International Day of the Indigenous People
Jean was sitting out in the sunroom along with two dogs – one faithful elderly sleeping on the floor while the young one is sleeping on the old batted sofa. She was looking at the age of the dogs – old and young, and it reminded her something important which language played the part of the wider communities where people speak everyday conversation.
Today it is an important day to remember ALL the indigenous people around the world as well as indigenous people with disabilities and Deaf.
When European explorers ‘discovered’ lands on the other continents, there were already people living there. All too often the explorers took the land away from the native or indigenous peoples and either killed them or suppressed them. In many cases, the native languages and cultures were suppressed and the natives were forced to adopt Western ways. Unfortunately, this isn’t just a thing of the past — many indigenous peoples and their cultures are still threatened today.
— Robert Alan Silverstein
Many indigenous people are hurting, feeling oppression by other people, e.g., Western people, political people, high profile businesses, and many more. Jean learned about indigenous people, and she started to thought about people with disabilities and their native languages, including sign languages during her studying in Linguistics, History, and Anthropology at the University of Waikato back in the early 1990s. Jean traveled widely and learned when meeting many D/deaf communities, Schools for the Deaf, Speicliased workers for the Deaf, and having many conversations with the medical workers around the world.
Yes, many indigenous people with disabilities have ignored by the Government, even the corrupt Government and the businesses such as Forestry and mining companies along the Amazon River. Back in the 1980s, a team of linguists visited one village where they heard the story about indigenous people were communicate with their hands. It turned out the tiny village made up of a deaf community hidden away from the rest of the country, and it is a Nicaraguan Sign Language now. As well, discovering another one – the Nomad tribes – Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language and their language, which is sign language over 75-80 years ago. Sign Language Research Lab
What about Indian (America and Canada) Sign Language?
What about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and other parts of Australia sign language?
Preserving Aboriginal Sign Language
Please do consider many indigenous D/deaf and Hard of Hearing people in their first language and people with disabilities out there. Preserve their native sign language, and to learn from them, embrace them into your communities and make them inclusion in the cities and the villages.
