Native American Languages Act of 1990
Long title | An Act to reauthorize the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978 and the Navajo Community College Act. |
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Acronyms (colloquial) | NALA |
Nicknames | Native American Languages Act |
Enacted by | the 101st United States Congress |
Effective | October 30, 1990 |
Citations | |
Public law | 101-477 |
Statutes at Large | 104 Stat. 1152 |
Codification | |
Titles amended | 25 U.S.C.: Indians |
U.S.C. sections created | 25 U.S.C. ch. 31 § 2901 et seq. |
U.S.C. sections amended |
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Legislative history | |
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The Native American Languages Act of 1990 (NALA) is a US statute that gives historical importance as repudiating past policies of eradicating indigenous languages of the Americas[clarification needed] by declaring as policy that Native Americans were entitled to use their own languages. The fundamental basis of the policy's declaration was that the United States "declares to preserve, protect and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use practice and develop Native American Languages".[1]
In addition, to "fully recognize the right of Indian Tribes and other Native American governing bodies, States, territories, and possessions of the United States to take action on, and give official status to their Native American languages for the purpose of conducting their own business".[1]
Provisions
SEC. 104. It is the policy of the United States to—
(1) preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, practice, and develop Native American languages; (2) allow exceptions to teacher certification requirements for Federal programs, and programs funded in whole or in part by the Federal Government, for instruction in Native American languages when such teacher certification requirements hinder the employment of qualified teachers who teach in Native American languages, and to encourage State and territorial governments to make similar exceptions; (3) encourage and support the use of Native American languages as a medium of instruction in order to encourage and support— (A) Native American language survival, (B) educational opportunity, (C) increased student success and performance, (D) increased student awareness and knowledge of their culture and history, and (E) increased student and community pride; (4) encourage State and local education programs to work with Native American parents, educator, Indian tribes, and other Native American governing bodies in the implementation of programs to put this policy into effect; (5) recognize the right of Indian tribes and other Native American governing bodies to use the Native American languages as a medium of instruction in all schools funded by the Secretary of the Interior; (6) fully recognize the inherent right of Indian tribes and other Native American governing bodies, States, territories, and possessions of the United States to take action on, and give official status to, their Native American languages for the purpose of conducting their own business; (7) support the granting of comparable proficiency achieved through course work in a Native American language the same academic credit as comparable proficiency achieved through course work in a foreign language, with recognition of such Native American language proficiency by institutions of higher education as fulfilling foreign language entrance or degree requirements; and (8) encourage all institutions of elementary, secondary and higher education, where appropriate, to include Native American languages in the curriculum in the same manner as foreign languages and to grant proficiency in Native
American languages the same full academic credit as proficiency in foreign languages.
— Section 104, Native American Languages Act
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2011) |
In the United States, Native American languages came under pressure through contact with superstrate colonial languages with the arrival of the first European settlers. Estimates place the number of Native languages at the time of European contact between three and six hundred.
Assimilation
Legislation mandated English as the exclusive language of instruction enforced on reservations in the 19th century. The
Beginning in the late 19th century after the
The Dawes Allotment Act (1887) was intended to achieve assimilation in another way, by breaking up communal lands and tribal government on reservations. Communal land was distributed to registered heads of households in an effort to have the Indians establish subsistence farming, the standard among Euro-American farms at the time. They were to become private land owners. This change greatly disrupted the communal life on many reservations. The 160-acre plots were generally too small for successful farming on the Great Plains because of geographic and climate conditions. In addition, outsiders soon tried to acquire Indian lands, and the tribes lost much of their property over the ensuing decades. Many non-Indian men married Indian women in an effort to take over their land and property.
