1 Jul 2002 03:53
Preserving Native languages and the Beothuk tragedy
Hunter Gray <hunterbadbear <at> earthlink.net>
2002-07-01 01:53:33 GMT
2002-07-01 01:53:33 GMT
Note by Hunterbear: Posted initially on Redbadbear [and many thanks to Jjinsitu <at> aol.com for posting the initial AP story on Berkeley's good works. It follows my comments.] These are some thoughts of mine: It's good to see the work of Berkeley in preserving Native languages recognized more broadly -- and publicized. There are a few other academic settings in North America where this has been done for a long time -- and some more are moving into this. Very fundamentally, a great many tribal nations themselves -- ranging from the Navajo [about 250,000 people with the Dine' language still in very good shape] to, say, the much much smaller Wabanaki nations in Maine [where some aboriginal languages are now precarious] -- are committing themselves to much consistent and effective work in preserving their respective languages and expanding their usage. Some of these tribal efforts have been underway for some decades -- but there has much intensification and broadening in recent years. Some things are lost forever. A long time ago, there was a nation known as Beothuk -- sometimes called "Red Paint People" because they often painted their faces with red ochre. They lived in Newfoundland and immediate environs, were peaceful, but clashed occasionally with the Micmac [Wabanaki] -- much greater in numbers -- over hunting and fishing territories. Until the Europeans came [primarily French], these fights resulted in very few fatalities and frequently none at all. But the Micmac and the French formed an almost immediate and very enduring alliance around two mutually major dimensions:(Continue reading)
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