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Tewa
Language Restoration Project
Language:
Tewa (Upper Rio Grande Téwa/San Juan Pueblo dialect)
Program
Base: Preschool, elementary and middle school, tribal facility,
and community setting
Goals:
- To
restore use of the language in everyday conversation, especially
among the youth.
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To be able to communicate in the traditional native language at
public and private events, in tribal business, and at other appropriate
times.
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To ensure a strong community identity through knowledge of the
language.
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To increase knowledge of, and participation in, traditional and
cultural activities through increased knowledge of the language.
Brief
Description:
The Ohkay Owingeh Community School uses its media center and
technology to help preserve the Tewa language and integrate the
language into primary grade classroom instruction. K-12 youth at
the San Juan Pueblo helped build the curriculum, developing language
learning applications. Computer programs, illustrated stories written
in Tewa and translated into English, poems, songs, and dances were
all written by students, community members, or a storyteller and
illustrator. The University of Washington in Seattle staff produced
a CD-ROM for multimedia, interactive instruction for individuals
or groups. People of all ages, from preschoolers to elders, are
encouraged to participate in the project. They must be American
Indian but not necessarily from the San Juan Pueblo.
The
credentials of the most qualified teaching personnel have included:
fluency; permission from the tribe; teacher's aide experience; elementary
and secondary education degrees; and bilingual endorsements. School
staff received training from the Summer Institute of Linguistics
in the 1970s and at the American Indian Language Development Institute
in the 1990s. The project lasted from 1972 to 1986 and resumed in
1995.
Materials:
Children's stories, books, maps, photographs, audiotapes, videos,
computer software for Macintosh computers, and an interactive CD-ROM
for PCs.
Support:
The Administration for Native Americans and a private foundation
awarded small grants, and funds now come from the tribe. The project
has flourished with support or assistance from: (1) tribal government
leaders, a tribal language and culture committee, and native speakers,
(2) a linguist at Colorado College, and (3) the University of Washington.
Community donations and volunteers have also helped.
Contact
Information:
Frances Harney, Project Coordinator
Ohkay Owingeh Community School
P. O. Box 1077
San Juan Pueblo, NM 87566
ohkayowingehschool@yahoo.com
(505) 852-2154/ Fax: (505) 852-4305
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