Similar actions had taken place in the Spanish colonies in the Americas. During early colonization non-Indian explorers married Indian women in Alta California and New Spain in order to be granted land by the Crown.[2]
Recognition
It was not until the
Executive Order
In 1974 the Native American Programs Act was enacted as Title VIII of the
Political figures/groups
The Act's provisions came from the International Native American Language conference with most of the texts drawn from a resolution adopted by the Hawaiian Legislature in 1987, which addressed Congress to enact legislation in support of Native American Languages.[
The following year Inouye introduced a revised version (S. 1781) with nine sponsors, but the Bush administration opposed it because of the funding costs. Inouye revised the bill regarding the administrative concerns and was approved by the Senate on April 3, 1990 and sent to the House of Representatives ".[5] Key members of the House refused to allow the bill out of the committee because of the use of languages other than English in America. Lurline Wailana McGregor, Inouye's aide and manager of the bill looked for a bill with a title that did not mention the word 'language' in it. A bill that Robert D. Arnold, on the professional staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, who was managing a bill met the requirements. Inouye took the bill to the floor and offered an amendment with the text of his Native American Language Bill.[6] It was approved by the Senate and later concurred by the House. The billed signed by Bush was titled "Tribally Controlled and Navajo Community Colleges, Reauthorizations," on October 30, 1990, and he was also approving Title 1, the Native American Languages Act of 1990.
Amendments
Effects
Congress found convincing evidence that student achievement and performance, community and school pride, and educational opportunity are clearly and directly tied to respect for, and support of, the first language of the child.[7]
The Native American Language Act of 1990 has been a counterbalance to the English only movement and has been the catalyst for bilingual education on the reservations. "The Native American Languages Act of 1990 is the American Indian's answer to the English-only movement, and the Act's bilingual/multicultural educational approach is supported by the dismal historical record of assimilationist approaches to Indian education in the United States"Jon Reyhner.[8]
Funders such as ELF have helped start up pilot programs and advocates such as Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival have helped to create language nests,[9] and immersion programs.[10] The Blackfeet Piegan Institute and the Aha Punana Leo program are examples of this movement.[11]
From 2007-2012, funding for language instruction in public schools has been made available through the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act, signed by President George W. Bush on December 14, 2006, to prevent the loss of heritage and culture.[12] "Since 2000, 390 grants have been awarded under the program for a total of nearly $50 million to help preserve Native languages through language immersion programs."[13] As of Sept. 2012, the New Mexico Congressional delegation has introduced a bill to renew the funding.[14]
Reauthorization
Sen.
See also
- Endangered Language Fund
- Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act
- Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act
- Language policy
- Language revitalization
External links
- PUBLIC LAW 101-477 - October. 30, 1990 TITLE I -- NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES ACT
- Kelsey Klug (July 19, 2012). "Native American Languages Act: Twenty Years Later, Has It Made a Difference?". Cultural Survival. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- Larry L. Kimura (January 11, 2010). "Aia Ia Kakou Na Ha'ina - The Answers Are Within Us: Language Rights in Tandem with Language Survival" (PDF). American Indian Languages Development Institute (AILDI): Thirty Year Tradition of Speaking from Our Heart. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
Notes
- ^ ISBN 0-12-349354-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8165-2446-4.
- ISBN 0-12-349354-4.
- ISBN 978-0-521-77747-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-12-349354-4.
- ISBN 0-930588-62-2.
- ^ Cantoni, Gina; Littlebear, Richard (1996). "Stabilizing Indigenous Languages". Northern Arizona University. Monograph series: Perspectives.
- ^ Reyhner, Jon (Summer 1993). "American Indian Language Policy and School Success". The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students. 12 (Special Issue III): 35–59.
- ^ "Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival". Retrieved April 15, 2011.
- ^ "The Piegan Institute-Cutwoods School". colleenscomputercorner.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010.
- ^ "'Aha Pūnana Leo". Retrieved April 15, 2011.
- ^ "Bill Summary & Status - 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) - H.R.4766 - THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Archived from the original on December 18, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ "Congressmen Introduce Native American Preservation Act". Native News Network. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ "Local news in brief". The Santa Fe New Mexican. September 15, 2012. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- ^ Kelly, Casey (May 10, 2014). "Murkowski introduces legislation to continue funding Native language programs". KTOO. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ "Text - S.2299 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): A bill to amend the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize a provision to ensure the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages". Congress.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ Office of Senator John Walsh (May 16, 2014). "Walsh Fights to Protect and Maintain Tribal Languages". Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
External links
- Native American Languages Act as amended (PDF/details) in the GPO Statute Compilations collection