"Why Save a Language" (2006)

Samething happend in Europe with Basque, Breton, Irish and many other languages. Be proud of your identity!

Sokapi nah sahkomapi Aitsi'poyi So beautiful to hear that young boy speak the Blackfoot language ❣️

I'm a Mexican-American from New Mexico and I just love the culture there is over here. I love all of our Native American Tribes. I actually heard on the news this morning that the Governor of New Mexico is going to sign a statement, declaring the second Monday of October what is known as Columbus Day and permanently change it to Indigenous Day, to celebrate and honor our 23 tribes of Native Americans here in New Mexico. Loved this video, thank you

What an excellent and informative documentary. The essence that is captured for me is that the language is the culture and is the identity of a person. The statement that losing the language is akin to burning down a giant library -- powerfully illustrates the depth and meaning that is steeped in a language - in even a single word. In context, the word travels from individual experience into the environmental and spiritual realm. The racist policies and residential school kidnappings erased the culture for those involved. Unimaginable damage. How fantastic for the younger generation to help restore the languages before the elders are lost and with them, these amazing original languages.

I grew up in a small town nr Ventura Calif in the 50 s I am half english and half middle eastern by blood but ever since I was old enough to speak I always passionately identified with native american people although no one in my family encouraged this preoccupation . I was mistaken for indigenous people as well It feels like a deep soul connection. It was the only culture that meant anything to me in the usa . My only desire in life is to live close to nature. I love listening to indigenous people talking about their sacred languages and my heart goes with them.

I’m trying to learn Cherokee because of distant grandmother surviving the Trail of tears in honor of her.

I wish schools would offer teachings of these languages and history. It would make common sense to keep it alive.

Can you imagine the countless languages and cultures that have been lost through the ages not just here in the American continent but also in the Asian continent, European continent, African continent…etc. It boggles my mind. And yet time goes on. It waits for nothing.

I can speak 5 languages fluently but only one with heart and feeling

Lovely documentary. I'm Tsalagi (Cherokee) and Nansemond. Sadly, Nansemond and the other Virginia Algonquian (Powhatan) dialects are basically extinct. There are programs trying to revitalize them and the Patawomeck tribe does had a language program for enrolled members. I'd love to have access to some of the resources. I am learning Tsalagi Gawonihisdi (Cherokee Language) via the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma language program. It's a really excellent program. It's online twice a week live with an Elder and Cherokee National Treasure who spoke only Tsalagi until 3rd grade. He has a real love for making sure Tsalagi Gawonihisdi continues to grow with us. I'm hoping once I finish these to be able to take the immersion program, where everything is conducted only in Tsalagi and you have to do everything in Tsalagi. There is definitely so much culture in language. You will always have trouble hearing your ancestors if you can't hear it in their voices. Like with Tsalagi, it's a relational language. All of the words for friend have to be stated framed with whose friend one is. Oganalii is "my friend" and "sdalii" is your friend. Once cannot be a friend without a relationship with other people, and Tsalagi acknowledges this. In Tsalagi the word for tattoo is also framed this way, whose tattoo(s). It also shows the role of tattooing. In times before contact, after which it was heavily suppressed, tattoos were common and used to mark out medicine and important life events (battles, children, illnesses, ball games). The word for tattoo is daquadowela, which translates to "my name as it is written" because your tattoos were the unique story of your life written down on you. There's even old documents signed by drawing tattoos out on paper as a reflection of who you are. There is a Tsalagi concept called gadugi. It's often translated in English as "togetherness," but that's not really a translation because it means so much more. Jeff Corntassel explained it well as "no one is left alone to climb out of a life endeavor." These are the things to heal native communities, but it's difficult to grow these good cultural structures if you don't even have the language. Also, in Tsalagi, and many other native languages, there's no words for he/him or she/her. There are words for things like boy and girl, but I can't say "His name is" or "Her name is." Both are dudoa, which makes sense reflected in native cultures' accepting and even at times lifting attitudes toward people outside of the cisgender binary. One final note, in Tsalagi there's no words for goodbye. Instead one says donadagohvi (if speaking to one other person, again relational), which means, "Let you and I see each other again." ᏙᏓᏓᎪᎲᎢ ᏂᎦᏛ

love this, it means more than you know.

The same happen to my so called Hispanic people of Mexico and Central America and Caribbean islands ...... Now I supposed to speak Spanish and call myself Latino or Hispanic and believe that I'm a immigrant we're all brainwashed we are Native Americans too and I wish I had my real identity and language and continue were our way of life left off history is so shameful I get discussed what they did to my ancestor and only they can bring things back but they seem not to care or even show some kind of support .... And they still want the concentration camps they call reservation from the native people ....I wonder in the afterlife did they go to heaven ? ..... My only fear of death is to return to this reality.... This is truly hell on earth .... Did the creator punished us? Is he observing this nightmare we can't wake up to? Will our land ever cure itself from this disease that's only continuing to destroy? I love my people the creator never took us out our garden of Eden .... They stole it from us because it was striped from them for there evil deceitful ways

Greetings from Finland. We have a similar situation here with the Karelian language which the Russian government has suppressed for a long time now...Karelians are a tribe close to the Finns but they have their own language which is now almost extinct. I'm thinking about studying it. A lot of this reminds me of languages we speak here...for example how many plants seem to have a name connected to a myth. The problem is we no longer remember what the story is but the name remains.

Same thing is happening with ancient Indian languages in India . One of the oldest known language of world Sanskrit is on the verge of extinction.

Every race should save their home language and keep their heritage alive and well its their root to their ancestors!!!

Made me cry, but also inspired me. I wish there was something I could do to help, thousands of miles away in another country.

Thank you so much for posting this. I cited this video in a research project I did for a class and will be presenting my project at a student symposium. I needed to review some my sources and decided to see if this video was available online, and it is! And posted just this month! What good timing.

"Take away the language of the nation, and the nation has ceased to be what it was: it will fade away without a trace, it will melt into the sea of the nations that surround it. "from: hu

A very inspiring film! Thank you for sharing. I would love to know how everything is progressing as this film is almost 10 years old now. I wish you all the best!

I think what's sad is that we've lost more languages, writings, or culture just from people dying from first contact.