With expanded poetry submissions and a new comic book and cartoon category, the 11^th Annual Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair, or ONAYLF as it’s more commonly known, had its best year to date with 921 registered students.

The fair was held April 1-2 at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman, Oklahoma.

Dr. Mary Linn, associate curator of Native American languages at the museum, has been working on the fair since the beginning and was pleased with the turnout.

“I never dreamed, well I dreamed… I could envision a day when there was so many kids and that they were really using their languages in so many new and creative ways,” she told KGOU Radio. “That’s what I wanted. But at first it was hard to envision that there would be that kind of enthusiasm with the younger kids because it did take a while for people, for younger kids to really feel comfortable.”

And that level of comfort has shown in the categories that are beginning to get more attention. Youth are singing lullabies in Choctaw, performing disco hits in Cherokee, and one group performed “My Girl” in Chickasaw. Read more at Indian Country Today Media Network

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