A new rule change implemented this year by the Oklahoma State Department of Education allows the state to grant an annual certification to American Indian language instructors to teach tribal languages in public schools.
The rule change aims to address the shrinking number of people who are fluent speakers in their native languages. The change also allows students to receive graduation credit for taking the courses.
Desa Dawson is director of world language for the Education Department. She says two Sauk language instructors from the Sac and Fox Nation are certified through the new process, and one instructor has applied from the Creek Nation. She says several other instructors were previously approved from tribes including the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Kiowa and Osage.
See: Public Radio Tulsa
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Comments about this article
United States
Local time: 05:11
Russian to English
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I wish I could attend some classes, but they don't teach Native languages here, at least not that I know of anything like that. The classes are mostly meant for the tribe members, I guess.
They are ordinarily called Native American languages. I don't know why they called them American Indian -- this term used to be very improper in the past.
[Edited at 2013-12-28 15:53 GMT]
Germany
Local time: 10:11
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Most North American indigenous languages are in danger of extinction or have already disappeared for one reason only, but I believe that crosses the line of subject matter that can be discussed at ProZ, so I will only refer to the many, many, many posts written by Ojibwa (PhD in Anthropology) at Native American Netroots for anyone interested in history we were not taught at school (in the US): http://nativeamericannetroots.net/ as just one example. There is a growing Native American presence on the internet, so it's much easier to find sources than there used to be. Luckily there are also some strong initiatives to preserve indigenous languages in the US, so there's hope that these remaining endangered languages may not be lost forever. For others it is already too late.
Edited to clarify a point.
[Edited at 2013-12-29 10:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
United States
Local time: 05:11
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call themselves Indian [indin] -- the vowel preceding the n should really be a schwa, but it is impolite if anybody else called them Indian.
I learned some Lacota in my college years, and a little of two or three other languages, but this is about it. Not much. Just basics.
[Edited at 2013-12-29 21:58 GMT]
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