In this interview, Carol Rowan recounts how she moved up North to Inukjuak, because she sought to live and learn with Inuit. Following her union with Jobie Weetaluktuk in 1984, and the subsequent births of their three Inuit children, she developed pedagogical approaches informed by and rooted in Inuit ontologies and epistemologies. She discusses…

After two years of teaching English, history, and wilderness survival in the Inupiaq Eskimo village of Wales, Alaska, the author moved in Brazil to teach English and Theory of Knowledge in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. His four years of experience at the International School of Curitiba have confirmed his belief that…

An analysis that seems adequate for simple constructions in a language may prove inadequate when more complex constructions are considered. A previous analysis of antipassive in Eskimo, attempting to refute two basic assumptions of relational grammar, becomes burdensome when its implications for a comprehensive analysis of all clause types are…

In our framing of Alaskan history, Alaska natives are perceived as just one more aspect of the untamed wilderness to be dealt with. The problem of language for these groups is viewed as one of developing a successful, institutionalized relationship to English speaking society, assuming that they must participate. (Author/GC)

Addresses the issue of how educators can provide the best understanding of quality education for Inuit people, emphasizing cultural influences, culture conflict, and language of instruction (English versus native languages). The article examines how to develop programs and instructional materials in Inuktitut that will support learning from both…

Although American Indian and Alaska Native communities have largely won the legal right to maintain their languages and cultures, they lack the "effective right" to do so. The effective right means access to the tools for getting the job done--the knowledge, strategies, and resources necessary to resist destruction of languages and…

Early Russian religious and educational influences on the 20 various Alaskan Native languages are described, followed by those of American origin in schools and religious groups after the American purchase in 1867, all of which show the development of diglossia and language shifts. The present dual educational system, which includes state schools…

Discusses the 13 papers in this special issue on American Indian and Alaska Native language education and literacy, the object of which is to critically examine the relationship of pedagogical change to larger sociopolitical and cultural processes affecting native language, bilingual, and bicultural programs. (three references) (MDM)

A personal narrative documents the struggle of an Alaska native teacher through her years in school and in the teaching profession. The article discusses the difficulties students face when they are native Yup'ik speakers but are taught in English; demonstrates how recent bilingual and Yup'ik programs have increased students' success rates. (SM)

As part of a symposium on issues related to diversity and American education reform in the context of Goal 3 of the National Education Goals, this paper addresses public attitudes about languages that are different from official or national languages. It is noted that the use of a native language as the medium of instruction to rebuild historical…