evelyncurtis

[evelyncurtis]

The Beauty of The Numu Language -- The Fight for Revitalization

"Eagle in Flight" By Ben Aleck of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe

During the last week of senior year, one of my best friends, Sophi McCann had declared herself bound for Fort Lewis College in Colorado, eager to study Native American literature and culture.

The key word there is Colorado, about a 10+ hour drive between the both of us, after growing up in a small school for the last four years.

I remember feeling anxious, wondering how the friends who I had grown closest to would turn into the typical "we'll call all the time" "I'll text you whenever I'm free," cycle of distance. Sophi was a constant in my life and I didn't want that to happen with her.

Sophi is a Northern Paiute Native American, otherwise known as Numu, who always found beauty in her roots. I remember her always talking about the pow-wows she would attend, mainly the music and the drums.

While talking about the Paiute culture, I remember her teaching me how to say goodbye in her language, a word I thought was much prettier than the English alternative. Pinetawas. (pronounced Pin-ee-tuh-wuhs)

Many people where I grew up, in the Sierra Nevadas, were of Northern Paiute origin. My hometown, Bridgeport CA, is close to my heart, and many people I grew up with were a part of the Bridgeport Indian Colony. (formerly known as the Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California, or A'waggu Dükadü.)

Thus, I found myself interested in learning more about the language that I was introduced to by my friend, where she then introduced me to the Northern Paiute Language Project.

Statue of Thocmetony, (otherwise known as Sarah Winnemucca) a powerhouse Northern Paiute writer, interpreter, and negotiator between her people and the US Government.

Starting in 2005 as a class in the University of Berkeley, it is now hosted by University of Santa Cruz. The project stands to keep the Numu language alive, as it is classified as a "critically endangered," tongue.

According to Jeremy Miller from High Country News, "Today, there are no more than five surviving native speakers of a critically endangered dialect of Paviotso, all of whom live in Bridgeport, California."

Sophi's great aunt is one of these speakers!

Her name is Edith McCann, a Paiute elder who works to help keep her mother language alive, recording audio of different phrases and words in the Paiute dictionary on the website to ensure correct pronunciation.

Although from a first glance, the dictionary is still a work in progress, and does not have every word to directly translate from English, it still has thousands of words within it!

For the sake of curiosity, I toyed with the dictionary a bit, typing in various English words such as "Run" "Prison" and "Sunflower" (don't pay mind to the random variety)

The translations to these words were "tonoha" "nagwutuma nobe" and "aku"

Although I cannot copy the direct recording due to the wishes of the project, I CAN link the pronunciation, which are within the translated words above.

Another thing I found particularly interesting is when referring to different dialects of Numu, they are derived from the food the area is known to have eaten! A'waggu Dükadü, The Bridgeport Indian Colony, directly translates to "Sucker Fish Eaters." This is referring to the Tahoe Sucker fish found in the area.

Picture of the members of the Northern Paiute Language Project

While getting to work on the project, Maziar Toosarvandani, a professor at the Department of Linguistics in the University of Santa Cruz, sat with two students and two 90 y/o Paiute elders, Edith McCann and Madeline Stevens, to learn the Numu language from the source and record hundreds upon thousands of audio recordings! These women are incredible!

The work that this project does is important because the passing down of culture is important. What is also important is recognizing why projects like this must exist.

I am, of course, talking about cultural genocide, and the fear rooted in ignorance by the white, Christian settlers who built boarding mission schools for Indigenous people, erasing their culture and replacing it with one that they deemed "normal" and superior.

According to the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, a famous speech was given by Captain Richard Henry Pratt--who was a US Army officer who was one of those responsible for the boarding schools--explaining his philosophy on western assimilation. A particular chilling quote from the speech within the document states, "Kill the Indian in him, and save the man."

(pow wow Paiute dancers at the downtown Summerlin Festival of Arts)

Because of Native American youth being forcibly raised around white culture, this slowly erases the traditions that were meant to be passed down to them. The youth won't learn the language, won't hear the stories, and will feel like an outsider no matter where they end up.

Without posterity, memory dies.

After researching this project, I am humbly reminded of Zitkala-Ša's writings, and her solution for Indigenous youth, struggling with the importance of their roots and ties to their ancestors whilst living in an assimilated, white society.

Particularly,  “A Dream of Her Grandfather,” where the narrator struggles with keeping her roots close to heart while becoming a part of the US Government.

It is hinted that Zitkala-Ša proposes a bi-cultural life within this story, and I truly think that the language revitalization project, in a culture that mainly passes tradition down orally is a great solution for Paiute youth who wish to become closer to their ancestors and roots.

That is the goal of this project, to save a critically endangered dialect that is sacred and beloved. And that, in and of itself, is a rebellion to the horrible people who caused this divide in the first place.

According to an article from nativehope.org, "It is crucial to understand that all of life of Native American tribes—celebrations, rituals, hunting, farming, storytelling—took place within a distinct place or region of land and was shaped by the land. Tribes were intimately tied to the land they inhabited and treated Mother Earth with reverence and gratitude. ... For Native American tribes, land is identity."

(basket woven by Lucy Telles, a Northern Paiute basket maker. It is housed at the Smithsonian.)

Overall, as a white woman, I recognize I will never truly grasp the struggles and consequences that cultural genocide had on indigenous culture. However, the effort that the Northern Paiute Language Project is clear, and I am grateful for Sophi for introducing me to a beautiful language and project.

I encourage you to look into the project, and share it.

My favorite word I've learned is tuggwunudu, which translates to rainbow in English. Edith speaks it so beautifully in the recording. I can't get over it.

Works Cited

Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center. “Kill the Indian in Him, and Save the Man”: R. H. Pratt on the Education of Native Americans.” Carlisleindian.dickinson.edu, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/teach/kill-indian-him-and-save-man-r-h-pratt-education-native-americans

Miller, Jeremy. “Most Native Tongues of the West Are All but Lost.” High Country News, 2 Mar. 2015, www.hcn.org/issues/47-4/most-native-tongues-of-the-west-are-all-but-lost/.

“Native American History - Native Hope.” Native Hope, 26 Dec. 2024, www.nativehope.org/native-american-history/#chp4.

The Northern Paiute Language Project Credit “Northern Paiute Language Project.” Paiute.ucsc.edu, paiute.ucsc.edu/.