American Indian/Alaska Native Education: Language Revitalization

On October 30, 1990, President Bush signed the Native American Languages Act, Title I of Public Law 101-477. Congress found in this Act that "the status of the cultures and languages of Native Americans is unique and the United States has the responsibility to act together with Native Americans to ensure the survival of these unique cultures and languages." Congress made it the policy of the United States to "preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, practice, and develop Native American languages" and recognized "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." Furthermore, the act declared that "the right of Native Americans to express themselves through the use of Native American languages shall not be restricted in any public proceeding, including publicly supported education programs."

The passage of the Native American Languages Act was the fulfillment of Native desires so eloquently in such documents as the 1985 education policies of the U.S.'s largest reservation-based tribe, the Navajo Nation. The Navajo policies call for local control, parental involvement, and Navajo language instruction in the belief that:

The Navajo language is an essential element of the life, culture and identity of the Navajo people. The Navajo Nation recognizes the importance of preserving and perpetuating that language to the survival of the Nation. Instruction in the Navajo language shall be made available for all grade levels in all schools serving the Navajo Nation. After centuries of minority language repression worldwide, researchers are finding that bilingualism is an asset rather than a handicap. It is not necessary to forget a home language to learn a second "school" language and be academically successful in that second language. However, it does take time--about two years to become conversationally proficient and six to seven years on average to become fully (that is academically) competent in a second language. With well designed bilingual instruction such as has been carried out at Rock Point Community School, students can learn successfully academic subjects such as math and science and literacy in their Native language while developing near-native fluency in English.

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