Speaker
Description
Of the approximately 7,000 documented languages of the world's languages, nearly 50 percent are endangered and at risk of linguistic extinction (Bromham et. al., 2021). The United Nations (UN) proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, acknowledging that most of the linguistic diversity projected to be lost in the coming century comprises Indigenous languages (United Nations, 2021). In 2022, the UN further reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Indigenous languages from extinction by designating the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to mobilize support for preserving, revitalizing, and promoting Indigenous languages (United Nations, 2019). Languages have frequently been characterized as vehicles of cultural transmission, with some scholars positing that they constitute culture itself among Indigenous peoples. These initiatives within the international community demonstrate the global significance of Indigenous languages and underscore the importance of Indigenous people's distinctive knowledge systems, cultural values, and dedication to land stewardship.
As the field of Planning continues to address climate change impacts, the significance of Indigenous communities in developing culturally informed planning approaches and maintaining their stewardship responsibilities over their traditional territories cannot be overstated. Certain planning projects have established unique collaborations with Indigenous communities, notably within the sphere of environmental co-management and the contributions of Traditional Ecological Knowledge by Indigenous peoples (Nettle and Romain, 2002). However, there is limited planning scholarship that incorporates Indigenous languages as a key component in planning for our collective futures, whether from a Historic/Cultural Preservation perspective or an Environmental/Climate Change standpoint. This project aims to address this gap about the former.
The Cherokee language (ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ) is an Indigenous language spoken by the Cherokee people, and there exists a concerted effort to invest in language revitalization among the three Cherokee Tribal governments in the United States. In the municipalities of Tahlequah, Oklahoma and Stilwell, Oklahoma, two towns located on the Cherokee Reservation, observers can witness instances of the Cherokee language transcribed into the built environment via various wayfinding techniques, including public signage and art, in addition to English. The presence of an Indigenous language coexisting with English as part of the linguistic landscape is particularly uncommon in the United States, given the jurisdictional limitations between local and Tribal governments.
This phenomenon warrants an investigation to explore the relationship between planning processes and Indigenous language revitalization, in this case, the Cherokee Language, with the understanding that safeguarding Indigenous languages is critical to maintaining Indigenous knowledge systems that are fundamental to addressing our collective climate crisis. This paper is the first of a 2-phase project conducting this investigation. We ask the following questions: (1) What are the underlying processes behind the production of transcribed Cherokee language that exist in the public realm?; (2) How can typological system(s) be developed to catalog how the Cherokee language is transcribed within the public view?; and (3) What semantic differences exist between the Cherokee transcriptions and English that are indicative of Cherokee knowledges being expressed, if any?
Through a document analysis of municipal records and a photographic survey of transcribed Cherokee wayfinding, our preliminary findings indicate that coordination between municipal and tribal agencies is necessary to navigate complex jurisdictional systems for the installation of permitted wayfinding signs. Furthermore, individuals such as private property owners, business owners, and Cherokee language speakers play a crucial role in determining the location and significance of Cherokee transcriptions in the built environment, respectively. While a substantial portion of the Cherokee wayfinding examples are direct translations of their English counterparts, there exist instances where Cherokee cultural knowledge is essential to comprehend deeper cultural nuances.
References
Bromham, L., Dinnage, R., Skirgård, H., Ritchie, A., Cardillo, M., Meakins, F., Greenhill, S., & Hua, X. (2021). Global predictors of language endangerment and the future of linguistic diversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(2), 163–173. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01604-y
Nettle, D., & Romaine, S. (2002). Vanishing voices: The extinction of the world’s languages. Oxford Univ. Press.
UN General Assembly. (2019). Resolution 74/135: Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/RES/74/135; p. 9). United Nations. https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n19/426/26/pdf/n1942626.pdf
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2021). The International Year of Indigeenous Languages: Mobilizing the International Community to Preserve, Revitalize and Promote Indigenous Languages. UNESCO Publishing. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379771
| Keywords | Indigenous Language Revitalization; Cherokee Language; Indigenous Planning; Linguistic Landscape |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
