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Young Pendleton students learn to speak Umatilla
By JENNIFER COLTON
“This is a great me for them to
about the language and culture. It’s
In the hallways of the Pendle-
incorporate new language,” PELC
been a wonderful program.”
ton Early Learning Center (PELC),
Principal Lori Hale notes. “They’re
During the school year, the kin-
it’s not uncommon to hear 5- and
li le sponges at this age, and we
dergarteners make coloring books
6-year-olds speaking words and
just want them exposed to that
with Uma lla vocabulary, and
phrases of the Uma lla language,
language and to have an awareness pods learn songs in the Uma lla
one of three dialects of the Con-
of what’s around them,”
language that they perform at the
federated Tribes of the Uma lla
Indian Reserva on (CTUIR).
At PELC, students take a “Walk
to Language” every week, learn-
ing words and phrases in tribal
languages from the CTUIR. Ma
Yoshioka, Director of Curriculum,
Instruc on and Assessment for
the Pendleton School District,
says they started the kindergarten
Uma lla language program when
the early learning center opened
two years ago.
“We do have a large Na-
ve American popula on in
our school district because our
district takes in the Confeder-
ated Tribes of the Uma lla Indian All of the signage at Washington Elementary is now displayed in English, Braile, the Uma lla
EO photo by E.J. Harris
Reserva on. Having this language language, and Weyiiletpuu.
program is a way for us to show
that our partnership is strong with
Keeping with that theme, the
winter concerts.
the tribe, with the reserva on,”
kindergarten lessons go past simple
Both Yoshioka and Hale agree
he says. “We hope to help our
language. Hale said teachers de-
the PELC program has been a suc-
students who are Na ve American
velop units that align with what the cess, and they’d like to expand to
know that it’s their school, that
classes are studying, from social
other schools – if they could. Yosh-
their culture and history is here.”
studies to science, and then work
ioka said fi nding volunteers from
The demographics fl uctuate, but in the Uma lla language lessons.
the small number of na ve speak-
between 15 and 20 percent of the
Teachers also develop lessons
ers is the primary issue holding it
students at PELC have a tribal back- around a piece of na ve culture –
back. To host the program at PELC,
ground. Across the whole Pendle-
studying salmon, for example, and
Mildred Quaempts, the director of
ton School District, it’s between 13 how it relates to the Columbia River the language program for CTUIR,
and 20 percent, depending on the
and na ve cultures.
travels to the school four days a
year.
“The fi rst couple weeks of the
week, working with one of PELC’s
Introducing kindergarteners
year, they’re teaching the kids
teachers to facilitate the Walk to
– PELC only houses pre-school
gree ngs in the Uma lla language, Language lessons in all of center’s
and kindergarten classrooms – to
then they work on colors, then they 10 kindergarten classrooms, and
language takes advantage of a me work on animal names,” Hale says.
to expand to other schools would
when young children easily absorb
“They’ve focused on cultural dress
require more master speakers.
new vocabulary.
and food, just teaching the kids
“We would love to expand,”
Education
Yoshioka said. “There are lots of
studies that show language lessons
taught to children can improve not
only language learning but accep-
tance of those around them. The
kids just love it, they absolutely eat
it up, and this is so much more than
just language.”
In the past, the district has of-
fered a Na ve American language
a erschool class at Washington
Elementary, a school that has sig-
nage in both English and in Uma lla
throughout the building.
Although speakers of Uma lla
and Walla Walla languages remain,
the dis nc ve dialect of the Cay-
use people has been lost, and the
Cayuse people now use the Weyíi-
letpuu dialect of the Nez Perce
language as their own. To promote
and protect the remaining lan-
guages, the CTUIR runs a language
program to work toward document-
ing, preserving, revitalizing the
Uma lla, Walla Walla, and Weyíilet-
puu languages.
The CTUIR Language Program
off ers immersion classes for pre-
school children, age 3 to 5, at the
Nixyaawii Community School, as
well as community classes with
fl uent speakers. You can learn more
about the CTUIR Language Program
online at ctuir.org/departmentpro-
gram/language-program.
________
Jennifer Colton is news director of
KOHU and KQFM, and mother of
three, based in Pendleton.