While the legal right to maintain these languages has been established, the effective right has yet to be achieved. More needs to be done to disseminate effective strategies for promoting and teaching indigenous language. For example, Dr. Richard Littlebear notes that the ability to speak an Indian language is often incorrectly seen as all that is needed to teach the language in schools. Together, these conferences have featured some of the leading figures in the field of indigenous language preservation. A Pathway to Ecology and Spirit , and community-based language activist Gary Owens who works with children and the Onk Akimel O'Odham language.
Presenters Go to information on past conferences.
Goals of the Symposiums To bring together American Indian and other indigenous language educators and activists to share ideas and experiences on how to teach effectively American Indian and other indigenous languages in and out of the classroom. To provide a forum for exchange of scholarly research on teaching American Indian and other indigenous languages. To disseminate through monographs recent research and thinking on best practices to promote, preserve, and protect American Indian and other indigenous languages. Proposal Preparation Guidelines 1. Abstracts, except those for symposia, should have no author identification or affiliation either in the title or in the body of the abstract in order to ensure anonymous review.