Native American Indigenous Languages

NATIVE AMERICAN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES STUDY GROUP

Names, departments, and email address for all conveners

o Salome Gutierrez, Department of Linguistics, salome@umail.ucsb.edu
o Lea Harper, Department of Linguistics, leaharper@umail.ucsb.edu
o Carmen Jany, Department of Linguistics, cjany@umail.ucsb.edu
o Joye Kiester, Department of Linguistics, joye_kiester@sil.org
o Marianne Mithun, Department of Linguistics, mithun@linguistics.ucsb.edu

website: http://orgs.sa.ucsb.edu/nailsg/NAIL/index.htm

Statement of Purpose

The Native American Indigenous Languages Study Group is interested in topics relevant to Native American Indigenous languages, its people, and its cultures, as well as in topics of general relevance to researchers in the humanities and social sciences, such as data collection, data archiving, new media and research, collaboration with communities, ethics and human subjects.

Description of Proposed Activities and Tentative Schedule

Fall 2005: We plan to have three meetings on the following topics: Community Relations, Fieldwork , and Ethnopoetics. In addition, we are in the process of inviting a guest speaker. Our first meeting is currently scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, 7:30pm at the home of Marianne Mithun and Wallace Chafe, 1010 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara. For rides from campus please contact Carmen Jany (cjany@umail.ucsb.edu).
Some details about our Fall 2005 topics:
• Community relations between native and non-native academics and community members. A general discussion of the relationships between researchers and members of the communities being researched. Students and faculty present their fieldwork experiences with different communities. In addition, different approaches to fieldwork will be discussed. Readings will include articles from Paul Newman and Martha Radcliff eds, Linguistic Fieldwork.
• Conducting fieldwork on Native Mexican Languages in the US and in Mexico (can be extended to other native immigrant communities in the US). A discussion on the possibilities and limitations of conducting fieldwork on Native Mexican languages and cultures in communities established in the United States. Related issues: a) finding consultants in the US and building contacts for fieldwork in Mexico; b) legal issues when working with consultants in the US and in Mexico; c) type of data that can be gathered in the US; d) funding possibilities for this type of work.
• Ethnopoetics: the narrative and poetic style of Native Americans. This topic will include: Native American poetry, verbal traditions, and the characteristics of Native American oral epics and mythology. Discussions will focus on narrative style in Native American languages, how to combine linguistic, anthropological, and discourse analysis, and where/how to obtain Native American texts. Readings for discussion will include: a) Dell Hymes, 2003, How I know only so far; b) Dell Hymes, 1981, In Vain I tried to tell you; c) Ofelia Zepeda, Home Places: Contemporary Native American Writing from Sun Tracks; d) Ofelia Zepeda, South Corner of Time: Hopi, Navajo, Papago, Yaqui tribal literature.

Winter 2006: We plan to have three meetings on the following topics: Language maintenance/loss and education, Development of instruction materials, New Media and data collection/instruction materials.
• Language loss and maintenance in Native American communities. Presentation of a few case studies. Schooling in Native American languages: advantages and disadvantages. Current state and federal laws on bilingual education and tribal education. Laws and practices in other countries, such as Mexico. Readings to be determined.
• The creation of language instruction materials for Native American languages. Discussion will focus on ‘How to apply current methodologies in Applied Linguistics to Native American communities’, ‘What kind of instruction materials are useful and can be created’, ‘Collaboration with and tutoring of teachers of Native American languages’. Readings include: Leanne Hinton, How to keep your language alive.
• New media and data collection/instruction materials. Development of webbased instruction materials. The inclusion of video data for data collection and in the development of instruction materials. Readings to be determined. This discussion is aimed to include practical tips for researcher who would like to use the web or video data for data collection and the creation of instruction materials. A demonstration of current tools might be arranged.

Spring 2006: We will have two meetings and our annual conference.
• The annual two-day conference with 1-2 keynote speakers and a cultural event will be held on April 21-22. A possible theme/special session and potential keynote speakers will be determined by the group conveners during the fall quarter. Possibilities for the cultural event include: storytelling performances, musical performances, poetry, demonstrations of crafts (e.g. basketry, pottery).

Participants

o Madeleine Adkins, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Christy Bird, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Jeanie Castillo, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Wallace Chafe, Department of Linguistics, Emeritus Professor
o Dorothy Chun, Department of Germanic, Slavic, and Semitic Studies, Professor
o Timothy Henry, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Dan Hintz, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Diane Hintz, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o You-Jing Lin, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Edmundo Luna, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Alicia Moretti, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Verónica Muñoz Ledo, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Carlos Nash, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Marilyn Notah, Department of Religious Studies, Graduate Student
o Rebekka Siemens, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Elizabeth Shipley, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Ines Talamantez, Department of Religious Studies and Department of Chicano Studies, Professor
o Alex Walker, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student