The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Native American Language Resource Center Act, bolstering Native American language schools and programs with coordinated, experienced support.
“As we have seen in Hawai‘i, Native speaker-led language programs have proven that culturally based instruction is key to revitalizing and maintaining indigenous knowledge and traditions,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in a release from his office. “The Native American Language Resource Center will build on this grassroots momentum to support Native American language schools and programs by providing them with the resources they need to continue to thrive.”
The bipartisan legislation, authored by Schatz, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
According to the release, “the Native American Languages Resource Center will comprise a consortium of institutions housed at multiple locations throughout the country, reflecting the geographic diversity of Native American languages, cultures and communities. It will support Native language students at all levels of learning, act as a central nexus for Native American language schools and programs across the nation and provide additional resources to enhance distance learning capacity.”
Schatz’s Durbin Feeling Native American Languages Act is also set to become law. The bipartisan bill is named after Durbin Feeling, a renowned Cherokee linguist and Vietnam veteran who died on Aug. 19, 2020. The bill will review and make recommendations to improve federal agencies’ coordination in support of Native American languages. It authorizes a federal survey of Native language use and programmatic needs every five years.