Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 6, 2006 17:56:12 GMT -5
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.
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.