The role of schools in native American language and culture revitalization: A vision of linguistic and educational sovereignty

Abstract

This chapter takes as its starting point the status of Indigenous peoples as sovereigns and tribal sovereignty as the bedrock of self-government, self-education, and self-determination. We explore the implications of tribal sovereignty for policy and practice in Indigenous schooling, focusing on school-based language reclamation and maintenance. This is illustrated first through a historical discussion of Navajo– and Hawaiian–medium schooling, and then through two in-depth contemporary case studies of bi/multilingual education in the Southwestern United states: the Native American Community Academy and Puente de Trilingual Public Magnet School. By creating new opportunities for children to learn in and through their heritage language and culture, these schools are elevating the scale or status of Indigenous languages in contemporary contexts and demonstrably changing expectations for Indigenous languages as vital, dynamic carriers of distinct Indigenous knowledge systems. The chapter concludes with a vision of Indigenous linguistic and educational sovereignty as a tool for and expression of self-determination and cultural continuance and survival.