Omaha Tribe members trying to revitalize an 'endangered language'

[Omaha Steve]

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KENT SIEVERS THE WORLD-HERALD
Alice Saunsoci, right, the Umónhon language instructor at Nebraska Indian Community College in Macy, and her son, Frank “Logan” Saunsoci, discuss the language class.


http://www.omaha.com/living/omaha-tribe-members-trying-to-revitalize-an-endangered-language/article_32633da3-9ce6-5755-bcc2-a8b006ad79ea.html

POSTED: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015 12:30 AM
By Chris Peters / World-Herald staff writer

Two sisters from the Omaha Tribe keep a list of the people who still speak their language.

There are 12 names left.

Glenna Slater and Octa Keen are among the few certified to teach the Omaha tribe’s language, Umónhon. None of the fluent speakers are under 70.

The single leaf of notebook paper is filled with names scribbled out. The sisters fear a day may come when the last name is scratched out.

FULL story at link. My dad knew some Cherokee. His 1/2 breed family was treated like dirt until he fought in WWII. After that things changed for most in his family.

For the Umónhon tongue perhaps being lost.




KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD

Vida Stabler, title VII director with the Omaha Nation Public School, shows the newly-developed Omaha Basic app.

[jwirr]

1. I wish them success. There are so few Native languages left and even the ones that are often have

lost a lot of their words. That is true for the tribe our family belongs to up here. Are you involved in helping with this? I sometimes went out to the rez at Macy to work with the school. Great people.

This may seem like a bad idea but several tribes I have worked with talked about working with Lutheran Translators (modern ones) who have been instrumental in translations of the Bible into tribal languages in other countries. I am not suggesting they be asked to translate the Bible into the Omaha language but they are experts at cataloging and helping to save these other languages.