This colloquium foregrounds new research and praxis in Indigenous-language reclamation from the “ground up” (Leonard & De Korne, 2017). Against a global pattern of massive development backed by militarism “steamrolling over ecosystems and human cultures” (Hinton, 2013, p. xii), we highlight Indigenous resurgence movements to reclaim ancestral languages, strengthen cultural autonomy, and assert voice. We use Leonard’s notion of reclamation as “a larger effort by a community to claim its right to speak a language and to set associated goals in response to community needs and perspectives” (2012, p. 359). Reclamation highlights the decolonizing aims of contemporary language movements in the continuance of languages, lands, and life-ways. We begin with a 10-minute introduction, followed by two counterpoised paper presentations and a synthetic discussant commentary. In the first paper Prem Phyak explores an “engaged language policy movement” undertaken by and with Limbu youth in Nepal. Central to this language reclamation movement is a process of consciousness-raising, “awakening a sense of injustice” (Deutsch, 1973) that arouses justice-oriented language reclamation praxis. The second paper adapts Archibald’s (2008) concept of storywork—experiential narratives that constitute an epistemic, theoretical, pedagogical, and methodological framework—to explore language reclamation movements in Native America. Using multimedia, the authors present five narrative accounts of language reclamation: Chickasaw. Mojave, Miami, Hopi, and Mohawk. Relating individual and communal reclamation journeys, this work demonstrates the significance of stories as empirically grounded cultural resources for recovering and sustaining Indigenous languages, knowledges, and identities. The session concludes with discussant commentary by Māori scholar-activist Graham Smith and time for dialogue and interaction with audience participants.
References:
Archibald, J-A. (2008). Indigenous storywork: Educating the heart, mind, body, and spirit. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Deutsch, M. (1973). The resolution of conflict: Constructive and destructive processes. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Hinton, L. (Ed.) (2013). Bringing our languages home: Language revitalization for families. Berkeley, CA: Heyday.
Leonard, W.Y. (2012). Framing language reclamation programmes for everybody’s empowerment. Gender and Languages, 6(2), 339-367.
Leonard, W.Y., & De Korne, H. (Eds.) (2017). Reclaiming languages: Contesting and decolonising “language endangerment” from the ground up. Special issue, Language Documentation and Description, 14.
