American Youth Language Fair Monday and Tuesday at Sam Noble.
Students accepting their awards and placement.
PHOTO: Jess Bruno
Students from all over Oklahoma came together on Monday and Tuesday at the Sam Noble Museum to share their language and culture through interpretive dance, song and even poetry at the 10th Annual Native American Youth Language Fair.
This fair brings together 600-800 students every spring who are learning their native american languages and gives them the opportunity to present their language and culture, according to the Sam Noble Department of Native American languages website.
"Them starting at a young age will allow them to teach other kids and eventually keep the culture alive,"Wilson Littlehead, an OU who is a part of the Sac and Foc Nation of Oklahoma, said.
The Sac and Foc Nation is dying, we only have three native speakers, Littlehead said.
The children enrolled in the native american language programs are given a chance to learn about their own culture and keep their language alive.
"We're overwhelmed with English," Joyce Twins, a Cheyenne professor here at OU, said. "The TV we watch and all the electronic things are all in English. My tribe is looking at creating Cheyenne computer games so the children can learn more that way."
Twins believes the public school system can do more with their money to teach the native american children their language, and help them learn about their culture.
"There is money in the public schools that can be utilized. They need to fix their spending to include that," Twins said.
The annual Native American Youth Language Fair gives these students an opportunity to embrace their heritage, practice their language, and gives them a chance to keep their language and culture alive in the U.S. today by sharing it with the public.
For more information about the annual Native American Youth Language Fair you can visit http://nal.snomnh.ou.edu/onaylf
Littlehead shares his reaction to the Fair:
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