Learning a language.....

Folks:
There are small clusters of people all over America and Canada attempting to learn their heritage language. Some are learning for the sake of their kids and others just want to know how to speak their language. The point is, something is being done about getting many indigenous languages taught to the people who want to know. We are living in crucial times today and much is being lost, of both languages and culture. With the passing of our elders, we come that much closer to extinction as a people, identified by the languages we speak and the cultural practices we employ in our daily lives.

Here in the USA there are many tribes with tribally sponsored language programs being taught by those who have learned basic skills in language learning, and some are fortunate enough to have heritage fluent speakers helping out with the language programs. We teach language three times a week on a web site featuring the Potawatomi language at www.neaseno.org

There are many tribes with strong Immersion Programs targeting families and especially the youth of their tribes. There is much being done to teach our various indigenous languages so they don't become lost. Get to know your community and find out what is being done to teach your heritage language and where it is being taught. Do something to learn your heritage language so it doesn't become lost.

Iw enajmoyan ngom.....Nin se Neaseno.

In Ottawa, a group of people gather every Saturday morning to learn Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. Most of the students are originally from Nunavut or Nunavik but they were raised in the south and no longer remember their language. Others are connected to varying degrees to the Inuit communities in Canada’s north. Language as Heritage One of the students is a French Canadian woman whose daughter is married to an Inuk. She would like to contribute to the children’s retention of their heritage and culture. She understands well what a language means to culture. Inuktitut, like all native languages, was an oral language until the missionaries arrived. Missionaries in the Western part of the Arctic used the Roman alphabet to transcribe the language. Those missionaries dwelling in the East created a syllabic transcription model to accompany the Roman writing system.