UCR focuses Medicine Ways Conference on “Language: Revitalization of Culture”
UCR focuses Medicine Ways Conference on “Language: Revitalization of Culture”
By Terria Smith
The critical need for the revitalization of indigenous language was the forefront topic at the University of California Riverside’s 34th annual Medicine Ways Conference.
The conference opened with a blessing and keynote that was given by cultural educator and musician Ernest Siva (Serrano/Cahuilla).
“The Medicine Ways Conference, in general, has always been a wonderful place to bring people together,” Siva said.
During his address, Siva spoke about his work at the Dorothy Ramon Learning Center to preserve and share Serrano language and culture. He also talked about how he teaches once a week to children at the Morongo School.
The day was filled with workshops from language educators who teach through emersion as well as through song and dance. There were film-screening sessions focused on community efforts to save languages,
Annie Hamilton, the last fluent speaker of the Mountain Cahuilla language, and her daughter Rose Ann Hamilton offered the second keynote address where they offered valuable perspective on the urgency to preserve the language.
During the evening, William Madrigal Jr. led a panel discussion with fellow language educators Raymond Huaute (Cahuilla/Chumash), Sean Millanovich (Cahuilla) and Stanley Rodriguez (Kumeyaay).
The conference concluded with performances by musician Klee Benally (Dine/Russian-Polish) and hip hop artist Frank Waln (Sicangu Lakota).
I found that this conference was particularly special to me because it was my first time attending after more than 20 years. I remember my mother used to take me to Medicine Ways every year as a kid when the late comedian Charlie Hill (Oneida) used to perform there. I used to tote along my dolls and lean on my mom as the grown-up conversations were going on. In the same tradition, I took my 12-year-old daughter Emma (Cahuilla/Maricopa/Pima) this year – of course, she had her iPad in tow as she leaned on me. Nevertheless – as youth manage to do somehow – she was still listening and even learning.
When I asked Emma what thoughts she had after watching a film in one of the workshops and she said to me, “It made me think about how much I don’t hear the (Cahuilla) language spoken.”
Her words really were eye opening for me. Emma can speak English, of course, as well as quite a bit of Japanese and French. So she absorbs languages very well. There’s no reason why she wouldn’t be able to absorb Cahuilla beyond the phrases that we use out in public when we don’t want others to know what we’re saying. After what we learned during the conference, all it will take to learn more is some sincere effort.
Thus, this will start a new commitment, challenge and adventure for our family with our language. After all, it is clear that there are lots of resources in the community to help us learn.
Photo by: Emma Smith
Photo caption: Raymond Huaute (Cahuilla/Chumash) teaches language emersion demonstrations through traditional games during the Paayish Neken Language Foundation workshop.
