The Impact of Language Revitalization Efforts on Indigenous Cultural Practices: A Case Study of the Tahltan, Cherokee, and Lakota Nations

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Titel: The Impact of Language Revitalization Efforts on Indigenous Cultural Practices: A Case Study of the Tahltan, Cherokee, and Lakota Nations
Autoren: Meghan Jennings
Quelle: Genocide Studies International. 16:104-115
Verlagsinformationen: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress), 2025.
Publikationsjahr: 2025
Schlagwörter: 0601 history and archaeology, 06 humanities and the arts, 01 natural sciences, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Beschreibung: Historically (and currently) Indigenous languages have been suppressed and marginalized within society, inspiring declining levels of language usage and L1 and L2 speakers. It can be argued that these declining levels of speakership have impacted the tangible and intangible elements of Indigenous cultural practices. Although Indigenous peoples have faced punishment for using their languages, the reclamation or revitalization of Indigenous languages can lead to the recovery of cultural knowledge and, in the process, help heal the trauma caused by colonization. This article seeks to address the impact language revitalization efforts can have on maintaining the cultural practices of Indigenous communities by examining three case studies of ongoing revitalization efforts: the Tahltan Nation, the Cherokee Nation, and the Lakota Nation. Moreover, a theoretical analysis will be conducted following the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis of linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism. A review of these practical and theoretical examples demonstrates that the language we speak can shape our thinking patterns as well as how we are predisposed to view the world.
Publikationsart: Article
Sprache: English
ISSN: 2291-1855
2291-1847
DOI: 10.3138/gsi-2023-0021
Dokumentencode: edsair.doi...........33e0fbd28360a7a5fe47ccbf85f2d043
Datenbank: OpenAIRE
Beschreibung
Abstract:Historically (and currently) Indigenous languages have been suppressed and marginalized within society, inspiring declining levels of language usage and L1 and L2 speakers. It can be argued that these declining levels of speakership have impacted the tangible and intangible elements of Indigenous cultural practices. Although Indigenous peoples have faced punishment for using their languages, the reclamation or revitalization of Indigenous languages can lead to the recovery of cultural knowledge and, in the process, help heal the trauma caused by colonization. This article seeks to address the impact language revitalization efforts can have on maintaining the cultural practices of Indigenous communities by examining three case studies of ongoing revitalization efforts: the Tahltan Nation, the Cherokee Nation, and the Lakota Nation. Moreover, a theoretical analysis will be conducted following the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis of linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism. A review of these practical and theoretical examples demonstrates that the language we speak can shape our thinking patterns as well as how we are predisposed to view the world.
ISSN:22911855
22911847
DOI:10.3138/gsi-2023-0021