tivists continued the tribe’s efforts through language circles that brought together elders to share stories in Wašiw with younger tribal members, often over a potluck dinner. Language revitalization efforts took on a
new life in the early 1990s. Laura Fillmore, a non-Native woman who at that time was living on the reservation with her future husband, Benny Fillmore, was studying Indigenous language immersion and language renewal at UNR. Along with elders, other tribal members and language advocates, Fillmore spearheaded efforts to launch one of the first immersion language schools in the United States. In Sep-
tember 1997 Wašiw Wagayay Maŋal (the house where Wašiw is spoken) opened its doors. This school, which was modeled after a successful M¯
aori language immersion program in New
Zealand, taught preschoolers through eighth- graders all subjects except math in Wašiw (no known vocabulary for mathematics exists in this language). Wašiw cultural values also were fundamental to the curriculum. Although competing demands for tribal resources forced the immersion school to close its doors in 2003, numerous dedicated community mem- bers, teachers and tribal leaders continued to work independently to keep the language alive.
PASSING LANGUAGE ON AND UP
Laura Fillmore’s son, Herman, is a graduate of the immersion school. He earned a bach- elor's degree in Native American Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2012 and returned home, determined to help his tribe preserve their Native language. Now as part of a language team that works out of the tribe’s headquarters in Gardnerville, Nevada, Her- man works alongside teachers Rakow, Dressler and Lisa Enos. They teach the language to adults and youth in classes held Mondays through Thursdays in one of the tribe’s four communities. As the program’s Culture/Lan- guage Resources Director, Herman says, “Our elders tell us that the language, culture and the people cannot be separated. As we teach lan- guage, we are systematically reintegrating our values into the tribe and allowing those to lead the conversations.” Students are learning to use their Na-
tive language through classes and activities. Dressler and Enos, sisters who were raised in the Carson Valley, like to teach everything from songs to knock-knock jokes in Wašiw to make the language a constant presence in children’s lives. Enos developed the Eagle’s Nest immersion classes for 3- to 5-year- olds in the tribe’s Head Start program and now runs after-school programs to provide
Wašiw fishermen such as Marty Meeden are reintroducing traditional practices, including teaching youth to make traps, nets and spears—“Ɂitlalit,” “digeš” and “Ɂitbayati”—out of willows.
language maintenance for the children who have graduated from the Eagle's Nest. She has also authored a series of illustrated chil- dren’s books that draw on the tribe’s legends and are written in both Wašiw and English. Although geared toward children, the story- books have reawakened within the commu- nity an appreciation for important lessons shared for centuries from one generation to the next. Dressler teaches elementary school classes in Carson and Stewart. While the stu- dents do have some pencil-and-paper work, she enlivens their lessons by reading them traditional stories and helping the young- sters put on Wašiw plays, complete with costumes and props. The children’s success has inspired parents and other family mem- bers to become more involved in language learning. Lisa says, “These students have become teachers in training and are passing the language up.” As a fluent Wašiw speaker and tribal his-
torian, Rakow has been an enduring presence in the Wašiw language renaissance, serving as a mentor to both students and other in- structors. “I work mostly with the ‘oldies,’” she says with a smile. While most of her students are Wašiw, her classes also attract non-Native speakers. She once taught a man from Hungary who she says was “actually
pretty good.” Non-Native teachers who work with preschoolers in the Head Start program also frequently attend Rakow’s classes to learn how to inspire language learning in the tribe’s youngest speakers. In the past, tribal elder Steven James would tell stories to Rakow’s classes in Wašiw while she would translate. As James has gotten older, he has not been able to participate as much. Melba says, “Steven is one of the few remaining Wašiw speakers, and both students and teachers miss his wisdom and his stories.”
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
The Washoe Tribe has been reintroducing cer- emonies, rituals and other cultural activities in order to pass on traditional knowledge as well as language to a new generation. Because tourism and development during the last cen- tury have disastrously impacted Wašiw ances- tral lands, the tribe is also working with state and federal entities to blend a Wašiw perspec- tive with best scientific practices to restore the region’s ecosystems and reconnect youth to the environment. Fillmore says, “There is a lot of energy among our young people to go out on the land and work with their hands to do something productive to create change.” Such experiences often offer opportunities to teach Wašiw youth their Native language.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 25
PHOTO COURTESY OF ISAAC CHELLMAN
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
