Post by blackcrowheart on Oct 31, 2006 10:13:06 GMT -5
Gathering celebrates Indian languages
By Tami Althoff
www.oklahoman.net/article/2960499
<http://www.oklahoman.net/article/2960499>
[http://static.newsok.biz/article/2960499/met-nmceleb2_10-24-2006_V519AH\
3.jpg]
Terrence Atkins, 9, of Norman dances Friday at the Intertribal Wordpath
Society’s Celebration of Oklahoma Language and Culture at the
Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Norman. . BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN
For more information on the society, call 447-6103 or go online to
www.ahalenia.com/iws <http://www.ahalenia.com/iws> .
NORMAN â€" Elton Yellowfish is a full-blood Comanche, one of few
who can speak his native language fluently. "There are not very many
of us left," Yellowfish said Friday night at the Cleveland County
Fairgrounds where he was attending the ninth annual Celebration of
Oklahoma Language and Culture. "In this contemporary society, we are the
minority. We get lost in the shuffle." Yellowfish was among several
American Indians who gathered Friday to honor the Indian languages of
Oklahoma. The evening began with gourd dancing to the drum of Ernest
Toppah and friends. Terrence Atkins, 9, of Norman, an Otoe, was in
native dress from head to toe. He hopped from one foot to the next,
dancing along to the beat of the drum with men and women five times his
age. "I look at other people and just learn," he said. "It's fun."
Following the dance, cultural presentations were given in the Pawnee,
Comanche, Cheyenne, Chickasaw and Kiowa languages. Sharing stories were
Dorna Riding In (Pawnee), Beatrice Saupitty (Comanche), Carlin Thompson
(Chickasaw) and LeRoy Sealy (Choctaw). Yellowfish said the
presentations are important because languages retain individuality more
than dance and material culture do. That's why it's so important for
elders to teach the language. "Anything today that's related to
saving and keeping our history, our culture, alive is important to me.
It's important to my niece and to my granddaughter," he said. "If we
don't make the effort to learn, to take part, we'll lose it faster than
we think. We'll lose our identity." Yellowfish said learning their
native language is more important to young people today than it was 20
years ago. "It's the thing to do now," he said. "I hope it
continues. I hope it grows." Events like Friday's encourage parents and
grandparents to pass their heritage to younger generations, he added.
"It's important that the parents know it's their mission. Young people
will not know if their parents don't teach them," he said. "If the
parents don't know, it's never too late to learn. Then, pass it on as
soon as you can before it's too late. We have to foster it, nurture it,
and keep it going." The celebration was sponsored by the Intertribal
Wordpath Society, a private foundation that promotes the teaching,
awareness, status and use of Oklahoma Indian languages.
By Tami Althoff
www.oklahoman.net/article/2960499
<http://www.oklahoman.net/article/2960499>
[http://static.newsok.biz/article/2960499/met-nmceleb2_10-24-2006_V519AH\
3.jpg]
Terrence Atkins, 9, of Norman dances Friday at the Intertribal Wordpath
Society’s Celebration of Oklahoma Language and Culture at the
Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Norman. . BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN
For more information on the society, call 447-6103 or go online to
www.ahalenia.com/iws <http://www.ahalenia.com/iws> .
NORMAN â€" Elton Yellowfish is a full-blood Comanche, one of few
who can speak his native language fluently. "There are not very many
of us left," Yellowfish said Friday night at the Cleveland County
Fairgrounds where he was attending the ninth annual Celebration of
Oklahoma Language and Culture. "In this contemporary society, we are the
minority. We get lost in the shuffle." Yellowfish was among several
American Indians who gathered Friday to honor the Indian languages of
Oklahoma. The evening began with gourd dancing to the drum of Ernest
Toppah and friends. Terrence Atkins, 9, of Norman, an Otoe, was in
native dress from head to toe. He hopped from one foot to the next,
dancing along to the beat of the drum with men and women five times his
age. "I look at other people and just learn," he said. "It's fun."
Following the dance, cultural presentations were given in the Pawnee,
Comanche, Cheyenne, Chickasaw and Kiowa languages. Sharing stories were
Dorna Riding In (Pawnee), Beatrice Saupitty (Comanche), Carlin Thompson
(Chickasaw) and LeRoy Sealy (Choctaw). Yellowfish said the
presentations are important because languages retain individuality more
than dance and material culture do. That's why it's so important for
elders to teach the language. "Anything today that's related to
saving and keeping our history, our culture, alive is important to me.
It's important to my niece and to my granddaughter," he said. "If we
don't make the effort to learn, to take part, we'll lose it faster than
we think. We'll lose our identity." Yellowfish said learning their
native language is more important to young people today than it was 20
years ago. "It's the thing to do now," he said. "I hope it
continues. I hope it grows." Events like Friday's encourage parents and
grandparents to pass their heritage to younger generations, he added.
"It's important that the parents know it's their mission. Young people
will not know if their parents don't teach them," he said. "If the
parents don't know, it's never too late to learn. Then, pass it on as
soon as you can before it's too late. We have to foster it, nurture it,
and keep it going." The celebration was sponsored by the Intertribal
Wordpath Society, a private foundation that promotes the teaching,
awareness, status and use of Oklahoma Indian languages.