Saving Our Language

There was a time when everyone in the area that is now Alaska spoke a language other than English. For centuries, the vast region was home to tens of thousands of indigenous people. More than 25 languages were spoken among the groups.

The first white settlers arrived from Russia in the 1700s and claimed the area as a colony of Russia. Several Native languages, including Yup’ik, adopted some Russian words. But Native languages were still the main ones spoken in Alaska.

That changed in the years after the United States purchased the Alaska territory from Russia in 1867. The U.S. government wanted to force Native Alaskans to give up their culture—including their languages. The government set up schools that forbade Native children from speaking any language other than English.

“Students were punished if they used a Native language,” explains Mitchell. “They were made to stand in corners, and their mouths were washed out with soap.”

Alaska wasn’t the only place where this happened. Across the U.S., Native American students were not allowed to speak their own languages in schools.

As generations passed, fewer Native Alaskans learned the languages of their ancestors. Some languages disappeared completely. When the last fluent speaker of a language dies, the language dies with that person. Often, the language isn’t all that is lost. The culture and traditions of the community that once spoke it might vanish too.

Attitudes about English-only education started to change in the 1960s. The U.S. government created programs for bilingual instruction in many public schools across the country. In Alaska, some schools began to teach in Native languages--—but only for short periods of the day.

Then in 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Native American Languages Act. The law promised to “preserve, protect, and promote” Native languages in the United States. In the years since, Congress has given more funding to schools to teach Native languages.

There was a time when everyone in the area that is now Alaska spoke a language other than English. Tens of thousands of indigenous people lived in the large region for centuries. They spoke more than 25 languages.

The first white settlers arrived from Russia in the 1700s. They claimed the area as a colony of Russia. Several Native languages adopted some Russian words. Yup’ik was one of them. But Native languages were still the main ones spoken in Alaska.

That changed after the U.S. bought the Alaska territory from Russia in 1867. The U.S. government wanted to force Native Alaskans to give up their culture. That included their languages. The government set up schools where Native children were forbidden from speaking any language other than English.

“Students were punished if they used a Native language,” explains Mitchell. “They were made to stand in corners, and their mouths were washed out with soap.”

Alaska wasn’t the only place where this happened. Native American students were not allowed to speak their own languages in schools across the U.S.

Generations passed. Fewer Native Alaskans learned the languages of their ancestors. Some languages disappeared completely. When the last fluent speaker of a language dies, the language dies with that person. Often, the language isn’t all that is lost. The culture and traditions of the community that once spoke it might vanish too.

Attitudes about English-only education started to change in the 1960s. The U.S. government created programs for bilingual instruction in public schools across the country. In Alaska, some schools began to teach in Native languages. But they only did this for short periods of the day.

Then in 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Native American Languages Act. The law promised to “preserve, protect, and promote” Native languages in the United States. Since then, Congress has given more funding to schools to teach Native languages.

The Native American Languages Act paved the way for a woman named Ayaprun Jones to open a new school in Bethel in 1995. It was the first school in Alaska in which all students were taught in both Yup’ik and English. At the time, most kids in Bethel understood very little Yup’ik.

“Students were learning little bits of language here and there,” says Jones. “But Yup’ik wasn’t being taught for students to learn how to communicate.”

Jones named the school Ayaprun Elitnaurvik (ah-yuhp-ruhn lit-now-vik). The name combines her first name with the Yup’ik word for “school.” Students at the school are taught only in Yup’ik from kindergarten through third grade. No English is spoken in class. By the time students reach fifth grade, half their classes are taught in English and the other half in Yup’ik.

But the kids are learning more than just a language. Fifth- and sixth-graders take a class called “The Ways of Living.” They are taught many of the skills their ancestors once used to survive in southwestern Alaska. They learn how to sew mittens, to ice fish, to hunt, and more.

“The kids need to say, ‘I’m proud to be Yup’ik,’” says Jones. “You don’t get pride when you don’t speak your language or practice your culture.”

The Native American Languages Act paved the way for a woman named Ayaprun Jones to open a new school in Bethel in 1995. It was the first school in Alaska in which all students were taught in both Yup’ik and English. At the time, most kids in Bethel understood very little Yup’ik.

“Students were learning little bits of language here and there,” says Jones. “But Yup’ik wasn’t being taught for students to learn how to communicate.”

Jones named the school Ayaprun Elitnaurvik (ah-yuhp-ruhn lit-now-vik). The name combines her first name with the Yup’ik word for “school.” Students at the school are taught only in Yup’ik from kindergarten through third grade. No English is spoken in class. By the time students reach fifth grade, half their classes are taught in English and the other half in Yup’ik.

But the kids are learning more than just a language. Fifth- and sixth-graders take a class called “The Ways of Living.” They are taught many of the skills their ancestors once used to survive in southwestern Alaska. They learn how to sew mittens, to ice fish, to hunt, and more.

“The kids need to say, ‘I’m proud to be Yup’ik,’” says Jones. “You don’t get pride when you don’t speak your language or practice your culture.”

Despite the school’s efforts, there’s a long way to go to revive Alaska’s dying languages. Experts estimate that less than 4 percent of people in the state speak a Native language.  

Because so few people speak these languages today, Alaska Governor Bill Walker declared a language emergency in the state this summer. His order calls for all Alaskan public schools to promote Native languages.

Jones says teaching the languages to the youngest generation of Alaskans is the key to solving the problem.

“They are the ones who will be holding on to our culture when we are gone,” says Jones. “They are the future.”

Despite the school’s efforts, there’s a long way to go to revive Alaska’s dying languages. Experts estimate that less than 4 percent of people in the state speak a Native language.  

Because so few people speak these languages today, Alaska Governor Bill Walker declared a language emergency in the state this summer. His order calls for all Alaskan public schools to promote Native languages.

Jones says teaching the languages to the youngest generation of Alaskans is the key to solving the problem.

“They are the ones who will be holding on to our culture when we are gone,” says Jones. “They are the future.”

1. How is Ayaprun Elitnaurvik similar to and different from other schools in the U.S.?

2. What is the main idea of the section “Dying Words”?

3. What causes a language to die out? What happens as a result?

4. What text structure does the sidebar “ ‘A Great Land’ ” mostly follow? How do you know?

1. How is Ayaprun Elitnaurvik similar to and different from other schools in the U.S.?

2. What is the main idea of the section “Dying Words”?

3. What causes a language to die out? What happens as a result?

4. What text structure does the sidebar “ ‘A Great Land’ ” mostly follow? How do you know?