"Last week the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians hosted a special symposium focused on discussing ways to implement AB 544, the American Indian Language Credentialing law.

Meeting at our Hotel Corque property in Solvang from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the attendees ranged from tribal council members and education directors to language directors and language program coordinators.

It was a well-attended informational meeting that served as an opportunity for California tribes to share ideas on how to best implement the new law on our reservations.

When the bill passed into law last fall, California tribes were elated that the state Legislature understood the importance of preserving the native languages of our state. Our tribe — particularly members of our Business Committee — has taken a leadership role in supporting AB 544 from the beginning.

Members of our tribe, including myself and Kathleen Marshall, a member of our Education Committee, appeared before our state legislators to speak on behalf of this bill and present our tribal view on the importance of preserving native languages.

With our own language resurrection program in full swing — an active Languages Apprentices program and a fully-functioning native language dictionary — we clearly understand the value of preserving a language for future generations.

Because of our involvement in our own native language — Samala — we knew that it was important for other tribes to not only resurrect their native languages but also work toward establishing a solid language-preservation program."

Get the Story:
Nakia Zavalla: Working to implement a law (The Solvang Valley News 5/13)