Um√≥onƠ ̜ith√ʻthƠe̜, Um√≥onƠ ̜bthinƠ ̜=

Abstract

The creation of an indigenous language program at the University of Nebraska is the impetus for this study. It is informed by the local and national movement in native language revival and maintenance. This study examines the efforts of, and difficulties in, the reversal of language shift by the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska. The transmission of cultural knowledge/language is negatively impacted by social, political, economic, and colonial pressures on the family and community. The family is cited as the preferred site of language and culture learning. Individuals generally shift responsibility for the revival and/or maintenance of the Omaha language away from themselves and onto the public school and tribal government. There is an absence of consensus within the Omaha community. A grounded theory approach is used to maximize the local perspective in the data, drawn from qualitative interviews with ten community leaders. Respondents describe their language ideology, and what they are doing to act upon those attitudes. A first person participant observation account of native language use and change spans the years from 1971 through 2001. Topics include the development of the 1977 Omaha dictionary; vignettes of native language performance, emergence of the language programs at Omaha Nation Public School and the University of Nebraska, recent research narratives, orthographic debates, and language assessment reports. The problem in reversing language shift resides in the nature and goals of the imposed western-model government and social structure. They do not encourage consensus decision-making. This study suggests a shift to programming and institutions that maximize pre-reservation ideals of community-wide fusion, interdependence, and action in the face of divergent ideologies. The principles and approaches of the successful Punana Leo preschool immersion and Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian immersion schools are offered to the Omaha community. The next step in this study is to develop questions to elicit ideas about ways to motivate the English-only Omaha parents into a groundswell of action. The hesitant speakers must be encouraged to risk the embarrassment of mispronunciation and become active models of the language. The practice of critical ridicule without proper modeling must change. The fundamental key to this, or any action, requires the complete commitment of the parents.