The Mother Tongue: Recovering Indigenous Languages from the Identity Thieves

The Mother Tongue: Recovering Indigenous Languages from the Identity Thieves of Canada, Russia, Japan and United States

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, July 16, 2024

GENEVA -- Indigenous languages are on the verge of extinction in Russia. An ancient language in Japan is denied recognition by the government, while Native Americans struggle to recover from the torture in boarding schools that was meant to silence them. In Canada, efforts are underway to revitalize Anishinaabe, presenters told the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"My own hope for this decade is to see the restoration, formation and protection of intergenerational connections between youths, language keepers and communities," said Southern Chiefs Organization's youth delegate Josh Gandier, Peguis First Nation.

"Inter-generational connections were -- and remain -- the target of Canada's colonial policies. The destruction of these inter-generational connections is a significant factor contributing to the loss of Indigenous languages, and has a detrimental impact on the formation of identity in youths," Gandier told the United Nations.

The efforts to revitalize the Anishinaabe language include two immersion summer camps, with plans to expand the camps to the Dakota language in 2025. However, two immersion schools are not enough, since there are 34 communities, and funding is the main obstacle.

On the Verge of Extinction, Indigenous languages in Russia

Russia is putting a positive image forward at the United Nations, but the quickly vanishing Indigenous languages reveal the truth about the lack of language instruction to keep Indigenous languages alive, and the increasing racism in Russia, a delegate told the United Nations.

"On the verge of extinction are dozens of languages, the Russian Federation puts forward a happy picture of Indigenous languages," said a representative of the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia.

He pointed out the positive image put forth by Russia in sessions and reviews before the United Nations, pointing to Russia's statements to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, CERD; Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRC; and the current Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples session.

"Over time dozens of Indigenous languages have moved to the verge of extinction," he told the U.N.

There are only 19 speakers of Aleut, and three other disappearing Indigenous languages have only three to 36 speakers remaining, according to Russia's census.

The increasing xenophobia and racism in Russian societies has a negative impact on Indigenous people to preserve their language. Language is a key as an expression of the right to self-determination for Indigenous Peoples, he said.

Urging an end to the violations of the rights, he said real means must be taken to preserve Indigenous languages. In particular, opportunities must be given to Indigenous children to be educated, especially those living in their communities, with respect given to their traditions.

Japan refuses to recognize an ancient language and its people, a representative told the United Nations.

During World War II, the Japanese military ordered that speaking an ancient Indigenous language was an act of espionage and punishable by death.

"This order led to marginalization and near extinction of our Native language," a representative told the United Nations. Japan's repression resulted in elders, who only spoke their language, being targeted by the government, and children were forbidden to speak their Native language in school," an Indigenous representative told the U.N.

Japan refuses to recognize Ryukyuan as Indigenous Peoples and the peoples languages have been downgraded and labeled dialects of Japanese, which is incorrect. Speaking the language is seen as "rebellious, unsafe or uneducated," she told the U.N. She said these Indigenous languages must be recognized as distinct languages.

Ryukyuans are the Indigenous descendants of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was a sovereign entity prior to its annexation by Japan in 1879.

Jen Proctor Andrews, Vice Chair of Coquille Tribe in Oregon in the United States, spoke with truth and power, describing the horrific abuse of Native American children in boarding schools in the United States. Andrews said there are fewer than 10 speakers remaining of her language Miluk.

"Through the atrocities in what we call the Indian boarding schools, the United States government spent billions of dollars over more than 100 years to wipe out Indigenous culture and language."

"Children were kidnapped, beaten and abused in horrible ways when they spoke their Native languages."

"Language embodies our thoughts, thoughts become our actions, and actions have impact," she said, adding that it is a foundation to Indigenous identity and the means to think, live and dream, a healthy escape from colonial ways.

Andrews said children in boarding schools were not "stakeholders," they were "rights holders." She urged the U.N. to discontinue the harmful and derogatory term "stakeholders" and refer to Indigenous Peoples as "rights holders."

Andrews, representing Indigenous Determinants of Health Alliance, urged protection of vulnerable languages and support for Native language speakers at the community level.

The United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples concluded its weeklong session. The final report of recommendations now goes to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Original Series by Censored News

Testimony at U.N. Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, July 2024

Violence and Repression: Indigenous from Russia, Algeria and Nicaragua Appeal to United Nations https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/07/violence-and-repression-indigenous-from.html

The Mother Tongue: Countering the Identity Thieves of Canada, Russia, Japan and U.S.

The horrific abuse in boarding schools, failure to provide language classes, and government refusals to recognize languages, reveal abuses around the world aimed at silencing ancient languages. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mother-tongue-countering-identity.html

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