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| Esther Martinez Act: Native Languages Bill Becomes Law |
December 15, 2006 |
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| By ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 15, 2006
ALBUQUERQUE — President Bush has signed into law legislation named after an Ohkay Owingeh storyteller and linguist who died this fall in a crash involving a suspected drunken driver.
The Esther Martinez Native Languages Preservation Act, sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., will establish grants for governments, colleges and other Indian educational organizations working to preserve native cultures and language.
Martinez died Sept. 17 after the pickup she was riding in was struck head-on by another pickup that crossed the center line in Española, according to police. She had just returned to New Mexico from receiving a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Jaime González Martínez of Nambé has been charged with vehicular homicide in the case.
New Mexico’s congressional delegation said Thursday that the new law helps prevent the loss of an important part of New Mexico’s heritage: American Indian languages that are rapidly disappearing.
“The languages will be preserved with attention and effort. Once lost, they will never be recovered,” Wilson said. “The native languages were precious to Esther Martinez, and this bill is designed to help preserve them. It is a fitting tribute to her life’s work.”
Martinez, 94, taught her native language at schools in Ohkay Owingeh, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo. She also helped translate the New Testament of the Bible into Tewa and compiled Tewa dictionaries for various pueblos, which have distinct dialects of the language.
According to Wilson’s office, experts estimate that only about 20 of more than 300 pre-colonial indigenous languages will remain by the year 2050.
New Mexico is home to 19 pueblos and three tribes; there are six major languages and various dialects. Wilson said language is a key element of each community’s identity.
The bill authorizes competitive grants through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish Native language programs for students under the age of 7 and their families.
The bill aims to help preserve indigenous languages that are still being spoken, increase support for language-immersion programs to create fluent speakers and allow tribes and pueblos to develop their own immersion programs.
“For many years, tribes were discouraged from speaking their native languages, and now many languages have disappeared.
This legislation will help ensure native languages are preserved and passed on to future generations,” said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said an investment must be made by implementing immersion programs. “The urgent need to protect and preserve Native American languages is clear,” he said. |
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