By Savannah Ortiz '22
Language is the art of communication between a community. Our world has a multitude of languages that millions of people speak daily. It is the first thing you're taught when you are born and will be one of the last things you ever remember. Language is an intricate verbal system that has been weaved into our lives since the start of civilization. It has become a main part of communities’ cultural identities, but when that language slowly dies out, what is left of their identity? Native Ameicans have been facing this issue for centuries now. Among the 115 indigenous languages spoken today, more than half of them are only spoken by elders who are over 70, and the other half is on the verge of extinction. Along with their language, their cultural identities are being forgotten and ultimately wiped out from existence.
The problem faced by these endangered languages is that the elders who do know them are unable to teach it to the new generation due to their aging. And once these elders pass, their knowledge of the language will be gone with them. Additionally, tribes who have tried to revitalize their mother tongues via teaching programs in schools have been met with low government funding and a lack of training or resources to continue spreading the language. And this is not the first time the government has meddled with indigenous languages. Since the beginning of colonization, the colonial rulers and later the government have tried to wipe out the Native American languages. They would force children to attend boarding schools where they were only allowed to speak English, and they shamed the people into believing that speaking their native language was wrong and that they needed to be integrated into white culture.
Today, although there are laws like the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Programs Reauthorization Act, the government continues to provide little to no aid to revive the languages. And many smaller tribes can’t even benefit from the bill before because of the high criteria of enrollment numbers. In addition, the Department of Interior only approves applications to be viewed by the federal government if a tribe has a distinct political system, claimed land, a set of cultural practices, and other requirements. This damages communities, since languages are often used as records for cultural traditions and history. Without their languages, Native American communities will slowly lose part of their identities. They will find great difficulty when looking back on historical records, entertainment or religious records like songs and prayers, tribal ceremonies and customs, and they will lose a significant part of their ability to reconnect with their ancestors, heritage, and identities.
Languages are ever-changing as we move into the future, but we should never let them disappear. They are essential to all parts of life from the past to the present. We must advocate for Native American language programs because they contribute to keeping the cultural identities and the wisdom of the elder generations alive. Communication builds communities. And if their languages are able to be passed on to the next generations, it will help keep their communities united. Their language is an art that should be respected, understood, and remembered. An art that we should not let disappear.
Editor: Cecilia Fiorindo
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