Native Heritage Scholarship

A community service leadership role that had very recently and will have in this coming summer as well. What I have set up for the past few summers is a youth language camp for kids aged from 7-14 years old for the Yakama Language (Ichishkiin). Ichishkiin is my native language as I am affiliated with the Yakama tribe but the Ichishkiin language was expected to be eradicated around 20 years ago. Well before I was born the ichishkiin language had four major speakers. Thankfully one of these speakers led the charge to get more speakers of our language. She was successful in this endeavor and it is thanks to her and one of her students that Ichishkiin is still spoken today. This language is spoken in four schools and is now considered an accredited language for graduation. But we now have another issue, the language is not being spoken by the younger generation because it is very difficult to use on a daily basis. So I took it upon myself to create a curriculum that is both informational and fun to use. My first summer of this language camp was to listen to what the students wanted to learn and then to create images with the words. Now three sessions later I have now set up groupings of different topics such as colors, numbers, animals, plants, specific sentences, and unique creations. My students are given the opportunity to learn what they want to learn and then I will ask each student at the end of our time to use these words with their family cause if the kid is interested in a topic then the parents will follow. Some major changes that I have noticed in my hometown is the Ichishkiin usage, we now have Ichishkiin classes at the high school and middle school for any student to take and I am able to hear more of my native language than I have ever heard in my life. Today, there are two teachers of Ichishkiin in my home school and another handful throughout the valley. Through the perseverance and constant development of younger speakers and devoted teachers, we are seeing a rise in speakers as well as an increase in the fluency of speakers. I was given the seal of bilaterally from the Yakama tribal council with one other student in my class, this year four people will have that opportunity. It is the little changes like this in the community that I am extremely blessed and happy to be a leader in this development.