Issues concerning heritage language maintenance and revival have become increasingly prevalent for academics and tribal community members. These concerns stem from the linguistic shifts affecting heritage languages, and are marked most saliently by extreme generational differences in language ability and use (c.f. Krauss 1996[1]). For the Jicarilla Apache Nation, in Dulce, New Mexico, language shift is most evident when comparing tribal members over the age of 70 (80% are considered fluent in Apache) and those under the age of 18 (only 2% are considered fluent)[2]. Although past and current revival efforts have raised some awareness among tribal members about the value of preserving their language, many elder Jicarilla Apaches state that the fundamental problem facing “language revitalization” efforts is to recreate ways of interacting through the language rather than simply increasing the number of its speakers. Language competency then revolves around possessing appropriate social skills and knowing one’s history rather than just speaking the language. As one Jicarilla Apache man explains “You can’t teach kids [Apache] from a book…that's not how my father taught me. If you want these kids to learn Apache, you got to make them go out and do things, chop wood, build a teepee, hunt.”[3] In this presentation, I focus on one of the ways Jicarilla Apaches ‘recreate’ activities for social interaction and learning – the seasonal culture camps. The data come from two separate camps I attended during 2005. These camps are not only highly focused sites for culture and language instruction, they provide rich opportunities for reminiscing about past culture camp experiences, personal histories, and ancestral struggles. Stories about past struggles are not only intended to inform young Apaches about aspects of their tribal history. In addition, the very act of participating in demanding chores and enduring the sometimes harsh and unrelenting environment are seen as ways of “connecting” them to their heritage. As another Apache man commented “we do this to remember how our ancestors struggled to survive, they were tough people”[4]. Since these seasonal camps are multi-generational (participants can range from 8 to 80 years old), they give rise to social situations that are not commonly experienced outside of the camp environment[5]. Therefore, the camps not only recreate ‘traditional’ contexts for learning and interaction (i.e. story-telling sessions, chopping wood, preparing meals, etc.), they can create excellent context for folklore transmission.

[1] Krauss, Michael. 1996. Status of Native American Language Endangerment. In Stabilizing Indigenous Languages. Gina Cantoni, ed. Pp 16-21. Northern Arizona University Press.

[2] 2005 language survey conducted by the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

[3] Field-notes from November 2003.

[4] Field-notes from March 2005.

[5] Like elsewhere, social situations in Dulce tend to revolve around family and friends.

Return to schedule	Mariann Skahan, University of New Mexico mariann@unm.edu	Return to main page
	“You Can’t Teach Kids from a Book”: Seasonal Camps at the Jicarilla Apache Nation
	Issues concerning heritage language maintenance and revival have become increasingly prevalent for academics and tribal community members. These concerns stem from the linguistic shifts affecting heritage languages, and are marked most saliently by extreme generational differences in language ability and use (c.f. Krauss 1996[1]). For the Jicarilla Apache Nation, in Dulce, New Mexico, language shift is most evident when comparing tribal members over the age of 70 (80% are considered fluent in Apache) and those under the age of 18 (only 2% are considered fluent)[2]. Although past and current revival efforts have raised some awareness among tribal members about the value of preserving their language, many elder Jicarilla Apaches state that the fundamental problem facing “language revitalization” efforts is to recreate ways of interacting through the language rather than simply increasing the number of its speakers. Language competency then revolves around possessing appropriate social skills and knowing one’s history rather than just speaking the language. As one Jicarilla Apache man explains “You can’t teach kids [Apache] from a book…that's not how my father taught me. If you want these kids to learn Apache, you got to make them go out and do things, chop wood, build a teepee, hunt.”[3] In this presentation, I focus on one of the ways Jicarilla Apaches ‘recreate’ activities for social interaction and learning – the seasonal culture camps. The data come from two separate camps I attended during 2005. These camps are not only highly focused sites for culture and language instruction, they provide rich opportunities for reminiscing about past culture camp experiences, personal histories, and ancestral struggles. Stories about past struggles are not only intended to inform young Apaches about aspects of their tribal history. In addition, the very act of participating in demanding chores and enduring the sometimes harsh and unrelenting environment are seen as ways of “connecting” them to their heritage. As another Apache man commented “we do this to remember how our ancestors struggled to survive, they were tough people”[4]. Since these seasonal camps are multi-generational (participants can range from 8 to 80 years old), they give rise to social situations that are not commonly experienced outside of the camp environment[5]. Therefore, the camps not only recreate ‘traditional’ contexts for learning and interaction (i.e. story-telling sessions, chopping wood, preparing meals, etc.), they can create excellent context for folklore transmission. [1] Krauss, Michael. 1996. Status of Native American Language Endangerment. In Stabilizing Indigenous Languages. Gina Cantoni, ed. Pp 16-21. Northern Arizona University Press. [2] 2005 language survey conducted by the Jicarilla Apache Nation. [3] Field-notes from November 2003. [4] Field-notes from March 2005. [5] Like elsewhere, social situations in Dulce tend to revolve around family and friends.