idealist.org

This is a project (1 &1/2 years in development) is for TLG Near Extinct Languages Program (NELP).

Beginning as a project of the last Queen of matriarchal Salish Coast culture--to bring her archived work to life--this project is part of a world-wide effort to save Near Extinct Indigenous languages.

It consists of assisting our expert software coder in accelerating maturation of a program specially suited for archiving Native language World-wide.

The results will wind into a role playing game, which is based on various cultures (related to language input of critical endangered languages) of 'Ecosystem people' or Indigenous tribes.

Our program director, Bob Santeford, is in charge of this program. he lives in WA state, but the nature of this work allows for volunteers to assist from other locations.

volunteers ought to have an interest in Indigenous cultures, and believe in the value of saving these unique cultures through archiving into animated computer landscapes.

Coding skills are necessary to assist Bob with Voice Recognition software completion.

Note on focus area: there are 2 parts to this project. part 1 is working on the Voice Recog. software; part 2 is coding the game itself. These two will be integrated seamlessly.

You may choose to work on either portion or both. Bob is such a great guy that you will probably want to do both, if skills permit :)

Note on why, situation:
(add note: no need to speak lang. necessary)

First why valuable: Native languages map the ecological territories, Ecoregions. They keep biological, climate, soil, and other valuable information.

There are 300 words to describe snow if you inhabit Arctic regions, similar with soil among agriculturalists, our Rainforest leaders know 20,000 plant medicines and details on the life of these plants.

They know what makes their ecosystem thrive. They can fine=tune the system for optimal abundance. This took thousands of years of co-evolution within each distinct ecology.
Today, we need save this knowledge to learn how to replenish our dying Planet. None but biologists or Natives have such a passionate case based on daily observation and statistics (science).

Global society needs new resource development strategies to sustain needs. The languages of ecosystem people (as biologists call Native people) are the key to speak this information.

The rule of indigenous environments states, "where there are an indigenous people with a homeland, there are still healthy wildernesses"

the axiom of symbiotic conservation says biological diversity and cultural diversity are mutually dependent; to save one saves the other.

These are reasons. Also only species and culture are irreplaceable on Earth according to scientists. Once gone they are gone. Everything else can be retraced in linear fashion, not so with natural creations; they serve as force of creativity behind all other human creations; as materials per se, and as intellectual brilliance per se.
The entire world view learned from each part of Earth keeps a unique way of seeing life (humans looking from different vantage points out into one great world, and filled with a library of approaches and experiences--wisdom accumulated, refined, and condensed since human time began!)

study of humanity through linguistics/anthropology, etc, etc., in general (we all come from a culture once living from the land) etc.

This world heritage belongs to the children. As our Queen said, "Its OUR story, it belongs to everybody!!"

Now, situation:

It will serve many tribal people gain interest in their cultures. Navajo once acknowledged regained vitality. A little care goes a long way. There are 2,500 languages endangered. All Australian Native languages are endangered: 108 remain of 250. CA has 40 near extinct of 50, etc. The pilot project focuses on the language of Chief Seattle or Lushootseed. This language has 7 variants, one for each of 7 tribes. Our Salish Queen, Dr.Hilbert was last speaker of Skagit Lushootseed. To save one language benefits 7 tribes in this case.

Contact:
Mark Hull
treeoflifeguard@yahoo.com

or

Bob Santeford
rasanteford@netscape.net