Grotto Foundation Native Language Revitalization Initiative

1. Grotto FoundationNative Language Revitalization Initiative Long history of giving to Native communities since 1964 2001�15 year commitment to Minnesota�s Indigenous languages�Dakota & Ojibwe Research-based�ties to academic achievement, community development Community wisdom Prioritize best practices in language revitalization Immersion Master/Apprentice Teacher Education

2. Native American Language Loss Languages across the world are in crisis Language loss among North American indigenous people is �especially acute� 210 Native American languages are still spoken 135 of these are spoken only by adults, making them moribund 1/3 have fewer than 100 speakers Native American language usage is declining rapidly Dr. Janine Pease, 2003

3. Indigenous Languages are valid world languages Indigenous language loss is a human rights issue�resulting from colonization Contemporary relevance� Technical relevance Scientific Relevance Medicinal Relevance

4. Attributes of Threatened Languages Declining Language Proportionately more older speakers Younger speakers not fluent Number of speakers decreasing over time Population is bilingual; mostly English preferred Language conforms to English Population illiterate in Native language Obsolescent Language Speakers terminate in the adult population Language not taught to children at home Number of speakers declining rapidly Population is bilingual: English always preferred Language is inflexible; no longer adapts No literacy in Native language Joshua Bauman

5. Attributes of Healthy Languages Enduring Language Speakers of all ages: most bilingual Speaking population constant over time English exclusively used in some situations Language adapts to changing culture Little or no Native language literacy Flourishing Language Speakers of all ages; some monolingual Speaking population increases Used in all communicative situations Language adapts to changing culture Increasing Native literacy

6. Voices from Indian Country on Indigenous language loss �The loss of any language comes at enormous cost...The most serious language declines have occurred among Indigenous communities in the Americas, Africa, Australia and Southeast Asia. Because they are Indigenous, there are no language reinforcements available elsewhere, no other motherland, where children can return to hear the heritage language spoken or see it written. For Indigenous people, when a language is lost, it almost certainly cannot be retrieved as a mother tongue.� -Teresa McCarty, Dine Education and Scholar, U of Arizona 1996

7. Voices from Indian Country on Indigenous language loss �Each language is a unique tool for analyzing and synthesizing the world, incorporating the knowledge and values of a speech community�Thus, to lose such a tool is to �forget� a way of constructing reality, to blot out a perspective evolved over many generations.� James Crawford, Linguist 1994

8.  School Aged  American Indian Children Minnesota 55,000+ population 11 tribal communities 50% on/off reservation Similar educational disparities: poor academic achievement and graduation rates Nationally (OIE) Public Schools, majority, 92% Private & Tribal Schools Graduation Rates--decline 64% in 1995 to 50% in 2000 Out of School Youth, 50%+ No Child Left Behind, Federal Law Schools in lowest 25 percentile Conditions of Poverty 15% - 51%.

9. Compelling Reasons for Native American Language Revitalization State of emergency�Languages in crisis Native language learning positively impacts educational achievement among children, youth, adults Language learning strengthens tribal families and communities, communications and relations Tribal language and culture learning positive correlate with tribal college student retention Brings Native worldview to the participants, & world Reconciliation�Counters centuries old injury and subjugation of Native peoples, their cultures and languages

10. Kohanga Reo o Waitara, Te Wharekura, Te Wananga

11. In 1982, the first Language Nests - Kohanga Reo In 2003, 704 Kohanga Reo serving 13,000 Maori Preschool Children Te Wharekura, the Maori K-13 Language Immersion Schools Wharekura pass rate from level 13 is 75% in 2002, compared to 15% twenty-five years ago; 80% 2004. Wananga-Tribal colleges and universities. 15 years ago Maori represented 1% in higher education. Today, Maori represent 16% with a 65% success rate Affirmative Maori Education

12. Revitalization of an Endangered Language

13. Native Language Revitalization An act of self-determination A grassroots movement Restoration of traditional knowledge with contemporary value Restoration of family and social systems Promising effects on academic achievement, cultural identity, and community wellness An act of healing and reconciliation

14. Native Ways of Knowing & Learning Science and math contained in language Botany, astronomy plants,medicines,engineering Oral literature, history Nature�s role models Lessons by analogy Ceremonies & Spirituality Tribal Arts, dances, and music�Songs! Naming traditions Kinship roles Storytelling Sacred & historic places Learning by doing observation, discovery, travel Peer teaching Apprenticeships and Mentoring Grandparents Teachings Intergenerational & Family groups Governance and community relations

15. Grotto Foundation NLRI Vision Intergenerational language fluency. Native language will be heard and spoken throughout Minnesota�s indigenous communities; the language lives through song, conversation, storytelling, prayer, oral and written teachings, and history.

16. NLRI Mission & Outcomes The mission of NLRI is to restore Minnesota�s indigenous languages as living languages within Native families and communities. Two primary outcomes: Language fluency Positive language environments

17. Four approaches are the most critical to a continuum of community-based language revitalization. Immersion Master /Apprentice Teacher Education Policy/Advocacy

21. NLRI Observations

22. Positive shift toward language as a priority within tribal communities Good progress is being made in developing language proficiencies Fluency rates should not be the sole standard for determining success NLRI Grantees are pursuing cutting edge activities within their own tribal communities Native language acquisition has a positive impact on academic achievement & attendance Funding is scarce-requires education & advocacy

23. NLRI Other Lessons Learned Starting points Affirmative Indigenous Education Dreams need practitioners Politically mobilized Language is the essence

24. Implications for Indian Country New paradigms-indigenous pedagogy Effective models-accelerated learning across the life span Many Nations, many languages Nurturing the seeds in tribal community Sustaining the movement

25. An Empowered World View �Wood piercing steel�. �The world is fortunate for our children�. �We want our children to be fiercely Maori�. Barna, Maori Educator