Below are listed only a few of America's languages. Many are now extinct, some moribund. Many still are alive - support them and their people. The numbers next to the name are of children who were forced to learn English and behave "American" - in just one of many such boarding schools, Carlisle Indian School. Our government has not yet apologized for this cultural genocide. The Canadian and Australian governments both have formally apologized earlier this year to their Native citizens. Now it will be Barack Obama's turn when he will become President. It is reassuring to see that his Native connections are being kept constant and growing. Soon, Michelle Obama will become Arrowhead Woman and like her husband an adopted member of the Crow tribe of Montana.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/preview/main/FireIsBorn
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Yeah, you guessed it - I don't like that "ONE language thing", so promoted by the GOP and thinkers like Lou Dobbs. So I can use several languages. Imperfectly, but it serves me well enough. Spanish included. After immigrating to this country and learning enough English to pursue a graduate program, I thought "AHA!" Now I am in the Americas. Time to learn Spanish. It was in 1978, and boy, has that enriched my life!
Most South and North American Indians were traditionally multilingual. There were so many distinct languages here in such close proximity. Now, whenever I learn of some elder person's death, I am very sad, as often it means some of that language has died too. That's why it is so vital to record whatever we can record now. When a language is described, it can be revitalized. In the 19th century the Czech language was taken over by German. Then a group of idealists brought it back to life. They often created new Czech words to eliminate the ever present German terms. And you know what? English was almost extinct in the 11the century, taken over by French. Yet it rebounced, did it not?! With, however, almost 70% of it's vocabulary remaining French. So you see there is hope for disappearing languages, but we must help keeping them alive. Record, learn, teach, speak, use, respect. The Native languages are our national treasure.
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Tally of Carlisle Indian School Student Enrollment by Tribe
CARLISLE INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL (1879-1918) TRIBAL ENROLLMENT TALLY
ABENAKI 5 ALASKAN 130 ALGONQUIN 1 ALLEGHENY 1 APACHE 269 ARAPAHO 116 ARIKARA 26 ASSINIBOINE 56 BANNOCK 16 BLACKFEET 187 CADDO 41 CATAWBA 12 CAYUGA 39 CAYUSE 8 CHECTO 3 CHEHALIS 2 CHELAN 1 CHEROKEE 370 CHEYENNE 249 CHICKASAW 16 CHINOOK 3 CHIPPEWA 998 CHITIMACHA 23 CHOCTAW 82 CLALLAM 15 COAHULLA 1 COLVILLE 23 COMANCHE 58 CONCOW 1 COOS BAY 4 COQUELL 1 COEUR D' ALENE 4 COVELO 1 COWLITZ 1 CREE 1 CREEK 104 CROW 97 DALLES 1 DELAWARE 27 DIGGER 20 EHNEK 1 FILIPINO 1 FLATHEAD 19 GOPAH 2 GROS VENTRE 43 HIAWATHA 5 HOOPA 8 HOPI 18 IOWA 16 IROQUOIS 31 KALISPELL 1 KAW 11 KEECHI 1 KICKAPOO 32 KIOWA 65 KLAMATH 69 KLICKITA 1 KOOTENAI 3 LAPWAI 1 LITTLELAKE 6 LONGHORNE 1 LUMMI 12 MAKAH 2 MANDAN 7 MENOMINEE 141 MIAMI 17 MISSION 75 MODOC 17 MOHAWK 352 MOJAVE 3 MONO 1 MUNSEE 3 NARRAGANSETT 3 NAVAJO 43 NEZ PERCE 126 NOMELAKI 7 NOOKSACK 5
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Old Postcard of Dining Hall and students at dinner at the Carlisle Indian School
OKANAGAN 8 OLAMPOLI 1 OMAHA 124 ONEIDA 502 ONONDAGA 136 OREGON 2 OSAGE 156 OTOE 4 OTTOWA 139 PAIUTE 23 PAMUNKEY 2 PAPAGO 16 PASSAMAQUODY 9 PAWNEE 85 PENDOREILLE 1 PENOBSCOT 44 PEORIA 12 PIMA 71 PITT RIVER 5 POKANOT 12 POMO 6 PONCA 46 PORTO RICAN 66 POTTAWATOMI 71 PUEBLO 352 PUYALLUP 16 QUAPAW 14 SAC AND FOX 70 SAMSEAU 1 SANPOIL 6 SEMINOLE 11 SENECA 628 SERRANO 3 SHAWNEE 75 SHEBITS 3 SHINNECOCK 10 SHOSHONE 102 SILETZ 5 SIOUX 1126 SKAGIT 1 SKOKOMISH 4 SPOKANE 11 SQUAMISH 1 STOCKBRIDGE 68 TEWAN 1 TLINGIT 11 TSIMPSHEAN 2 TUSCARORA 103 UINTAH 2 UKIAH 3 UMATILLA 10 UMPQUA 4 UTE 15 WALLA WALLA 11 WAMPANOAG 11 WASHOE 15 WICHITA 35 WINNEBAGO 164 WISHOSHKAN / WIYOT 3 WYANDOTTE 42 WYLACK 1 YAKIMA 3 YUCKICREEK 1 YUMA 13
UNKNOWN 1,856
TOTAL 10,605
For access to the student names on these lists, please email Barbara Landis.
These lists are not publicly linked out of respect for those nations for whom publicly listing the individual names would dishonor the wishes of a particular Indian community. Thanks in advance, for understanding. -Barb.
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