Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

May 22, 2004 - Issue 113

Preserving a Native Tongue

by Sarah Villicana, The Porterville Recorder

credits: Christina Jaquez reads a story in the Yowlumni language to children Friday at the Tule Child Development Center on the Tule River Reservation. Many like Jaquez try to pass on their language and culture to the next generation. (Recorder photo by Chieko Hara)

Every Friday morning, Jaquez teaches a couple dozen pre-school age children words in Yowlumni, the native language of the Tule River Indian tribe.

The lessons take place at the Tule River Child Care Center, run by the Tulare County Office of Education.

"We keep the lessons short," Jaquez said. "We go over colors, numbers and everyday objects and then we finish by telling a story or singing songs in the Yowlumni language."

After 10 minutes of instruction, the children start to become restless so they are read an adaptation of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" in Yowlumni - with porridge replaced by acorn mush.

Jaquez, who has been speaking Yowlumni for 11 years, was part of a master-apprentice program. Her instructor, Jane Flippo, one of the few master speakers left, died last March.

"The youngest master speakers are in their 70s," Jaquez said.

"I always wanted to learn the language but it was difficult to find people still willing to teach," Jaquez said. "It's really very beautiful. There are no bad words in the Yowlumni language."

After the story, the day's lesson wraps up with a sing-a-long of "The Deer Song."

"Ho-yeh-nah, Oh-chip-nee," sang Denise Peyron, an instructor who teaches the children songs that the Yokut people have been singing for hundreds of years.

Peyron has been speaking Yowlumni words her whole life but has only studied the language for the last two years.

"I started learning by singing through church," Peyron said. "When you're troubled, the words can be soothing to your soul."

"It's important for the kids to hear the words, retain them and keep them in their heart. The whole philosophy of a culture is in the language," Jaquez said. "We are trying to keep our past alive, but the language is near extinction."

Before the children leave, Peyron takes out a special surprise.

"Be very careful children, this was a gift I received for learning my language," said Peyron as she hands over an eagle feather with a brightly beaded handle. She was given the feather for saying a prayer in Yowlumni at a recent ceremony.

There are only a few people left at the reservation who are fluent in Yowlumni. Jaquez estimates that maybe a dozen elders still speak the native language.

"I work on learning my language every day," Peyron said. "I know 200 more words than I knew before I started. Teaching the kids really helps. It wasn't until I started teaching that I learned all the words for numbers and parts of the body."

On Saturdays, the teachers become the students and attend a language class open to all ages on the reservation.

"There is so much to learn," Peyron said. "One word can have 20 different meanings, depending on how you say it."

"If we don't teach it now, once they're gone there will be no one left to remember. Yowlumni is one of the most unique indigenous languages in North America," Jaquez said. "Linguists have come here from all over to study it because it contains sounds that you won't find anywhere else in the country."

Jaquez and Peyron have found children are perhaps the best hope to save the tribe's native language.

"I have three grandchildren and one niece that I'm teaching Yowlumni," Peyron said. "They pick it up so quickly. My granddaughter learned how to count in Yowlumni before I did."

"My dream is to open an immersion school," Jaquez said. "These kids are going to go on to surprise everyone. This generation will be the one that finally saves our language."

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