
UNM-Gallup professor Joe Kee stresses importance of keeping Navajo language alive
As a professor of Navajo language, Joe Kee teaches Diné students their native tongue at The University of New Mexico-Gallup, but he acknowledges that classroom lessons on their own are not enough to keep the language alive.
During his Nov. 30 presentation entitled “Maintaining Native Languages: The Critical Foundations for Language Strength and Survival,” Kee talked about the challenges in teaching young people Diné bizaad due to historical trauma and generational gaps.
“Every day we hear Native languages are becoming critically endangered, that we’re losing the language at a rapid rate, and...