Language Rights of Indigenous Peoples

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Language Rights of Indigenous Peoples

• LG474 lecture materials
• February 2009
• Colin Samson
• Sociology Dept.
• University of Essex

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Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(2007, UN)
Three articles pertain to language   Article
13 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to
revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future
generations their histories, languages, oral
traditions, philosophies, writing systems and
literatures, and to designate and retain their
own names for communities, places and
persons.   Article 16 1. Indigenous peoples have
the right to establish their own media in their
own languages and to have access to all forms of
non-indigenous media without discrimination.
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Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2

• Article 14
• 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish
  and control their educational systems and
  institutions providing education in their own
  languages, in a manner appropriate to their
  cultural methods of teaching and learning.
• 2. Indigenous individuals, particularly children,
  have the right to all levels and forms of
  education of the State without discrimination.
• 3. States shall, in conjunction with indigenous
  peoples, take effective measures, in order for
  indigenous individuals, particularly children,
  including those living outside their communities,
  to have access, when possible, to an education in
  their own culture and provided in their own
  language.

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US Commissioner of Indian Affairs for Alaska in
1886, justifying the introduction of schools to
Inuit American Indians   They Native
Americans must abandon tribal relations they
must give up their superstitions they must
forsake their savage habits and learn the arts of
civilization they must learn to labor, and
must learn to rear their families as white people
do, and know more of their obligations to the
Government and society (Darnell Hoem,
199662).
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Edward Piwas, (Innu elder and hunter)
Utshimassit There will be no fish, caribou,
ducks, geese at Emish Kaupiskatish-shipis after
the mining starts. The bear is different. The
bear is like the whiteman, but he cant live with
them in the winter. He will walk around in the
Emish camp. He will eat at the whitemans table
because the Akanishau has killed the fish in the
river. The white people will keep the baby
animals for pets and these animals will starve -
they will not know how to hunt for themselves.
Take for example the goose that was seen at Black
Ash. It was lost and didnt know its migration
route. Even the moose - he is the brother of
the Akanishau. He will walk on the streets of
Emish with a tie. The Akanishau has three friends
- bear, moose and raven, but he cant be friends
with the squirrel because it steals from them.
The smog from the milling plant will kill the
plants and animals. And it will float into our
community. We will not see the smog - it will
slowly kill the animals and us. They will
probably not just drill in one place - they will
drill all around us. The wildlife officer will
know when he cant find any animals. He will
blame us for the lack of them but he will not
think about the drilling.  (Innu Nation, 1996a38)
 
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The white man takes such things as words and
literatures for granted, as indeed he must, for
nothing in his world is so common-place. On
every side of him there are words by the
millions, an unending succession of pamphlets and
papers, letters and books, bills and bulletins,
commentaries and conversations. He has diluted
and multiplied the Word, and words have begun to
close in upon him. He is sated and insensitive
his regard for language for the Word itself
has diminished nearly to the point of no return.
It may be that he will perish by the Word. N.
Scott Momaday House Made of Dawn