UN Human Rights Council: Preserving Indigenous languages
By Brenda Norrell
View today's webcast archive: http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
The UN Human Rights Council's session on the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages and cultures in Geneva today, Sept. 20, included testimony from around the world on both what is being done to preserve Indigenous languages, and the history of discrimination and colonization that thwarts the preservation of Indigenous languages and cultures.
The priorities to preserve and promote Indigenous languages was described by the representative from Bolivia, who described the language and culture as the foundation for the protection of Mother Earth, including water. Further, Bolivia provides Indigenous language classes, at no cost, to public servants. In Paraguay, the Indigenous language there is one of two national languages.
The importance of maintaining the land, as a basis for language and culture, was stated as a priority from India, where land grabbing and climate change are devastating Indigenous Peoples. The good news included the report from New Zealand, where two television stations broadcast in the Maori language.
Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights opening the session, said that at least 43 per cent of the world’s 6,000 spoken languages were endangered.
The preservation of languages was discussed in every region, from the Saami in Norway to Honduras to South America and the Amazon region. The Russian Federation said efforts are underway to preserve languages, including those with fewer than 100 speakers. Meanwhile, the European Union provides Indigenous language programs in Colombia and the Philippines. The loss of Indigenous languages in Australia was also described. The Australian representative said, sadly, the gatherings now with traditional languages spoken are usually funerals.
Special Rapporteur James Anaya describes the colonization, racism and discrimination which have hindered the preservation of Indigenous languages. Anaya urged both government funding for programs, and respect for Indigenous languages and culture, with more efforts to have Indigenous languages in the mainstream society.
Wilton Littlechild, Cree from Canada, described watching an Indigenous language die at the United Nations, as one elder speaker, the lone speaker of his language, died one month after sharing his language at the United Nations.
In the conclusions, representatives said it is important to have Indigenous speakers providing the direction for programs to revitalize languages. It was also pointed out that children who learned their Native tongue early in life found it easy to learn a second language, a fact too often ignored by education and government systems.
Speaking as panellists in the panel discussion were James Anaya, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Vital Bambanze, Chairperson of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Lester Coyne, Senior Regional Aboriginal Health Coordinator and Chairperson of the Native Title Land Clearance Australia; and Javier Lopez Sanchez, Director General of the National Institute for Indigenous Languages.
Anaya also delivered a report at the United Nations in Geneva today on the abuse of Indigenous Peoples in areas of natural resource extraction, focusing on Indigenous Peoples in South America. Read his statement:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/09/un-indigenous-peoples-abused-in-race.html
Also see the written report to the UN Human Rights Council on abuses of Indigenous human rights:
Special Rapporteur James Anaya's written report to the Human Rights Council includes the violations of Native American rights in Flagstaff, Arizona, where the Arizona Snowbowl plans wastewater snow for tourists on sacred San Francisco Peaks. The report includes the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier, the need to protect sacred lands of the Wixarika (Huicholes) in Mexico from mining, and violations in countries around the world:
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