Our wonderful admin assistant Marilyn shared this amazing resource: the
Our Mother Tongues languages project. Included on the project site is an interactive
language map, the option to hear
languages being spoken by native speakers, and the ability to send multi-lingual
e-Card greetings! From Project Director Anne Makepeace:
So much of what is portrayed in the media about indigenous cultures
focuses on loss and disappearance, but what is really happening in
Indian country today is a vibrant cultural revival. The Wampanoag story
moved me profoundly because it is a story of hope, of possibilities, of a
community that was in many ways devastated by 400 years of contact
taking charge of their history, their identity, and their culture by
reawakening their language.
While the Wampanoag case is unique in that there had not been a
fluent speaker for more than a century, thousands of Native Americans
across the country are working to reclaim, revitalize, and perpetuate
their heritage languages. Dedicated first language speakers and others
are teaching their mother tongues to their communities with a special
focus on the young, so that the deep knowledge embedded in their words
and expressions will be heard and spoken by many generations to come.
Be sure to check out the
Alutiiq materials included on the site.
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