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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2002)
2 DECEMBER 15, 2002 Smoke Signals DECEMBER 15, 2002 Smoke Signals 3 v. M it 7 " hen Sophie ct Anorv Really, Reof tm I.il.im i.nus vKj.Jl-iwil.n Mi ft I. 'WWW'-. ''J i mm ' . i v "V,. .'jweli-Iokiim x I Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs - Labels and signs are everywhere in the Chinuk class. This helps the children to connect the teaching with the world around them. The teachers are continually challenged with coming up with new words to describe modern day items. Continued from front page Chinuk Wawa is blend of several Native lan guages that emerged as a trade language. Its root comes from the Columbia River Chinook Tribe, with words from the Salish and Nootka Tribes added in. It also includes many words from English and French. It was pidgin dialect, a simplified language used to communicate between Tribes. It has evolved into a fully functioning lan guage what linguists call a Creole language. After the children put away their toys, they gather in a circle on the floor and Johnson brings out a hand drum. He and Whisler lead them in stick game song. It's their favorite; they know all the words, and they all sing along. "The stage they're in is what linguists call 'for mulaic expression" said Johnson. "They under stand what the phrases mean, if not the indi vidual words." After singing, Johnson puts his hands on his ears and says "Qwalan," the Chinuk word for ears. The kids imitate the motions and say the words for mouth, eyes and so on. Then it's time for counting. The children eas- -V7 i "lit j V " " s - f7 .,...,.'."....., I ' . - -J- - ' I .. . .J, ifeV,V''T'- hi.. , jtm iOT'iriiniiti , I ..5 ,,.1 v ';, . . i i - ? I . I . , v ' , y" .y ' """" ..... A . -. -". , f 'mtmmi-stli. . -----v .- ; ---- -t . "I Reading Is The Key - Tribal youth Chelsea Croy reads from a book in the class library. The book replaces the English words with Chinuk versions. 3 kushu-nus SSI K riT gus ukuk sik-t.imt.im shayim nitely rt v'', v ,i-sivaptii pi 4W "I think it will be a source of pride for my child. He enjoys it and looks forward to going to class in the morning. I think the class is a wonderful idea and I hope they continue. I think that the Elders would be happy to see the children learning to speak." Susan Reyes Tribal member ily count along in Chinuk up to 10, holding their little fingers in the air. "We're really just getting started, but the kids have already developed a good passive under standing," said Johnson. "They're also very good at counting, grammar and colors." The Grand Ronde program is modeled after other successful Native immersion efforts. The Hawaiians, for example, have an exten sive immersion system that starts with toddlers and extends to adults. Web sites and television broadcasts in Hawaiian connect the language to technology. Bilingualism not only saves Native languages, but also benefits the children. "There's plenty of research that supports the benefits of raising a child to be bilingual," said Janne Underriner, a Northwest Indian Lan guage Specialist at the University of Oregon. "They also have higher analytical scores and do better in the language arts. So there's an excellent argument for raising bilingual kids." Zenk, a longtime Chinuk language preserva tionist, joins the children in class. He speaks fluent Chinuk, helping to expose the young ears to the rhythms of the language. Success for the children depends on hearing the language throughout the day. Criteria for '4 I '"""-- lll,ll' J -"i You Said A Mouthful "Munk tush mayka lita" make good your teeth! Sammy Johnson (front), Goldie Bly and Shayla Ulestad brush their teeth after breakfast. Even little chores like brushing teeth are discussed in Chinuk only. enrollment is for a parent or close family mem ber also take Chinuk classes. They must speak with the child in Chinuk at least 15 minutes daily. "I think it will be a source of pride for my child," said Tribal member Susan Reyes, whose 4-year old son Michael is in the class. "He enjoys it and looks forward to going to class in the morn ing. I think the class is a wonderful idea and I hope they continue. I think that the Elders would be happy to see the children learning to speak." The children's Chinuk isn't the same as their Elders learned. Rather than bringing more En glish words into the language, linguists will coin new words in Chinuk. For example, "TwaX-XuN XuN," the word for computer, means, "shimmer- Continued on next page "7 JTmN Sii f p i ' Amber Grodio laughs with Sammy Johnson. ; v t I Through These Eyes - Bright eyes and a willingness to learn are the traits of i involved in the Tribe's Language Immersion class. Here, Logan Bobb, Trent Findley and Reyes are classic examples of the innocence of youth and their willingness to learn. Idren thael I If ''-fT .ii f ','.'4 ' - r-v v :V'':i U (.J if v Circle Time Language specialist Tony Johnson, with fellow teachers Toni Lockwood and Henry Zenk, plays a hand drum and teaches the kids to sing in Chinuk. Once a week, all the kids from the preschool come over and participate in the Chinuk class with the Immersion kids.
