OPINION COLUMN: Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair Helps Keep Endangered Languages Alive
- Jordan March
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
Hundreds of years of colonization have led toward dousing the flames of Native American culture, language and life. Yet the life, language and culture of Native Americans are being rekindled.
This is what I witnessed April 7. The Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair is one example of many in which people are attempting to reintroduce, reaffirm and make common Native American life.
The dousing of these flames is a silent, stealthy process. As a language fades, not only do its words disappear, but so too do its history, understanding, religions, art and people.
In our current time, we experience both cultural appropriation and disrespect; conversely, we live in a state that was built on Native American influence.
The Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair has actively pushed back against the erasure and appropriation of Native American culture.
To fully comprehend the impact of the pushing back, it’s important to understand scale.
The fair is hosted annually at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman. It is richly detailed and lasts for two days. Accommodating almost 2,000 participants in carefully curated time blocks and scheduling. The topics of the fair mainly surround expression, like prayer, songs, film, art, books and more. While attending the fair, the most noticeable pieces of the fair are the physical performances. Poetry recitation, songs, prayers, dances, singing and so forth.
Registration is easy and open to pre-K through 12th grade students who are learning Native American culture(s) and language(s). Admission is free to the public, in the hopes that every tribe is heard and able to be learned about through the mouths and practices of youth.
When I attended, I brought my mother and one of my sisters, and we were all able to enter and look around at the exhibits freely.
While the stage and microphone might be the youths to command, everyone — regardless of lineage — is more than welcome to come and experience the magnificence that is Native American history.
Showing support can start with listening and working to understand.
Going to the fair allows the public to witness how deeply Native languages are intertwined in the roots of history. It brings to mind that these languages are life, not just relics and past stories.
Not only is attendance a great way to show support, but so is support, posting about it, telling friends about it, talking about it, donating to it or volunteering at the fair.
For my part, I wanted to contribute more than just my presence, but also by entering a project. I wrote, illustrated and submitted a children's book in the Mvskoke Creek language I’m learning. I did this not only to show support and bring awareness to my class, but also for my youngest sister, whom I intend to teach.
The ONAYLF isn’t just a competition among categories; it is familial in one of the deepest ways it could be. Beginning in 2003, it began from a smaller group, granting it the title of a family reunion. Generations, cultures, languages and practices meet and bloom and roar. Elders who were formally ostracized for speaking their mother tongue now watch their grandchildren learn. The next generation demands to be heard. This was most clear to me when I walked into the building. I saw traditional skirts moving like flames around young women’s ankles. I saw long hair, grown and braided to honor their ancestors and themselves. I heard words and phrases in languages that used to command Oklahoma.
The ONAYLF is an invitation of honor to be a witness to our Native American community reclaiming their voices, history, practices and selves.
The museum keeps the fair free, showing that no price can be assigned to cultural survival.
