fruit.'' It was not the
students' lack of ability that prevented them from learning English,
but rather their unwillingness. ``Teaching Dakota was a different
thing. It was their own language.'' Giving Indian students some choices
about what they learn and curricular content that reinforces their
Native identity helps them succeed in school.
As Indian languages are forgotten along with the values that
allowed Indian people to survive for thousands of years, Indian people
lose a critical foundation to build healthy lives around. As Mary
Smith, the last speaker of her Native Eyak language, ``It's sad to be
the last speaker of your language. Please, turn back to your own and
learn your language so you won't be alone like me. Go to the young
people. Let go of the hate in your hearts. Love and respect yourselves
first. Elders please give them courage and they will never be alone.
Help our people to understand their identity. We need to publish
materials for our people. To educate the white people to us and for
indigenous people.''
University of California Professor Leanne Hinton maintains,
``Believing in the language brings the generations together. * * * If
there're any seeds left, there's an opportunity to grow.'' It is not
just the language that gets revitalized in exemplary immersion
programs, it is the values that have given Indian Nations the strength
to survive five centuries of oppression.
______
[The prepared statement of the Washington State Tribal
Leader Congress follows:]
Prepared Statement of the Washington State Tribal Leader Congress on
Education on Recovery and Preservation of Native American Languages
Washington State Tribes reaffirm the sovereignty of Federally
Recognized Tribal Governments in all areas, particularly in the
transmission of native language and culture. Tribal Sovereignty
requires that individual Tribal governments protect and perpetuate
their native languages and cultures in a manner that honors the
integrity of the original teachings. The Tribes acknowledge the
considerable educational expertise, resources, and responsibilities of
the United States Government, State legislatures, and local school
boards in providing a meaningful education for all children. We are
enthusiastic about building co-governance structures with federal,
state, and local jurisdictions; however, the final responsibility for
the education of Tribal members resides with Tribal governments.
In response to HR 4766 (funding for Tribal Immersion Programs), the
Washington State Tribal Leader Congress on Education strongly supports
the allocation of federal dollars to fund the revitalization of Native
Language and the expansion of Native Language Programs. The Federal
Government has treaty and trust responsibilities to fund education for
our children. Allocating Federal dollars for language revitalization
and program expansion honors this responsibility.
At the same time, we do not support mandates placed on the Tribes
by the Federal Government or its agencies that undermine the
sovereignty of Tribal governments in educating their Tribal members.
HR 4766 places such mandates on Tribes by requiring
specific methodology, contact hours, student-parent participation
levels and outcomes, etc. as prerequisites for funding. With these
eligibility requirements, HR 4766 fails to recognize the Tribe's
expertise in transmitting its own language and culture and compromises
the Tribal government's sovereignty in education.
HR 4766 also places the responsibility for the evaluation
of Tribal Immersion Programs with a major US University. In actuality,
the final responsibility for program evaluation and success resides
with the individual Tribal governments.
The Tribes are committed to high quality standards in all education
programs and most emphatically in the transmission of language and
culture. Tribal Governments want high quality standards for funding
requirements, program evaluation, and program implementation, including
such areas as curriculum development, pedagogy, and teacher training
and certification. However, the Tribes themselves determine the
standards that will impact the education of Tribal members.
The goal of the Tribal Leader Congress is to work with federal law
makers and the Department of Education to craft legislation that brings
new funding streams to culture and language education while utilizing
Tribal expertise and respecting Tribal sovereignty. We also look
forward to working together with government and other relevant
organizations, such as research universities, in implementing language
programs, evaluating these programs, and creating the requirements for
federal funding.
The Washington State Tribal Leaders Congress on Education is a
positive model of how Tribes, individually and collectively, can work
with lawmakers, agencies, universities, local school districts, and the
community to build co-governance in education and create language and
culture legislation to benefit all children.
Thank you very much for your leadership in bringing funding to the
revitalization of our sacred languages.
______
[The prepared statement of Dr. Cross-Maple follows:]
Indian Education Division,
New Mexico Public Education Department,
August 31, 2006.
Native Language Initiatives Update
Introduction
The New Mexico State Legislature enacted the Indian Education Act
in 2003. The purpose of the Act is to ensure equitable and culturally
relevant learning environments for Native American students in New
Mexico public schools through the study, development and implementation
of practices that positively affect educational success. The Act, also
sought to develop strategies for ensuring the maintenance of Native
languages through partnerships with tribes for developing tribal
standards and criteria for the certification of Native teachers to
teach Native languages in the public schools.
Maintenance of Native Languages
As part of implementing the Act, the Indian Education Division
(IED) of the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) has:
developed Joint Powers Agreements with tribes and pueblos
to create tribal and pueblo standards and criteria for licensing Native
American language teachers; and
provided funding to tribes and pueblos to develop native
language instruction and materials for their community, using various
language models for development of native language.
Successes
In 2005-2006, the IED secured the first-ever Joint Powers
Agreements (JPAs) with nine New Mexico Indian tribes and pueblos to
assist them in developing tribal standards and criteria for licensing
Native American language teachers, and to implement revitalization and
preservation of native language programs in their communities. The nine
JPAs are with: Jemez Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo, Santa
Clara Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, Zia Pueblo, Mescalero Apache Tribe,
Cochiti Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo.
For 2006-2007, thirteen JPA's are either continuing or in process
with Ohkay Owingeh, Nambe Pueblo, the Navajo Nation, Santa Ana Pueblo,
Santo Domingo Tribe, Jemez Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo,
Santa Clara Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, Mescalero Apache Tribe, Cochiti
Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo.
Currently, 10 Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) are signed between
the NMPED and tribes and pueblos regarding Native American Language
Certification. The ten are with: Jicarilla Apache, Santa Clara, Acoma,
Laguna, Zuni, Navajo Nation, Santo Domingo, Ohkay Owingeh, Mescalero,
and Santa Ana. These tribes have completed or begun the development of
their tribal standards and native language teacher certification
criteria and process. As a result, there are now 69 native language
teachers who are certified by the New Mexico Public Education
Department to teach in the native languages.
Support of HR 4766
The NMPED supports the passage of HR 4766 to provide additional
funds for tribes to support their efforts in maintaining their native
languages. Resources are needed for the development of instructional
materials and language instruction by licensed native teachers both in
schools where their children attend each day and in their own
communities.