{"id":18065,"date":"2021-11-15T10:07:13","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T15:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=18065"},"modified":"2021-11-16T14:19:54","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T19:19:54","slug":"biden-administration-announces-native-language-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/biden-administration-announces-native-language-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden administration announces Native language initiative"},"content":{"rendered":" <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/biden-administration-announces-native-language-initiative\/lakotastudent\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18074\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1881\" data-attachment-id=\"18074\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/biden-administration-announces-native-language-initiative\/lakotastudent\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/15\/lakotastudent-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1881\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Pixel&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526472108&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.67&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;51&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Lakota Student\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A young student at the Lakota Waldorf School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The school immerses students in Native language and culture. Photo by &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;Kevin Abourezk&lt;\/A&gt; &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;&lt;I aria-hidden=true class=&quot;fab fa-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;\/I&gt;&lt;\/A&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/15\/lakotastudent-1024x753.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/15\/lakotastudent-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Lakota Student\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-18074\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">A young student at the Lakota Waldorf School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The school immerses students in Native language and culture. Photo by <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Departments of the Interior, Education, and Health &#038; Human Services Launch Multi-Agency Initiative to Protect and Preserve Native Languages<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Interagency efforts will align federal language preservation programs to ensure the viability of Native languages<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, November 15, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<EM>The following is the text of a November 15, 2021, news release from the <a href=https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/>Department of the Interior<\/a>.<\/em>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. &#8212; The U.S. Departments of the Interior, Education and Health and Human Services launched a new interagency initiative today to preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, practice, and develop Native languages.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe announcement was made as part of the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, which brings government officials and leaders from federally recognized Tribes together to discuss ways the federal government can invest in and continue to strengthen the nation-to-nation relationship and ensure that progress in Indian Country endures for years to come.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe three agencies joined five others in signing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to further the Native American Languages Act of 1990 by establishing new goals and programs that support the protection and preservation of Native languages spoken by federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes, Native Hawaiians, and other Native American groups in the United States. The MOA reaffirms the establishment of an annual national summit on Native languages, which will take place this year on November 18-19, 2021.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/white-house-releases-progress-report-for-tribal-nations-summit\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20\/whitehousetribalnationssummit2021.png\" alt=\"White House releases \u2018progress report\u2019 for Tribal Nations Summit\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/white-house-releases-progress-report-for-tribal-nations-summit\/\">\n\t\t\tWhite House releases \u2018progress report\u2019 for Tribal Nations Summit\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/white-house-releases-progress-report-for-tribal-nations-summit\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>The Biden administration released a \u201cprogress report\u201d in conjunction with the White House Tribal Nations Summit.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Indianz.Com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThe cornerstone of any culture or community is its language. Languages are where oral histories are passed down, knowledge is shared, and bonds are formed. As part of our commitment to strengthening and supporting Indigenous communities, the Interior Department is resolute in its efforts to ensuring Native languages are preserved and protected,\u201d said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. \u201cFrom our libraries and schools to museums and cultural centers, the Department is proud to help lead this interagency effort to encourage programs and projects to include instruction in and preservation of Native languages.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe Department of Education is committed to advancing equity and excellence in our nation\u2019s education system for Native American students to fulfill our commitment to furthering Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. A vital part of that work entails ensuring that the cultural and linguistic identities of Native American students are affirmed in school,\u201d said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. \u201cNative American languages connect to a delicate and meaningful balance with belief systems and treasured heritage. And as I\u2019ve learned in speaking with Tribes, these belief systems, in turn, provide a way of understanding and connecting to the past, present, and future through Native American values that have been transferred over generations. For all these reasons, I\u2019m proud that the Biden administration is committed to supporting the preservation and revitalization of Native languages.