Earlier this week we learned of the closing of the Center for American Indian Languages (CAIL) at the University of Utah. The is reported in a Sept 7 story in the Salt Lake Tribune and was widely criticized by the Native language community. While the news has no direct bearing on Alaska Native languages, the move serves as a reminder that even in times of apparently increasing appreciation for Native languages and cultures, political and administrative support is never guaranteed.
The state-funded University characterized the decision to close CAIL as a "restructuring," undertaken in order to focus more narrowly on the Native languages of Utah. By as several commentators have pointed out, this justification belies an underlying strategy to undermine the Center and its efforts. While the Center supports projects involving many indigenous languages of North and South America, Utah languages such as Shoshoni have long been the focus of the Center's efforts. And arguably the Center's broad focus on Native American languages, developed under founder Lyle Campbell, has allowed it to bring resources and expertise to Utah languages which would not otherwise have been possible.
The Center sponsored an annual Conference on the Endangered Languages and Cultures of the Americas (CELCNA) which brought together leaders in indigenous language revitalization from across Native America, allowing local tribes to gain from experiences of others. CELCNA and other CAIL-sponsored training efforts provided have bolstered Native language program throughout the region and within the University itself. At the same time CAIL played a leading role in Native language efforts nationally through collaborations with the Smithsonian Institution and the Documenting Endangered Languages program at the National Science Foundation. In the span of a few year the Center became a recognized world-leader in the field of Native American languages.
In spite of these successes, lack of university support led Center founder Campbell to depart for a position at the University of Hawai'i. The university then canceled a half-hearted nationwide search to replace Campbell. Ironically, Hawai'i has since developed into a leading player in the documentation of endangered languages more globally. In March the University of Hawai'i will host the third biannual International Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation, attracting a record number of participants from across the world. This is all good, but it is small consolation for the Native languages of Utah and the surrounding region. Local language programs will suffer, and years of effort building bridges between Native communities and the University will have been wasted.
What's more, this move is likely to be just the first step in the University's campaign against Native language. The official announcement cited "greater efficiency" as part of the justification of closing the Center. Surely this is bean-counter speak for eliminating programs it doesn't want to support.
Could such a thing happen in Alaska? Given the recent passing of SB130 founding the statewide Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council, one would like to think that support for Native languages remains strong within Alaska. But this doesn't necessarily translate to support for Native languages at the university level. Native languages are currently being taught at all three major campuses of the University of Alaska, and the University has worked to develop local partnerships focused on language revitalization. Projects such as Piciryaramta Elicungcallra with Lower Kuskokwim School District and the Ahtna Breath of Life with Ahtna Heritage Foundation demonstrate just what can be achieved through collaborations between the University and local institutions.
Whether the university administration actually values and supports such efforts is another matter. When there is plenty of money to go around, Native language programs seem an affordable luxury. But when universities seek "greater efficiency" it is all too easy to see Native language programs as an easy target for cuts. The past decade has seen enormous progress in language revitalization in Alaska. Let's hope that we don't repeat the mistakes of Utah.
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