By ICTMN Staff, Indian Country Today

Osiyo,

We are aware that many of our Native languages are rapidly disappearing, which  places American Indian cultures in danger of vanishing. For different reasons young people are not learning their Mother Tongue.  The Lakota Language Consortium (LLC) have developed a creative way to entice children to learn Lakota.

They have taken the popular children’s cartoon The Berenstain Bears, and dubbed 20 of the episodes using the Lakota language! The cartoon is very entertaining for young ones because it involves a family of bears; papa, mama, Junior and Sister, and how they live in everyday life. The focus  of the stories are placed on  values such as, honesty, compassion for others, sharing, and respect, which are important qualities for children to learn. Ben Black Bear  who supplies the voice of papa bear stated,

“I didn’t realize that more and more people are losing the language and less and less people are speaking it…”

The target audience is youngsters because the average age of Lakota speakers is 60, explained Wilhelm Meya, who is the executive director of LLC.

Please read this wonderful article, and  congratulations to LLC and everyone involved for thinking of the  children, and preserving the language!

Tags: Berenstain Bears, children, Lakota, LLC

Hi All,

The article Who Are American Indians in the 21st Century? by  Rick Kearns of Indian Country Today, was discussed on the Talking Feather blog  on June 27, 2010. Here’s an excerpt:

Who Are American Indians in the 21st Century? is the title of an interactive presentation by John Sanchez, an associate professor at Penn State University, and a member of the Yaqui/Apache.

When Professor Sanchez visited his son’s elementary school to speak to the students and teachers about his culture, he was dressed in a suit with a tie and he carried a briefcase. He was surprised by the response he received:

“I went and spoke to the teacher and many students and I told them that even though we lived in Washington, D.C. we were still Indian and they didn’t understand, they thought that when I was coming to speak to them I would be wearing buckskins, feathers and war paint.”

Based on this reaction Professor Sanchez decided to perform an experiment with the aid of the school officials. Students in the second through the fifth grades were asked to draw a picture of an American Indian family. The results were unbelievable…

Today, one of our readers has informed us that Professor Sanchez’s presentation is available on the You Tube channel. Please see the comment below for more information.

Thanks for the update Chuck!

TF

Comments

Chuck says:

December 12th, 2010 at 11:44 pm (#)   edit

The presentation by Professor Sanchez
is now available on the Humanities on the Road’s YouTube channel:

American Indian Cultures

Tags: American Indian Identity, children, Penn State University, Professor John Sanchez, Washington D. C.

By Tom Robertson, Minnesota Public Radio News

A high percentage of Native American Indians are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, a disease linked to obesity. The growing concern is that obesity is increasing among Native children. Iris Sherer, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and a diabetic states,

“Obesity and diabetes used to be considered adult problems. But increasingly they affect more of the nation’s young people. In the past 30 years, childhood obesity rates in the United States have tripled. Nearly a third of children are overweight or obese. The rate is even higher among Native American children, approaching 50 percent.”

Roxanne Robinson, who is the coordinator of the Cass Lake Hospital Diabetes Center, explains the seriousness of the situation.

“When a person has Type 2 diabetes, their body does not produce enough insulin. Without insulin, blood sugars get too high. Diabetes can be controlled with insulin injections, exercise and a healthy diet. But if left unchecked, the condition can lead to kidney problems, amputations, and blindness.”

The positive news is that there are signs of improvements. One reason for this improvement is that tribal members (especially women) from various tribes are creating support groups in Indian communities with the help of health educators. These groups educate tribal members about the seriousness of unhealthy eating, and ways to take better care of themselves, and of their children.

Another reason for the improvement among tribal members involve organizations such as the  “Bemidji-based Indigenous Environmental Network, which obtained a $250,000 grant for a multi-pronged approach to diabetes prevention.”

Other organizations included are the Ojibwe Language Immersion Program, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Steve Rith-Najarian a diabetes expert with the federal Indian Health Service in Bemidji states,

“Diabetes rates among Native Americans appear to be stabilizing… The rates of kidney complications and the need for dialysis are on the decline. Limb amputations that were once commonplace in Indian communities have declined on some reservations by as much as 80 percent…”

The article continues to provide interesting and very useful information. It includes a short historical report about American Indians and their original diets.

I highly recommend (and urge) everyone to read this article.

A big plus for Minnesota Public Radio! Thanks for helping to spread the word.

Tags: children, diabetes, Health Services, insulin, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, obesity

By Rob Capriccioso, Indian Country Today

Story Published: Feb 17, 2010

Mrs. Obama has started a campaign to help solve the problem of childhood obesity, so that children will grow up healthy adults. The project, ‘Let’s Move’ is a program that provides information about healthy affordable meals, physical activities, and additional support information for parents, and school educators.

Several American Indian organizations such as the National Indian Health Board, have joined the campaign to help their children towards healthier life styles.

Mrs, Obama’s program will benefit all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged, including American Indians, and Alaska Natives.

Great program, great Lady!

Read the article.

Tags: Alaska natives, campaign, children, First Lady Michele Obama, Health, Let's Move Project, National Indian Health Board, obesity, physical activities