A
ncestral Languages and a Common Purpose BY LAURA JAGLES
In the spring of 2010, five Tewa students and I participated in The Tewa Language Pilot Project—a partnership The Indigenous Language Institute established with Pojoaque Pueblo and Santa Fe Prep. The students invited me to serve as their mentor in this spirit-fulfilling work. Although the pilot project ended in May 2010, four students (Marisa Naranjo ’10, Jordan Naranjo, David Naranjo, and Jeremy Montoya ’12) presented at the Sustain- ing Indigenous Languages Symposium (SILS) in Eugene, Oregon that June, where they met Daryn McKenny, an Australian aboriginal who created the Miromaa software to revive his Arwar- bukarl language. Our students also uti- lized Miromaa. Impressed by the students, Daryn acquired grant funding to help Jeremy, Jordan, and me attend
guage teachers and students to con- tinue revitalizing and sustaining their languages for future generations. They even met two Australian aboriginal girls who closed the conference with an animation with characters speaking completely in their native language. Jeremy was inspired to make an anima- tion in Tewa next year. We uncovered many common tradi-
Jeremy, Jordan & Aboriginal friends.
the Puliima Conference in May 2011, an indigenous language conference in Brisbane, Australia. The conference was life-changing.
The boys and I opened it with a Tewa skit about traveling to Australia, a coun- try we dubbed, “land of the large jump- ing rats and cute cuddly bears.” Jeremy and Jordan encouraged aboriginal lan-
Model United Nations
Santa Fe Prep has many clubs and extracurricular activities that offer great opportunities and often open up a skill or passion in a student previously unknown. The Model United Nations is one such group. Supervised by history teacher Coco Toderan-Manson, the group had a great 2010-2011 year. At the annual Model United Nations session at Santa Fe’s Roundhouse last November, twenty Prep students rep- resented four countries: Mexico, Spain, Yemen, and Uzbek- istan, among the 200 other students from northern New Mexico. Prep’s Model UN received four awards: Best Delega- tion in Security Council for Mexico, Best Delegation in Gen- eral Assembly for Spain, Students’ Choice Best Delegation in General Assembly for Spain, Students’ Choice Best Delegate
4 SANTA FE PREPARATORY SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2011
tional relationships in our communica- tions with the Australian aboriginal people. One woman, in particular, was extremely powerful despite a very frag- ile background. “She is one of our last ‘full-bloods,’” others whispered, reveal- ing awe at her cherished presence. I cherished her, too, even without speak- ing. At one point, her family member approached me, saying, “She wants to know if she can get a picture with you.” I was ecstatic! She stood to the right of me. Her left hand, hesitating and childlike, found its way on my back to hug me as we all faced the camera, saying, “Cheers!” Her smile spoke volumes. I cannot remember her name, or what she said, just how moved I was. Later that evening, we shared a bench. My back to hers. Our spirits spoke in an unforgettable moment: Fragile, power, innocence, land, ancestors, beauty, darkness, strength, perseverance, rhythm, dance, tears, song, shelter, sky, trees, animals, lightning, Uluru, river, fences, water hole, ochre paint, language, clouds,
Visit
www.theyoungancestors.com to see a trailer of a Tewa documentary produced by Prep parents Aimeé and Antoine Broustra and Laura Jagles.
Laura and her new friend.
dreams, foot paths, runners, prayer, knowledge carrier, home… The aboriginals were interested in
our Pueblo ways of life, but they also wanted to know what the boys and I did for fun in America. Jeremy and Jor- dan answered their questions with pro- foundly deep and touching responses. Each opportunity they had, the aborigi- nals would stop and talk with us. We were a bit like celebrities. One of the most simple, but moving phrases the aboriginals use to refer to fluent native speakers is “Knowledge Carriers.” It is a powerful way of acknowledging the gift they carry, an oral knowledge that cannot be learned through books. Once the conference was over, the
boys and I saw some sites of Australia. We rode a pontoon boat up the Bris- bane River to a Koala sanctuary, where we held koalas and fed kangaroo and emu. Daryn also gave two specially made yidakis (didgeridoos) to the boys—cherished Australian aboriginal instruments. Finally, the Santa Fe Prep community
was instrumental in allowing us to go to Australia. We are grateful, blessed, and humbled by your generosity and by our Australian experience.
Laura Jagles teaches middle school English and is the Director of Multicul- tural Life at Prep.
Model U.N. students at the Round House.
in General Assembly for Alex Wirth on Spain. Bravo Coco and Model UN team!
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