“Peru’s natural gas project sparks worry for Amazon’s isolated tribe”
Indigenous students need bilingual education
© ABC NEWS
A Federal Parliamentary committee says it received crystal clear evidence that school attendance rates would improve if Indigenous children were taught in their first language.
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs has released a bipartisan report calling for more action to protect endangered Indigenous languages. Among the committee’s 30 recommendations is a call for more money to be spent on bilingual education for Indigenous children and an interpreting service for Indigenous languages.
It says before white settlement 250 Indigenous languages were in use, but today only 18 remain strong in the sense that they are spoken by significant numbers across all age groups.
The deputy chairwoman of the committee, Liberal MP Sharman Stone, says children learn best if they begin their schooling being taught in their first language.
“That is a fundamental understanding internationally but something we haven’t grasped in Australia,” she said. “So the recommendations about early learning are that the child’s language should be identified very early and the teacher should be skilled in teaching in a multicultural setting.
“That’s not standard in Australian teaching or teacher training. It should be.”
She says there are enormous benefits from being able to maintain Indigenous languages.
“When they are able to speak and preserve and indeed restore their Indigenous languages there’s enormous advantage in their sense of wellbeing, their sense of self esteem, their cultural retention, their unique and amazing Australian Aboriginal culture.”
The committee chairman, Labor MP Shayne Neumann, says the former Northern Territory government has conceded it was wrong to adopt a policy of teaching only in English in the mornings.
“When the Northern Territory Labor Government brought in that basic four hours of English only we saw a decline in school attendance and educational outcomes,” he said.
“And they reversed it - they reversed it in middle of this year having defended it, by the way, when we were up in Darwin taking evidence about it.
“And the minister was sitting there defending it and their officials defending it. “They reversed it after we left.”
He says translator services are important for hospitals, schools, prisons and courts.
“This committee recommends putting in place immediate measures to ensure competent interpreting services in the areas of health and justice sectors,” he said.
In recent days, a promotion at the Washington, DC bar McFadden’s elicited outrage from American Indians. The event was a pre-Thanksgiving party touted with flyers or posters bearing the slogan “Party Like a Pilgrim, Drink Like an Indian.”
In fact, it wasn’t just Native Americans who found the material objectionable. Complex.com, which had named McFadden’s the “douchiest” bar in DC, sarcastically asked “How Inappropriate is This D.C. Bar’s Thanksgiving Party Poster?” City blog DCist called it the “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Racist Thanksgiving Party Poster.”
Concerned Facebookers hammered the bar’s page with protests and accusations of racism (and as of this writing, it hasn’t stopped), and the bar eventually responded, sending out this statement (shared by The 1491s) via e-mail:
It has come to our attention that one of our Thanksgiving events has caused some concern to our guests. The Pilgrims and Indians party, originally scheduled for Tuesday November 20th, was intended to be a festive event to get into the holiday spirit, and was never meant to offend any ethnicity or group of individuals. We truly apologize for not being more sensitive to our loyal patrons whose support and enthusiasm has been appreciated throughout the years.
We have since canceled the event and removed all promotional materials. In lieu of the event, McFadden’s would like to say thank you to our loyal customers by hosting a complimentary cocktail hour from 8-9pm on Tuesday November 20th.
We appreciate your understanding and hope that you’ll join us in good spirits!
Sincerely,
Your friends and family at McFadden’sHere’s the poster itself:
This isn’t the first time a party with that slogan has caused a stir — two years ago, the St. Paul, MN, bar Station 280 canceled its promotion after the following advertisement prompted dozens of angry phone calls:
Even when they don’t invite patrons to “drink like an Indian”, many flyers, advertisements and posters use imagery and innuendo many Natives find disturbing. Thanksgiving is a controversial holiday in Indian country, yet many bars and strip clubs see it as a time for revelry in sexualized Indian-maiden (or Indian-brave, if that’s your thing) costumes. A search of Facebook and Google found the following advertisements for events happening this year.
San Antonio, TX: “DJ Tonyc’s Drink Like An Indian & Party Like A Pilgrim Thanksgiving Eve Bash Hosted By WhatAPartySa”:
Philadelphia, PA: McFadden’s Thanksgiving Eve Party
Rockville Centre, NY: McFadden’s Rockville Centre Thanksgiving Eve
New York, NY: Splash Bar “Give Thanks!”
Woonsocket, RI: Rhode Island Dolls Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Party
St. Charles, MO: Bobby’s Place Annual Thanksgiving Eve Sexy Pilgrim & Indian Party
Wayne, NJ: Lace Wayne Annual Thanksgiving Party
Denver, CO: Milwaukee St. Tavern First Annual Pilgrims & Indians Party (“Costume contest at 12″)
Boston, MA: Mojito’s Pre-Thanksgiving Party
Pittsburgh, PA: Club Controversy’s Thanksgiving Eve party
Las Vegas, NV: Drai’s Hollywood Thanksgiving
Cleveland, OH: Crazy Horse Cleveland Pilgrims & Indians Party
Orlando, FL: Touch Orlando THNX
Schaumburg, IL: Drink Nightclub’s “Sexy Pilgrim & Indian Party” (“Free war paint and pilgrim hats!”)
And here are a few promos from years past:
(Source: rematiration)
Jim Elijah - Spokane Nation- circa 1920
Spokane means “children of the sun.”
Signal Boost: National Museum Of The American Indian - Call For Applications For Native American Museum Professionals
The National Museum of the American Indian seeks applications for a one-year paid residency for entry-level Native American museum professionals interested in pursuing museum careers or those early in established careers who feel they would benefit from a residency at NMAI. The residency may be extended for a second year based upon exemplary performance. A successful candidate will demonstrate commitment to the museum profession through academic preparation, experience with paid or volunteer work at museums or community cultural centers, experience with exhibitions and/or collections research, and/or a track record of community-based scholarship. The Curatorial Resident will join the staff of NMAI’s Museum Scholarship group and will be assigned to exhibition development and/or collections research projects under the supervision of NMAI staff of the Museum Scholarship Group. The Resident will enjoy all the privileges and responsibilities of NMAI professional staff and work assignments will be created to assist with the development of professional skills necessary to the curatorial profession.
Applications should include: 1) complete curriculum vitae or professional resume; 1) an essay of no more than 1200 words describing the candidate’s career goals for museum work; what the candidate hopes to gain from the residency experience; and why the NMAI in particular can play an important role in the candidate’s career development. 3) a letter of support from an academic or community-based sponsor or mentor. Consideration will be given to candidates who can demonstrate how their experience will benefit their communities.
Compensation for the residency will be competitive with entry-level museum appointments in the Washington, D.C. area, accompanied by a benefits package including health insurance.
Applications for the first round are due by October 31, 2012. The successful candidate will be notified by November 16 and expected to begin in early 2013.
Send applications to: Patricia Scott, Cultural Resources Center, 4220 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20746-2863
