The voices of elders are, for lack of a better word, impactful. I think the most stunning and enthralling trait that Salina Everson, David Katzeek, and Linda Belarde brought to our 680 classroom was the weight and impact of words. Their words send waves of meaning and emotion – the depth of their voices speak so much to their experiences.
Each talked about the value of the Tlingit language to their identity and their upbringing – each had a different experience, and each shared beautiful stories of how that changed their lives. Their challenges of having or discovering their cultural identity – something challenged by the schooling they received – is what made those words strong.
I feel an important part of this experience is how tender humans are when it comes to culture and identity. The words we say and write make
an impact which can shape lives. We often identify a person who said something to us that made us who we are. We regularly quote a few words, an aphorism, or a sentence to embody elaborate ideas.
You nailed it. Words. Words can take a person down or build a person up. Whenever I went out with my dad in the village, I often wondered why my dad is so quiet. I’d ask him over and over again why he is so withdrawn from the community. He did not tell me why until I had gotten back from a trip to Bethel myself. Right after I arrived, I told my sister about an occurrence with the cab driver. I basically left the cab right after I screamed at the driver. My dad heard us talking, and asked me why I did that. He finally told me that he doesn’t talk much because he is scared of taking out the wrong words. I haven’t been much of a talker myself since the day he told me.