Indigenous Thinkers

Major challenges are the acceptance of mainstream values and attitudes about the “physical universe”, the economic struggles and definitions of status, the internalized colonization of language, categorized and defined semantics of English in relationship to the non-English words, resources both human and material.

Another major challenge is in our beliefs of what we are capable of learning. I disagree with the idea that once you grow up you can not learn the language as readily as you could when you were a child. A child develops quickly and is full immersed in the language of their home, parents and extended family, dependent on the proximity of those caregivers.

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As we get older, it requires more effort for us to devote time and exercise of our cognitive development. Just as an athlete must train and build up their skills, we need to develop and build up our skills in language development, both physical and mental. It is a myth to think that you can not learn a language after a certain age. Like most studies it required extensive effort because there are so many things and people competing for our attention and energy. Immersion methods are affective for both children and adults.

The elder I learned from use to say that we speak broken Apache, when we speak English. She is right because there is a different grammar and definition for Apache as compared to English. Each are associated with a different cognitive map of the universe. For Apaches, the animate world can not exist with out verbs, action vibrates through the world. English is a language based on nouns and possessives of objects. Each hold different values and ideologies which are reinforced through the language and social interaction.