Tribal nations ramp up, reflect on language preservation efforts after American Rescue Plan allocation
Nancy Marie Spears - Gaylord News
Justin Neely, director of language for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, grew up among elders who told him that if the Potawatomi language is lost, so are the Potawatomi people.
Now, the tribal elders who speak those Native American languages are dying from COVID-19 and COVID-complications at much higher rates than white populations.
Neely compared the death of a speaker to a library burning down. He said there are seven unique tribes of Potawatomi in the United States, and among all Potawatomi there were fewer than 10 first-language speakers left going into the pandemic. Due to COVID-19, some of those might have died in the past year.
The Daily Yonder Tribal Efforts to Preserve Languages Get Boost from Covid Relief Funds The American Rescue plan designates $20 million for Tribal efforts to preserve their native languages and culture.
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Rebecca Risenhoover, in striped top, is the Cheyenne and Arapaho language director. She says she and Arapaho lead apprentice James Sleeper, far right, already are thinking of ways to use the American Rescue Plan money in their language program. (Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Language Department)
Justin Neely, director of language for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Oklahoma, grew up among elders who told him that if the Potawatomi language is lost, so are the Potawatomi people.
The American Rescue Plan will set aside $20 million to help Native American nations preserve their languages. The funding is designed to help assure the survival of tribal cultures, spiritual identities and forms of traditional communication.