I Live Hopi, I Just Dont Speak It (Dorian, Age 19, Hopi) Hopi/Din - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

“I Live Hopi, I Just Don’t Speak It”

(Dorian, Age 19, Hopi)

Hopi/Diné Language and School

by NAME and NAME

Why Language?

• Both minoring in TESL (Teaching

English a Second Language)

• Native American Languages are

becoming lost.

• Language is a vital part of the Hopi

and Dine culture.

• Everyone we spoke with that did

not speak their native language; wished that they could.

Why Language?

In this country, 165 Native American languages are still spoken. ➢ 74 almost extinct (45%) ➢ 58 with fewer than 1,000 speakers (35%) ➢ 25 with 1,000-10,000 speakers (15%) ➢ 8 with 10,000 + speakers (5%) “If our language dies, if our culture dies, we die as a people to the world…” Darryl Kipp, Blackfeet Reservation Immersion

Co-Director

History of Native American Language

"My grandchild, the whites have many things which we Navajos need. But we cannot get them. It is as though the whites were in a grassy canyon and there they have wagons, plows, and plenty of food. We Navajos are up on a dry

• mesa. We can hear them talking but we cannot

get to them. My grandchild, education is the

• ladder. Tell our people to take it."

Chief Manuelito - Dine

“My children, as you journey throughout life from generation to generation; do not forget your language, your culture, and your way of

• life. That identifies who you are.”

History - Hopi

In 1880, traditional Hopi leader Chief Loololma, from the village of Oraibi traveled to Washington, D.C.Upon his return,Loololma said: “My children, let us not be afraid of the days to come.The pahaana way of life is here to stay and we must accept that. I feel in my heart that we can find a way to survive as a people. I say to you all... learn the white man’s tongue and learn how he thinks. Learn his ways so that we can all survive with it.”

History Continued

• A treaty in 1868 required the U.S. government to provide an education at the rate of one teacher

for every thirty children between the ages of six and sixteen.

• At one time, Indigenous people had a traditional system of education which allowed and provided

the means by which their culture could be passed on, changed and retained.

• The development and reliance on off-reservation boarding schools was a major device where formal

education was effected.

• The objective was the destruction of the indigenous culture by removing the child far from the

harmful influence of home and family.

• Many teachers believed that the future success of their students rested in the degree that they

forgot their native language, culture and history and become “real Americans” who believed in the dominant society and its way of life.

• For today, so much damage has been done that we now must undo.

Navajos as they arrived at the Carlisle Boarding School

Navajos six months later

Observations/Perspective

• Winifred’s boarding school experience
• Hopi language is a fundamental aspect of living

Hopi.

• Sheilah Nicholas “My mother’s words, when you

were a child, you were fully Hopi.”

• Many students said they spoke Navajo, but in

reality, they spoke very little.

• Most people we encountered spoke to us in English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTfVIPLi4dk

Observations/Perspective

Tuba City Jr. High

• limited number of students taking Hopi
• 45 minutes per day
• no homework, or student notes

Bluff Elementary

• Heritage Language Program
• One teacher for all grades
• Dance

Tse Bii’Nitzgai Elementary School

• Heritage Language Program
• Native language present in classroom

Observations/Perspective Continued

Immediate Action

• Respect their individualism,

their culture, their language.

• Educate the masses.
• Donations

The Indigenous Language Institute provides vital language related services to Native communities so that their individual identities, traditional wisdom and values are passed

• n to future generations in their
• riginal languages.

With values instilled through traditional teachings, Hopi tribal leaders today still follow the visions of leaders before them as each has an aspiration to ensure educational opportunities will continue to exist for the Hopi people.

Future Action

• Support
• Immersion Schools on the

Reservations.

• Bring college to the

Reservation.

• Scholarships
• Bring students to college in

groups.

Video about Immersion Schooling

Conclusions

“To choose to use a language is an act of identity or belonging to a particular community.” This unwavering loyalty to their indigenous way of life has sustained many Native Americans for centuries.

Conclusions

Resources

Winifred-Personal Interview Kyle-Personal Interview Allen, J. (2007). Creating Welcoming Schools: A Practical Guide to Home School Partnerships with Diverse Families. Newark: Teachers College Press. Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of freedom: ethics, democracy, and civic courage Critical perspectives Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 Strategies for Communicating and Working with Diverse Families. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.