A Menominee high school student in Wisconsin was punished for speaking her Native language there. She was teaching other students how to say specific words, such as “hello,”, “thank you,” and “good bye” in her Native tongue. Her teacher said it was inappropriate because she could not understand what she was saying and therefore could not monitor her speech. See the story here at the Falmouth Institute’s blog.
We think the incident reinforces the importance of the role tribal colleges, such as The College of Menominee Nation, play in providing American Indian students with knowledge about their culture and language while also helping to preserve it. Tell us: What do you think?