Loss+of+a+Language

//(Students will work as a group to post information about language loss and its impact.)//

           

=Loss of a Language =     We have read a nonfiction book, //Out of the Depths// by Isabelle Knockwood, about the experiences of Mik'maq children at the [|Shubenacadie Residential School]in [|Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia]. There were many of these schools around Canada and the United States of America in an effort to [|assimilate] the Native Americans into the white world, but the Shubenacadie Residential School housed the Mik'maq children of Canada and northern Maine. We learned a lot about the abuse that the children sustained and the impact of their experience there. The most difficult thing for the children was that they were not allowed to speak their language and therefore lost a significant part of their culture. Because of the impact of this language loss to the culture of Native tribes, there is a current movement on many reservations to revive the language.

The Mik'maq people lost their language through their institutionalization at the Shubenacadie Residential School. When they tried to speak their own language or did so accidentally, Wikew, the nun in charge of the girl's side, would punish them with beatings. Some of these children were only five or six years old and could not even understand why they were being beaten. They did not know English before they entered the school, yet they were expected to speak only English without even an accent. Eventually, the children there learned not to speak their own language in front of the nuns and priests, even at play. Many began to forget their language altogether.

By losing their language and through the abuse at the hands of the nuns and priests, the children lost a part of their culture. The children were not as able to communicate with their family members and the elders of the Mik'maq tribe. Many could not bear the memories of the school and moved away from their people. Some ended up in Boston and eventually became a part of the Boston Indian Council, while others settled in other parts of Eastern Canada and Maine. By not being able to communicate with the tribal elders, the former students were not able to learn and then pass down the rich stories of their people. Native people pass down their history and customs through the telling of traditional Native stories and through the respected advice of tribal elders and tribal councils. Through those stories and ceremonies, they are able to learn the beliefs and values of their own culture, but without them, they are forced to assimilate into the white world.

Through forced assimilation, the tribes would lose the elements of their culture that made them strong and connected. The people would no longer be able to pass on their rich heritage to their own children or grandchildren. Eventually the ceremonies and values of the people would die along with their language. This would eventually lead to a loss of the Mik'maq people themselves. They would become so assimilated as not to be Native.

Modern tribes are trying to reverse the effects of assimilation through the implementation of [|language and cultural revival programs]. The Native schools in Maine, such as the Passamaquoddy Reservation's Beatrice Rafferty School, have started teaching [|Native studies] by members of the tribes who live on the reservation. Lessons include the study of historical treaties, land claims acts, Passamaquoddy language lessons, and other traditional songs and dances. A great effort is being made to change the way the next generation of Native views themselves. With a pride in oneself and culture, the students will have the self-esteem and determination to succeed.

There are also groups dedicated to the healing of those hurt in these institutions. Nora Bernard, a former Shubanacadie Residential School student, formed the [|Shubenacadie Indian Residential School Association (SIRSA)]to promote Native healing of those abused there. As of 1998, the group had attained a membership of over 900 former 'Shubie' students.

           