Hi everyone!
Thanks for a good first session last Wednesday. Please respond directly to this post as a comment before our next meeting. The prompt is to simply reflect/respond to the two videos we watched at the end of class. Word count 200-300 words.
Here are the links to the vids:
Alcatraz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBjuhFOeitE
UN Indigenous Language: https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/2019-international-year-indigenous-languages
Both videos were extremely interesting to me, and resonated deeply with my cultural ties and beliefs. Growing up in a very traditional Mohawk family, I was always immersed in my culture and language. When I was born, my grandfather Otsi'tsaken:ra (speckled flower), made a promise to himself and to me that he would never speak a word of English to me. He would give me the gift of fluency in our diminishing language, which I will be able to pass down one day. The video about language preservation was extremely moving, and it reminded me a lot about my own home. To hear the elders in the video talk about how nobody speaks to their kids in their native languages anymore was disheartening, and resembled the elders in my hometown Kahnawake. To know that elders are watching their beloved languages come closer and closer to extinction is heartbreaking. My grandfather always said, "iah teionkwehon:we toka' iah teionkwawen:naien": we are not a people if we do not have a language.
ReplyDeleteThe Alcatraz video also impacted me in a sense that we have to fight for our culture and being as native people. If we do not continue to make ourselves known, we will begin the irreversible descent into a colonized, westernized world.
I thought the videos were pretty interesting and said a lot about what people can do together. I really enjoyed the video about preserving culture and to hear there are young kids out there who can fluently speak their language is so amazing. To me, speaking your language is very important and such a powerful thing to have. I was told if you can speak the language (Diné Bizaad), you will never get lost nor ever be alone. Although I am learning as much Diné Bizaad as I can, I do find myself feeling embarrassed and/or frustrated from time to time when I can’t understand an elder back home or when I am having a hard time understanding what is being said during a ceremony. This is why I very much agree with the statement that kids should be taught their language at a very young age because the more they hear it growing up, along with their brains developing, the better they will pick it up and become more fluent in whatever language they’re being taught. I also really enjoyed the Alcatraz video because as I mentioned earlier, it proves how strong we can be together no matter what situation comes up.
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ReplyDeleteOh, this video brought a lot of insight to the indigenous languages. Although I am Navajo, I don' t much about other indigenous languages and how their progress is going. I know our current situation for the Navajo language has been declining of the amount of fluent speakers. This video informs people, other than native/indigenous people, about the situation of languages how there is a generation gap between fluent speakers and non-speakers. But it also brings a misconception of how indigenous languages are disappearing, which is untrue. But the video making the misconception or saying that native languages today are trying to revitalize themselves. Yes, there is few fluent speakers but the number of indigenous individuals wanting to learn their language is unbelievable. I believe it’s more on the resources and support of the community to reteach the language and making it stable.
It kind of reminds me of my own personal struggle with my language. I would consider myself a very advaccne speaker within the Navajo language. But I wouldn’t consider my speaking abilities as fluent, but I am able to hold slow conversations with elders without high vocabulary. And in my personal life, I know many Navajo individuals who want to learn the Navajo language but don’t have the family, culture, education. I was lucky enough to have those privileges around me. It’s more about incorporating this within the community’s lives.
One of the most powerful moments in the Alcatraz video was the solidarity and unity I saw in the group of Native Americans from across the country who all joined together to form one act of resistance. As someone who has lived in California for most of her life, I think it’s a terrible tragedy that our history curricula glosses over the fact that we are all living on land that was taken from someone else. I’ve visited Alcatraz in the past and I was always saddened that the legacy of Al Capone and the notorious penitentiary lives on more prominently in people’s imaginations than this incredible moment in history.
ReplyDeleteAs for the UN declaring this year the year of Indigenous Languages, I was very struck by the woman who explained that her indigenous language was “everything” to her and an intrinsic part of her identity. We communicate with each other through the language of the culture that we are raised in, and in terms of understanding and recognizing diversity the importance of protecting languages cannot be overlooked. Also, the realization that some languages are in danger of being lost is terrifying to me. When no one is left to speak the language, who is left to tell the stories?
The biggest take away from the Alcatraz video was what Native American college students were able to do. It is a very powerful thing to come together to fight for our people. Even though the occupation ended after 19 months, the symbolism lives on. Showing that Native led actions do have the power to change and challenge unjust circumstances that Native people face. I feel like movements like these are pivotal to the advancement of Native folks everywhere. It makes reflect on my involvement with Standing Rock. It is amazing how these movements captivate and inspire young Native people to protect their communities.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Maori video is amazing in the sense of appropriating technology to suit the needs of Indigenous people. I can't imagine if there was a TV station that only talked in Navajo, or TVs shows on Netflix. I really admire how much the Maori culture is present in contemporary things. I wish all Native tribes had the agency and ability to do such things, but that is just not the case for most tribes. Navajo culture and language should have these things, given the amount of culture that still exist, but trauma and opportunity cripple any chance at the development of such things.