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NOVEMBER 15, 2001
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Two Tribal Members
Tare on the Task
of Teaching Chinuk
By Chris Mercier
" lthough Jackie Whisler
and Bobby Mercier grew
y O up miles, and years, apart,
lm they both share one child
hood tribulation, one that ulti
mately has helped lead to their ap
pointments as the Tribe's new
Chinuk Wawa instructors.
"When I was a kid, and we hung
out with the Elders Eula (Petite),
Ila (Dowd), Clara Riggs they
would usually start speaking in
Chinuk," said Whisler who is the
daughter of Tribal Elder Dean Mer
cier and Geraldine Dorland. "When
that happened I always knew it
was gossip because they didn't want
us to understand.''
Mercier's experiences weren't too
different.
"I had two uncles Benny and
Harvey and they were fluent
speakers," said Mercier who is the
son of Arlettia Clark and Bruce Mer
cier. "They would start going on in
Chinuk and I would have to ask
grandma (Athelia Clark) what they
were saying."
After many, many hours of inten
sive language immersion, overseen
. by the likes of Tribal Language
Specialist Tony Johnson, Elder Ila
Dowd and regional Chinuk legend
Henry Zenk times have changed
for both.
Whisler and Mercier's training is
part of the Tribal Culture depart
ment's plan to "revitalize" the lan
guage a scheme whose catalyst
came in the form of a $193,000 grant
from the Administration for Native
Americans (ANA) earlier this year.
The grant, which acts in conjunc
tion with the Tribe's Education de
partment, provides for training of
two new teachers.
By the end of her apprenticeship,
Whisler will assume the role as a
Language Specialist in the Tribe's
Pre-school. Mercier, on the other
hand, will act as a teacher for some
of the adult classes, in addition to
being a substitute for Whisler
should the occasion arise. He will
also serve as a language liaison, the
duties of which will include attend
ing conferences, seminars and pro
viding information for those curi
ous about Chinuk.
The fact that both have prior ex
perience with Chinuk, Johnson
said, will make their transition into
teacher much easier.
"I'm very pleased. We've got a
couple of good, qualified people
here," he said. "I've a lot of confi
dence in them and I know that our
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Photo by Peta Tinda
T Photo by Brent Merrill
SI remember being
taught in school that
one of the things
the Creator gave us
was language.
And he recognizes
you by the language.
If I could pray in my
own language...9
said Bobby Mercier,
tailing off, thinking of possibilities.
V
f
Y
activities will give them confidence
in themselves. By this coming
spring, they'll both have over 300
hours of language use and they will
have been exposed to some pretty
fluent speakers."
Many Tribal members are aware
that Whisler, who has been on
board in a number of capacities
since the late 1970's, was born and
raised in Grand Ronde. She was
an integral member of the core team
of Tribal members who battled for
recognition in the late 70s and early
80s ultimately achieving that
goal when then-President Ronald
Reagan signed the Grand Ronde
Restoration Act in 1983.
Prior to accepting the position as
Language Teacher, Whisler, who
now lives in Lincoln City with hus
band Rob, worked in the Executive
Office as an assistant to Acting Ex
ecutive Officer Chris Leno.
But while never working in the
Cultural Resources department,
Whisler never forgot her love affair
with Chinuk. She grew up know
ing how to count in Wawa and could
identify local animals by their
Chinuk titles.
Yet the close relationship she had
with her grandmother Velma Mer
cier inspired the greater part of her
ambition.
"In learning Chinuk, I feel a bet
ter connection with grandma," she
said. "My goal once was to speak with
Velma in Chinuk, to have a conver
sation, before she passed away."
Fittingly, the new position will
put her in close proximity to her
own grandchildren, a prospect she
clearly looks forward to as she will
be teaching the Tribal youth.
"I know that's going to be fulfill
ing," she said, beaming. "Andre
warding." And Mercier? Well, he just wants
to lay the foundations for some
thing good. He wants to pick up
where his grandmother, Athelia
Clark, left off.
"Honestly, I'm the only person in my
family who's interested in learning it,"
he said. "I want to bring it back and
have it strong in our family."
He has already begun teaching
his infant daughter, Kyoni, some
of the basics, a word here and there.
"She picks up on it pretty good,"
said a proud Mercier. And his son,
due December 2, will get no less
treatment.
Mercier lives in Grand Ronde these
days with his fiancee Breanna Joseph,
a Squamish from British Columbia.
He lives on original allotment land,
bestowed upon his grandfather David
Holmes. After five years in the Main
tenance department, he looks forward
to mastering the tongue, a longtime
ambition of his.
"I remember being taught in
school that one of the things the
Creator gave us was language," he
said. "And he recognizes you by the
language. .
"If I could pray in my own lan
guage..." he said, tailing off, think
ing of possibilities.
"I go to all these meetings with
other Tribes," he said. "And the lead
ers and council members speak their
languages, they know their culture.
"That's how it should be," he con
tinued. "Roots, man, just roots."