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cPreserving Native languages, at a time when many communities have lost a great many linguistic experts, is critical. Throughout the pandemic, many people have not been able to practice or access cultural resources due to a high risk of COVID-19 infection,\u201d said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. \u201cMany ceremonies and healing practices that are typically conducted in Native American languages have been paused for almost two years. In certain Native communities, language is at risk of being lost altogether. Investing in linguistics is key to supporting our tribal communities and protecting their history, and today\u2019s investment should help achieve this important goal.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/white-house-fact-sheet-building-a-new-era-of-nation-to-nation-engagement\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20\/joebiden-scaled-3.jpg\" alt=\"White House Fact Sheet: Building A New Era of Nation-to-Nation Engagement\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/white-house-fact-sheet-building-a-new-era-of-nation-to-nation-engagement\/\">\n\t\t\tWhite House Fact Sheet: Building A New Era of Nation-to-Nation Engagement\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/white-house-fact-sheet-building-a-new-era-of-nation-to-nation-engagement\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>From the missing and murdered crisis to sacred sites, the Biden administration is touting its Indian Country agenda as it hosts the White House Tribal Nations Summit.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Indianz.Com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nFor more than 150 years, Native languages in the U.S. have been subjected to suppression and elimination from a variety of factors such as federal boarding and other types of schools that forced American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children to forgo speaking the language of their peoples.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAdditional signatory agencies include the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nNative language preservation has for many years been cited by Indigenous leaders as important to their self-preservation, self-determination and sovereignty. Native preservation and language revitalization is a critical priority because languages go to the heart of a Tribe\u2019s unique cultural identities, traditions, spiritual beliefs, and self-governance. Native languages are not simply collections of words nor are they interchangeable with one another. Even within their languages, a variety of dialects can be spoken.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThese themes were recently re-emphasized in Tribal consultations and through listening and learning sessions conducted by the Biden-Harris administration that identified barriers, challenges and needs regarding Native language preservation. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted another serious threat to Native languages: the loss of Tribal elders, who are bearers of their Tribe\u2019s culture, traditions, and history, and fluent speakers of its language.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/P>\r\nThe MOA includes specific interagency goals, including, but not limited to:<p><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Identifying statutory or regulatory barriers that impede federal implementation of Native language activities;\r\n<li>Identifying research that explores educational attainment and Native language retention and\/or revitalization;\r\n<li>Simplifying the process to integrate Native language instruction and language and other cultural activities into educational settings, including libraries, museums, cultural and historic preservation programs, and in the arts; and\r\n<li>Strengthening Tribal consultations on the issue of Native languages.\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nTo further the goals set out in the MOA, the agreement further supports the Native Language Workgroup (NLW) comprised of senior officials from ED, HHS, and DOI\u2019s Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). The NLW will be chaired by the executive director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, the commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans within HHS, and the director of the BIE.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>The <a href=https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/>Department of the Interior<\/a> (DOI) conserves and manages the Nation\u2019s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provides scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honors the Nation\u2019s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper.<\/em><HR>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div><a 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href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/white-house-fact-sheet-building-a-new-era-of-nation-to-nation-engagement\/\" title=\"White House Fact Sheet: Building A New Era of Nation-to-Nation Engagement\">White House Fact Sheet: Building A New Era of Nation-to-Nation Engagement<\/a> (November 15, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/14\/white-house-tribal-nations-summit-day-one-november-15-2021\/\" title=\"White House Tribal Nations Summit \u2013 Day One \u2013 November 15, 2021\">White House Tribal Nations Summit \u2013 Day One \u2013 November 15, 2021<\/a> (November 14, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/14\/white-house-tribal-nations-summit-day-two-youtube\/\" title=\"White House Tribal Nations Summit \u2013 Day Two \u2013 November 16, 2021\">White House Tribal Nations Summit \u2013 Day Two \u2013 November 16, 2021<\/a> (November 14, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/09\/22\/president-biden-revives-white-house-tribal-nations-summit\/\" title=\"President Biden revives White House Tribal Nations Summit\">President Biden revives White House Tribal Nations Summit<\/a> (September 22, 2021)","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The U.S. Departments of the Interior, Education and Health and Human Services launched a new initiative to preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, practice, and develop Native 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