A Deep Dive into Language Revitalization

This project was created by TCC English faculty member Allison Muir for her English 95 (developmental-level English, which no longer exists); she mined the sources and the descriptions of the videos.  I adapted it into a more formal project, as one choice students could make to complete to receive an A in English 101.  They could choose between four different projects for their “deep dive.”  However, I wanted so badly to refer back to some of these sources with my whole class, throughout the quarter, so I moved it to a primary assignment for the course.

It’s amazing how little many of us know about the actual living tribes whose land we occupy. TCC is on the land of the coastal Salish people, the Puyallup Tribe.  230 Native students go to TCC, with a variety of tribal affiliations, but there is not a real sense of community between them (something TCC is working on). This project usually brings their experiences to the surface, and we hear from students who may not have spoken about their Native heritage.

I think this projects gets to a couple of our guiding principles for anti-racist curriculum, including Educate to Humanize, Not Standardize; Power With Rather Than Power Over, and Student Choice and Student Voice.

It meets these CLOs for English 101 at Tacoma Community College:

• Practice critical reading strategies to examine and understand various sources, including academic assignments.
• Practice collection, evaluation, synthesis, application and presentation of research materials from diverse media sources to convey meaning to intended audiences.
• Communicate a critical awareness of the relationship between self-empowerment and literacy

A Deep Dive into Language Revitalization

Did you know that languages can become “extinct”? Linguists (people who study language) refer to languages with no living native speakers as a “dead” or “extinct language.”

A language which has very few native speakers is called an “endangered” language.  Many indigenous communities have endangered languages because there are few speakers of their original language left. Many Native American communities are attempting to save their languages through language revitalization programs.

For this assignment you will first read the essay “Two Languages in Mind, but Just One in the Heart” by Louise Erdrich, an Ojibwe author who discusses her efforts to learn the language of her ancestors.  Then, you will also learn about the Puyallup Tribe’s amazing work to revitalize their native language called Lushootseed.

I’ve given you several sources to use (this is not a research project) to inform a written or oral project. I’ve also given you some “guiding questions” to help you interact with these sources.

What to do:

You’ll develop a project that makes a statement about “language revitalization” using these sources and your own reflection as support. You’ll need to use source material from at least four sources from below.

Your essay should also explore the question “what do people need to know about language revitalization and our local tribe’s efforts to make it happen?”

Your project might take any number of forms:

• Two to three pages of academic writing;
• An audio or video recording of your reflection;
• A creative writing piece;
• A blog post or wiki page;
• A presentation poster;
• What else . . . ? talk to me about your ideas!  Make sure there is at least two robust pages of writing, however it is delivered.

Here are your sources (use the first two, choose two from the other list):

• Source #1 (context):  “Two Languages in Mind, but Just One in the Heart” by Louise Erdrich

• Source #2 (background on the topic): What is Twulshootseed? and About the Program sections of the Puyallup Language Program’s website.

• Source #3 and 4 (specifics/application):  Explore two or three of the videos below, created by the Puyallup Language Program. Choose at least two to reference in your project.

• • Indian boarding schools and Language:  Indian Boarding Schools & Language (Please click on the CC closed caption button on the page, as it may be hard to understand)

From Amber Hayward, Director of the Puyallup Language Program: “I created this video of my grandmother, Rhoda Hayward, this past summer as a part of my teaching unit for the Lushootseed Language Institute at UWT on Indian Boarding Schools on the Puyallup Reservation.”

• • CLS Language in the classroom: Al-Marri 2nd grade class CLS Language In the Classroom – Ms Al-Marri’s 2nd grade 2016-2017

From Amber Hayward: “After approximately 4 years of working with the Tribal school, Chief Leschi, our program staff has been able to get staff and students to use the Lushootseed language in their everyday lives. The children are asking each other “what did you do today?” They respond with where they went, who they saw and what they ate.”

• • How are you feeling? Lushootseed emotions:  How Are You Feeling? – Lushootseed Emotions

From Amber Hayward: “The mission of the Puyallup Language Program is to get our community to speak Lushootseed. We have found that if we use humor, our community learns as they are entertained. We also like to use our own community members, children, tribal school and other iconic locations of our reservation to enhance relatability with our community.”

• •  My Lushootseed Life – Amber Hayward: Bathroom nest:  My Lushootseed Life – Amber Hayward Bathroom Nest.

From Amber Hayward: “The language program requires that teachers establish a “language nest” in our homes to remove English from our vocabulary while we are in these locations.”

• • Raising our children well:  Raising Our Children Well

From Amber Hayward: “Our Children’s Services Department requested that the Language Program create a video on the healthy ways that Indian people raise their children with our traditional teachings.”

• • Introducing Lushootseeds!! The new product to speak Lushootseed instantly! Introducing Lushootseeds!! The new product to speak Lushootseed instantly!

This is one of my favorites! It makes me laugh.  From Amber Hayward: “Learning a new language is tough! So our program found a way to cut out all the hard work and begin speaking Lushootseed immediately!”