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Brown invites public to attend Navajo language, culture summit

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WINDOW ROCK – Council Delegate Nathaniel Brown (Chilchinbeto, Dennehotso, Kayenta) and the Summit Planning Committee invite the public to the 2017 Navajo Language and Culture Revitalization Summit at Diné College in Tsaile, Ariz., from May 22 - 24.

Delegate Brown said the purpose for the Navajo language summit is to build awareness and advocacy, create dialogue and understanding, and to foster unity and action to maintain Navajo language and cultural revitalization efforts in order to broaden the language initiative Navajo Nation-wide.

“We understand that the Navajo language is slowly diminishing, and according to the last U.S. Census, only 53-percent of Navajo households speak the Navajo language. This summit is one way to bring awareness to this issue and encourage Navajo communities throughout the Nation to begin implementing language and cultural revitalization programs in their areas,” Brown said.

Brown added that the Navajo language summit concept is a response to the commonly observed need to better address the perpetuation of the Navajo language and culture, as well as the importance of bringing people together from various walks of life to share, learn, and organize around several topics and issues related to creating unified efforts to preserve indigenous languages.

The summit is open to anyone who would like to be involved in maintaining and revitalizing the Navajo language and culture, such as educators, community partners, elders, youth, cultural knowledge holders, language and culture advocates, parents, grandparents, policy makers, community leaders, and organizations.

“Our Diné elders always told us to never forget or leave our Diné Bizaad (Navajo language) behind, or we would lose our identities and our way of life forever,” Brown said. “However, there is hope as we continue the conversation through this language summit, because we communicate with our Holy People, Diyin Dine’é, through our Navajo language.”

Delegate Brown, a member of the Health, Education, and Human Services Committee, thanked his committee colleagues for supporting the initiative, as well as their participation at the summit.

For more information regarding the 2017 Navajo Language and Culture Revitalization Summit and to register, please visit: https://www.navajolanguagesummit.com, or contact James McKenzie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (928) 724-6946.

 

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