Extinction is forever

Posted at 8:18 AM on January 24, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

It's not every day (yet) that we get to observe the moment of extinction. Today is one such day, however, as we acknowledge the death of Marie Smith Jones. She helped the University of Alaska compile an Eyak dictionary. She was the last one to speak the language on this planet.

"To the best of our knowledge, she was the last full-blooded Eyak alive," her daughter Bernice Galloway told the Associated Press.

Twenty other Alaskan languages are in danger of disappearing, mostly because the people who could have learned from people like Marie Smith Jones grew up at a time when it was considered wrong to speak something other than English.

The scenario was well documented a few years ago in an MPR News project:

"I was always talking in Ojibwe in the classroom," said Skinaway. "And the teacher never liked to have me be so disruptive, you know, talking to my other classmates. Some of the older ones used to call me a dumb Indian because I couldn't talk English."

...

"It is very important, because that's the way that was given to us by the Creator as Anishinaabe people," said Smallwood. "We were given ways to communicate with the Creator. And that's why it's important, not only in this world, but when we move on to the next world, go to the spirit world. We need that language."

The extinction of the language, in other words, didn't just happen: it was encouraged. A perfect irony since the U.S. recently adopted a law to try to save the languages.

Here's an interesting clickable map to explore some of these languages.

Tangent-time: Yesterday the New York Times reported on the case of another extinction on earth. The ivory billed woodpecker sighting in Arkansas a few years ago spawned an economic boom for a poor town, until it went bust amid conclusions that the alleged sighting was probably incorrect. It's gone for good -- the town, that is. And so is the woodpecker.

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Comments (1)

Why do things always have to just about disappear for people to care? That is so sad about the languages dying out. Oh well, that's progress so they say! I think preserving our natural resources is maybe more crucial. Hopefully, now that people are beginning to place more of a value on preservation, our government will hear such messages and also implement such values into how they make their legislation. Just thought I would comment also to show I care. I don't get online too much and hear you on the radio daily. Love the banter with Lucia! Cheers me up daily and glad I finally got to check out your blog!

(Collins: Nice to have you here Aminda. Don't be a stranger.)

Posted by Aminda | January 24, 2008 5:39 PM

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