
- Details
- By Levi Rickert
MIAMI, Okla. — Chief Ben Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe, based in Miami, Oklahoma, has declared a State of Emergency for the Shawnee language through a proclamation. Through the proclamation, Barnes declared this year, 2020, be the Year of the Shawnee Language, in recognition of the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages.
Barnes says in the proclamation the Shawnee Tribe is "at risk of losing the voices of our grandparents forever." He cites there are less two dozen first-born speakers of the Shawnee language among his tribal citizenry, and an even smaller number of next -generations speakers.
"We must act now if we are to preserve the ancestral inheritance that binds all Shawnee people together," said Barnes. "We must act now if we wish to continue our traditional communities, for without our language, our ancient religion and beliefs that our parents and grandparents passed onto our traditional commuities will be lost."
Barnes says during this year, the Shawnee Tribe will find ways to deploy curriculum in its communities and pedeagogies to volunteer teachers where the Shawnee diaspora touches.
"The Year of the Shawnee Language will be a year to plant seeds for our future, a crop we will harvest as one that shall begin to bear fruit in the coming decade," Barnes continues.
Barnes further declared through a proclamation of teh International Decade of Indigenous Languages, the Office of the Chief of the Shawnee Tribe hereby declares beginning January 1st of 2021, "we will enter into the Decade of Shawnee Language, where we will deploy a language plan to all of the Shawnee Communities to create fluent language speakers from the youngest of our people."
More Stories Like This
MMIP Red Dress Installation Vandalized in AlaskaNCAI Mid Year Underway on Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Homelands
Native News Weekly (June 3, 2023): D.C. Briefs
House Passes Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal; How Native American Members of Congress Voted
History Made as First Navajo Appointed U.S. Federal Judge in California
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.