In 2010 Alaska Native languages got on the ballot -- literally -- following a court decision which required Yup'ik language ballots. Most of us probably assumed that this decision applied to the entire Yup'ik region, but it turns out that it was limited to the Bethel area, omitting huge swaths of Southwest Alaska where Yup'ik is spoken. Odd that the state would agree to provide election materials in Yup'ik in the region's main hub, an area where Yupiat are barely a majority of the population, but not in other Yup'ik regions like Hooper Bay, Manakotak, and Togiak.
The Native American Rights Fund is now pursuing that issue with another lawsuit against the state, which the Anchorage Daily News reports was filed Friday in Anchorage. The suit was filed on behalf of speakers Mike Toyukuk and Fred Augustine.
No comments:
Post a Comment