The Language This Land Remembers

Summary

The video script narrates a poignant journey of language revitalization, focusing on the Salish language and its speakers. It recounts the cultural disruption caused by colonial policies that forcibly assimilated Native American children, suppressing their language and traditions. Despite this, the script highlights the resilience and efforts of individuals and organizations, like the Salish School in Spokane, dedicated to preserving and teaching the Salish language to future generations. It underscores the importance of language in cultural identity and healing, aiming to create a fluent community and restore a lost heritage.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The speaker discovered a passion for language at their great-uncle's funeral, learning he was a Salish speaker.
• 🔥 A pivotal moment sparked a personal language journey to preserve and continue the Salish language.
• 🏫 Historically, Native American children were forcibly assimilated into Western culture through boarding schools, suppressing their native languages.
• 👶 The Jesuits, upon arrival, found a multilingual society and were more focused on religious conversion than cultural assimilation.
• 📚 Early mission schools sometimes taught in native languages, as evidenced by the first Kalispel language dictionary.
• 🏛️ The boarding schools established by the federal government in 1879 aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society.
• 🌿 Spokane school is a grassroots, urban-based, full-time Native American immersion school focused on revitalizing Salish languages.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The school serves children from age 1 to grade 4, offering a community language program for adults.
• 📈 Bilingual education is shown to enhance cognitive development and school performance.
• 🌱 The ultimate goal of the Salish school is to provide an education from birth through high school in the native language, fostering cultural identity.
• 🌟 Language revitalization efforts are crucial for cultural confidence, healing historical traumas, and preserving the sacredness of native languages.

Q & A

What inspired the speaker to become passionate about language revitalization?

The speaker became passionate about language revitalization after attending her great-uncle's funeral, where she learned that he spoke Salish. This revelation sparked her desire to learn and preserve her ancestral language.

Why was the Salish language significant to the speaker?

The Salish language was significant to the speaker because it was her ancestral language, and she felt a personal connection to her culture and heritage through it. The language represented a lost connection with her past and a way to preserve her culture.

How did Native American boarding schools affect indigenous languages and cultures?

Native American boarding schools, often run by the government or religious institutions, forced children to abandon their native languages and cultures. Students were prohibited from speaking their languages, leading to a significant disruption in cultural transmission.

What role did Jesuit missionaries play in the preservation of indigenous languages?

Jesuit missionaries, although focused on Catholic conversion, were interested in learning indigenous languages to communicate with native communities. They created dictionaries and educational materials in native languages, which helped preserve some aspects of these languages.

What challenges do modern-day Salish speakers face regarding language preservation?

Modern-day Salish speakers face the challenge of a dwindling number of fluent speakers, many of whom are elderly. The Salish language is considered highly endangered, with very few remaining fluent speakers.

What impact did boarding schools have on the identity of Native American children?

Boarding schools caused Native American children to lose their connection to their families, languages, and cultures. When they returned home, many felt disconnected from both their communities and the broader American society, as they didn’t fully belong to either.

What is the mission of the Salish School of Spokane?

The mission of the Salish School of Spokane is to preserve and revitalize the endangered Southern Interior Salish languages. The school provides language immersion programs for children and adults, helping to pass the language on to future generations.

How does bilingualism benefit children at the Salish School of Spokane?

Bilingualism benefits children at the Salish School of Spokane by enhancing their cognitive abilities. Studies show that bilingual children have more dynamic brains and perform better academically and in life because they have a stronger sense of identity and connection to their heritage.

What are the long-term goals of the Salish language revitalization efforts?

The long-term goal of the Salish language revitalization efforts is to create a place where students can learn the language from birth until they graduate high school, ensuring they are fluent and deeply connected to their culture and heritage.

Why is the preservation of indigenous languages like Salish seen as a form of healing?

The preservation of indigenous languages like Salish is seen as a form of healing because it helps indigenous people reconnect with their cultural identities, heal from the historical trauma of forced assimilation, and restore pride in their heritage.