How do you revitalize a language after years of policy designed to stop people from speaking it, let alone learning it?
Shortly before the end of President Biden’s term, the White House Council on Native American Affairs put out a plan, detailing 10 years worth of steps to preserve and revitalize the indigenous languages of the United States.
Much of the plan would take existing spending indigenous language education to try to make it more focused and effective.
The Salish School of Spokane is one institution that’s already working to revitalize the Interior Salish languages of the northwest
Salish School of Spokane Executive Director LaRae Wiley and Principal Christopher Parkin talk about their efforts, even in the face of great uncertainty with the new presidential administration.
"We still have our language and we still have our culture, despite genocide, despite boarding schools," Wiley said. "And I know that as Trump leaves office, we will still be here and we will still be fighting for our language and our culture and still be moving forward.”
This conversation was recorded before the Trump Administration’s attempted freeze of all federal funding. Federal money makes up roughly 12% of the Salish School’s budget.
In a follow-up interview, Parkin said he’s proceeding with the hope that "the U.S. will continue to honor its laws." Still, the school officials won’t know whether they’ll get funding until they apply for their reimbursement for January spending later this month.
Last November, two Whitworth University students and one faculty member made a 32-hour trip to Azerbaijan to attend the world climate summit known as COP 29. In many ways, it was a memorable experience.
SPR’s Doug Nadvornick checked back with the group to hear about some of the highlights.
After a reshuffle of committee assignments, Spokane District 1 Councilmember Michael Cathcart got something he’d long been pushing for.
Representatives from Spokane's District 1, which is located in downtown and northeast Spokane, are now on the bodies that make transit decisions.
While Councilmember Jonathan Bingle joins the Regional Transportation Commission, Cathcart now sits on the Spokane Transit Agency’s board.
He sat down for a conversation after his first STA board of directors meeting.
