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Navajo Nation Language Project
Language:
Diné (Navajo)
Program
Base:
Preschool
or Head Start centers and home-based programs for very young children,
0-5 years old
Goals:
- To
develop competence in Navajo language skills.
- To
build knowledge of Navajo culture.
Brief
Description:
In 1994 the Navajo Nation issued an executive order making Navajo
the language of instruction in Navajo Head Start programs. The Navajo
Nation Head Start office developed a curriculum in Navajo with a
focus on self-esteem and conducted training for about 165 Head Start
centers and home-based programs. The Navajo Nation Language Project
(NNLP) conducted basic research on the use of Navajo by preschool-aged
children and Head Start staff that resulted in workshops and publications.
Less than half of the children entering Head Start speak Navajo,
although more probably hear Navajo spoken around them. Most Head
Start employees are reasonably fluent Navajo speakers. Selected
by the parents from among qualified applicants, they are expected
to be Navajo, and most Navajo adults still speak Navajo. In time,
Navajo language ability may become an explicit requirement. Teachers
are expected to hold bilingual endorsement, passing both oral and
writing tests.
The
Division of Diné Education focuses on very young children,
0-5 years old, who meet the criteria for Head Start. Other programs
around the reservation with language components involve school-aged
children at the elementary, middle, and high school levels or college-aged
students. Some of these programs accept students who are not Navajo
or American Indian. The Office of Diné Culture, Language,
and Community Services developed a curriculum framework in Navajo
culture that is being used by these programs.
Materials:
Instruction is oral, but computer software is used to develop
curriculum and materials. Programs not run by the Division of Diné
Education use audiotapes, books, videos, computer software, and
stories narrated or written by students. Support:
NNLP
was funded by the Administration for Native Americans. Other programs
have received funding from Title VII, the BIA, JOM, the Annenberg
Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. Nonmonetary support came from
tribal government leaders, fluent native speakers, and the prior
work of fluent speakers, linguists, and literacy experts.
Contact
Information:
Wayne Holm, Director
Navajo Nation Language Project
Division of Diné Education
Box 670
Window Rock, AZ 86515
(520)
871-6744 / Fax: (520) 871-7474
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