Language, a Dying Aspect of Native American Culture

Author: Jay'Mee P.

Source: https://opencuny.org/languagerevitalizationinthe21stcentury/

“Tomorrow is not promised. The Creator can take a fluent speaking elder any day, so I feel it is my duty to step up and save our language. Now is not the time to turn our backs on learning our languages, customs, or culture. If we turn away now, we lose our identity as Natitaytma (Native Americans).” -- EllaMae Looney, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation (learning three Native languages, Walla Walla, Nez Perce and Umatilla)

Language (almost all cultures) is what keeps us together, it keeps us connected. Language (amongst their resources, homes, and who are as people in society) is one of the many issues Native Americans have faced and still plagued with today. Along with nature itself, it is the very identity and culture of individuals that they hold near to them that is a part of them, passed down from generation to generation, it is beyond critical. The studies shown results in the disappearance of the indigenous languages, were staggering to say the least. This is due to many reasons, according to Miller (High Country News) such as “research suggesting a combination of imperialism, economic development and mass urbanization” of these which tend to favor society’s most dominant languages (English, Spanish and French to name a few). With Native American languages, the reasons seem to be due to for the sake of assimilation, the stealing of their culture/identity as a whole whilst eliminating it from history/existence at the same time. Society has a pretty indifferent/obstructed view when it comes to the treatment of Native Americans and their history with the very country the United States is today (and has come to be). Even to downright hatred/contempt of these people, even to go as far as to demean them (referring to them as ‘savages’, thank you Mr. Christopher Columbus), and mock them (emulating their culture with headdresses and accessories, clothing such as costumes, names (such as Pocahontas), looks and using them when it benefits you) but otherwise disrespecting their existence. Language is not one of these things however, in fact is it one of the few things America does not want to utilize (or even acknowledge) is their use of languages amongst their tribes taught from generation to generation. There’re hundreds of them that were utilized for so long pre-European contact (refer to gif of US map). But they were wiped clean (often referred to as Linguicide). This was done to be able to keep who they are and coexist a society who seemingly, did not want them there to begin with (even though they were occupying this land first long before Columbus), but still being marginalized anyway, to prevent the losses of their identities. Now according to the Census Bureau of the United States, “roughly 370,000 Native-language speakers live in the United States, approximately 250,000 of them in the West, Navajo being the healthiest with more than 170,000 speakers” (Miller, HCN, 2015). However most of these languages are on their last legs (such as Northern Paiute (Paviotso) which was once spoken by dozens of tribes from Southern Mexico and Oregon. But today, there are no more than five surviving native speakers of this language. Unfortunately, the efforts to save these languages have been ‘invaluable’, Miller quotes (HCN). This being due to the elderly of these tribes dying, taking a very artform with them, never to be uttered again.

This is was/being done to Native Americans because back then, they were punished for speaking their native tongue, being separated from the other people who spoke English (including the children, who once did speak their language, but learned early on, they couldn’t do this). Ellen E. Lutz (author from Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine) quotes that boarding schools were in fact created that punished Indians for speaking any other language than English, “instilling the fear that if they taught their children their languages, their children would suffer. Even after the boarding schools were closed the fear remained” (Saving America’s Endangered Languages, 2007). It seemed that this fear of not conforming to society’s ‘melting pot’, scared these tribes enough to not want to utter a word again of a language that allowed them freedom of expression, to be who they were and say what they wanted for generations to come. As a result of these scares and tactics, “among the estimated 154 indigenous languages still remaining in the United States, half are spoken by only a handful of elders over 70 and are not being taught to children” (these numbers I can only imagine are lower today in 2019). The upsetting factor is that many tribes have the will and want to revitalize their languages, but urgently lack the resources needed (funding, training, and technical support, etc.). Not to mention the fact that it is a question whether or not they will be acknowledged amongst society in a non-threatening, violent manner? It would make anyone hesitant and wonder if it is worth the risk or trouble.

In fact, The Language Conservancy (TLC) (who is responsible for the GIF provided in my images) points out that “Native American languages have been steadily dying for the last 400 years - with over 200 complete extinctions and counting.” Society will never know what was lost to the world (what ideas, what stories/myths, what concepts) when this form of communications died out.