A Conversation with Ellen Cushman and Naomi Trevino: Literacy, Recent Histories, and Indigenous Language Persistence

Scots is one of three indigenous languages in Scotland, alongside English and Gaelic. In recent History, it was considered ‘slang', or ‘bad English'. Following legislative and policy changes, Scots is now recognized as a language and is recognized as a valuable part of the cultural heritage and lived experience of many who reside in Scotland. Further, in 2014, the Scots Language Award was introduced, and Scots is now taught in some schools. This chapter outlines a school-university research partnership that aimed to investigate the influence of teaching Scots on pupils' self-esteem and wider achievement. Using Participatory Action Research and creative arts to explore attitudes to Scots in school, the research highlighted the transformative power of home language (Scots) education.

Linguistic segregation in urban South Africa, 1996

Alongside climate change, the current rapid loss of biodiversity is one of the biggest threats that humanity faces to its own survival (1). With up to a million species at risk of disappearing within decades, human activities are reshaping life on Earth with no precedent in recent history. Biodiversity encompasses all life forms and their variation across the landscape. As one of the most important measures of environmental quality, high biodiversity is often linked with better provision of ecosystem services (2) and also helps assist and promote ecological conservation. Natural parks, national reserves, protected areas, and other measures for preserving the natural world are concerned first and foremost with the protection of biodiversity. But there is a critical and overlooked aspect of this important concept: its link with human cultural and linguistic diversity. Indigenous and traditional cultures and languages are the backbone of biodiversity conservation across the globe. Nonetheless, the rich knowledge found in these languages and cultures is not used in standard monitoring or conservation projects, and they face constant perils from parts of society with economic and political power. ( Top Left ) Evenki reindeer herders, Russia. ( Top Right ) Skolt Saami old growth forests Finland. ( Bottom ) Guarani community and local ecosystem vegetation, Brazil. Recent studies reveal how cultural and language diversities are intrinsically linked to the protection of biological diversity (3⇓⇓–6). Some of the largest countries on Earth, including Canada, Brazil, and Australia, are home to hundreds of languages and cultures, many of which are endangered. But the Indigenous-controlled lands represent only 6% and 13% of the territory in Canada and Brazil, respectively, and 52% in Australia. Still, these indigenous-controlled lands typically contain much higher biological diversity than that found in non–Indigenous-controlled areas, both protected and nonprotected, in the same countries (7). Languages and cultures … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: andre.frainer{at}nina.no. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

The importance of community engagement on COVID-19 vaccination strategy: Lessons from two California pilot programs

The term “indigenous,” when used with education, is generally recognized to refer to the first inhabitants of an area that was later colonized by another, more powerful, group of people who then forced their language and culture on the original inhabitants. In Australia and Canada, the term “Aboriginal” is still used; in Canada, “First Nations” is also popular; and in the United States, “Native American,” “American Indian,” “Alaska Native,” and “Native Hawaiian” are used to describe the country’s indigenous peoples. However, the term “indigenous” is becoming more popular globally. The colonial approach to education is related to the anthropological concept of ethnocentrism, where each ethnic group tends to think itself superior to other groups, and which propels more powerful, dominant groups to subordinate or demand the cultural assimilation of less powerful groups they conquer and colonize. The subordinate, indigenous group can be expected to adopt the religion, language, and customs of the dominant group, and schools are used to promote this conversion. However, ethnic minorities often resist forced assimilation. Much of the recent history of indigenous education globally has involved the conflict between efforts at decolonization, which was exemplified by the United Nations’ adoption in 2007 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and continued efforts to assimilate thousands of indigenous ethnic minority groups. The variety of these groups is indicated by the fact that it is estimated by linguists that there are over six thousand languages spoken across the globe today (though assimilationist education is lowering that number), and each language can represent a unique culture. Since European nations colonized much of the world in the last few centuries, they are usually the group imposing, through schools, their language and culture on indigenous peoples in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. However, China’s recent actions in Tibet also meet this definition, and the actions of Scandinavian countries in regard to the Sámi in their northern regions also qualify. The studies in this bibliography examine the educational issues worldwide that many indigenous people still face today as they attempt to hold on to their indigenous languages and cultures while seeking to reestablish self-government and gain economic success in an increasingly globalized and “flat” world.