NIEA - National Indian Education Association

[Okwes]

NIEA - National Indian Education Association
<http://www.niea.org>

National Indian Education Association
110 Maryland Avenue, N.E.
Suite 104
Washington, D.C. 20002
P: [phone] / F: [phone]

July 27, 2006
Broadcast #06-041


United Tribes News
www.uttc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
27 July 2006

Action sought on Native language bills

BISMARCK (UTN) � Members of Congress should take action on
pending legislation that addresses the loss of Native languages
across the country.

That�s the hope of Ryan Wilson (Oglala Lakota), president of
the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), Tex G. Hall,
chairman of the Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara Nation, and David M. Gipp,
president of United Tribes Technical College.

The three leaders believe that tribal languages are in jeopardy
and will not survive without a concerted effort, which includes
help from the Congress.

�Not only are these dying languages sacred to Native people,
they�re part of America�s heritage,� said Wilson on
July 27 at United Tribes Technical College.

As use of tribal languages declines, NIEA�s Language
Revitalization Initiative is the organization�s number one
education priority.

An estimated 500 distinct Native languages were spoken in North
America prior to European contact. Fewer than 100 have survived;
today only 20 different languages are spoken by Native children.

�If we don�t act now, these languages will go away,�
said Hall, who�s Three Affiliate tribal education system in
North Dakota requires native language training in the early
grades. �Our best hope of reviving them is by getting
Congress to pass amendments to the Native American Languages
Act.�

Two bills contain elements that update the act and invigorate the
preservation of indigenous languages. Both call for creation of a
competitive grant program in the Department of Education to
support Native American language immersion programs in Native
communities. The grants would create pilot programs for
�language nests� and �language survival schools.�

�The goal is to provide a strong early foundation in the
languages,� said Wilson. �We know from the few immersion
programs in existence now that youngsters acquire the language
rapidly and retain it later on.�

A 2004 Executive Order signed by President Bush promised
assistance for American Indian students in meeting the academic
standards of the No Child Left Behind Act �in a manner
consistent with tribal traditions, languages and cultures.�
According to the NIEA, their language initiative is an important
step toward refining the act so it works for Native students in a
manner that supports Native culture.

�Saving the language and saving Indian people is what�s
at the heart of this,� said Gipp. �The research is
beginning to show that effectively taught language programs
enhance the overall academic strength of students. And that plays
directly into the goals of No Child Left Behind.�

Hall called on North Dakota U. S. Senator Byron Dorgan to
�champion the cause� for passage of a bill.

A member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Dorgan
co-sponsored Senate Bill 2674, Native American Languages Act
Amendments. The other bill, H.R.4766, Native American Languages
Preservation Act of 2006, was introduced by Representative
Heather Wilson of New Mexico.

Originally passed in 1990, the Native American Languages Act
reversed long-standing government policies of eliminating Native
languages. The act sought to protect and promote the use and
development of Native languages.

Electing to learn a tribal language is just as valuable for
American Indian students as learning a foreign language is for
mainstream students, said Wilson.

For more information please contact Ryan Wilson at (206)
265-3473.