Passamaquoddy Living Language System

Abstract

This project develops a multi-sensory language preservation strategy using interactive web based technology. The system promotes multi-tiered generational language learning for the Maine Native American Passamaquoddy tribe.

History of Passamaquoddy Language

The Passamaquoddy indigenous people of northeastern Maine and Atlantic Canada developed and transmitted their own unique language and culture over thousands of years. This language until recently relied entirely on oral tradition as a means of transmission. The decline in the use of the Passamaquoddy language dates back to initial contact with European settlers. As the European and native communities integrated native children attended English language based Mission schools "we were discouraged from speaking our own language and were required to speak only the English Language in School" (Sockabasin 2007, p.31). Subsequently, language learning and use with future generations was significantly affected. During this period tribal members were told their language was inferior and were looked down upon when using it.

Today only 350 Passamaquoddy first language speakers remain. Concerned about the decline in the Passamaquoddy language, during the 1960's Harvard Professor Karl Teeter developed a writing system for the language. His work formed a foundation for the written record of the first stories in Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, Tales from Maliseet Country. Linguist Philip S. Lessourd transitioned these stories into the first dictionary of 3000 words in 1976. For the past 30 years University of New Brunswick Professor Robert Leavitt and David Francis(a fluent, first-language Passamaquoddy speaker), worked in collaboration with native speakers from Maliseet and Passamaquoddy communities to generate a new version of the Dictionary. The dictionary that was initiated through the bilingual education program at Motahkomikuk was released in December of 2008 with 18,000 individual entries. The completion of the the dictionary marks not only momentous occasion of this "endangered language," but also sets the groundwork for preserving Passamaquoddy culture with the authenticity of its language. (Leavitt, 2008)

Interconnection of Culture and Language

Culture evolves as the result of the interaction between people and their environment; it provides the context for language to develop over time and become interwoven in traditions, rituals, values, and spiritual, social and political life. "All communication bears cultural origins, conveys cultural meanings, and is interpreted through cultural frameworks"(Johnson p.45, 2000). Culture is passed on through language, its intrinsic link. Culture is something to be learned and language is the primary vehicle of teaching. Language can play the designating force to deem what aspects of life are important and what will be preserved.

Language is also tied to how a people view the world and ultimately how they construct their cultural contexts. The theory by Benjamin Lee Whorf of linguistic relativity, "holds that all observers are not led by the same physical evidence to the same picture of the universe unless their linguistic backgrounds are similar." (Whorf, B.L. 1940, p214) The linguistic background that constructs a person's reality and culture inevitably changes as language evolves.

Language is the cornerstone of a culture. Within language many of the values and ties to place are held. The Native American Passamaquoddy language is integrally connected with their relationship to their bioregion. This is exemplified in the name that they chose for themselves. Passamaquoddy, translated means literally the people who spear Pollock. Pollock is a fish native to northeastern Maine, and has provided a large part of the diet to these peoples for thousands of years. This language is tied tightly with the region's natural environment and allows "for participatory, interactive relationship with the speaker's surroundings." (Leavitt, 2008).

One Passamaquoddy word allows for the image of an entire process. By contextualizing and translating this verb-based language directly into English a vital aspect of the true meaning is lost. Take for instance the Passamaquoddy word Psquaswasik which is the word "flower" when directly translated into English. However in Passamaquoddy it can be constructed to mean the little one bursting forward with brightness.

When Passamaquoddy-Maliseet speakers say, as they often do, that the language makes them feel "connected with the environment," or "closer to the land," they are not romanticizing or idealizing a bygone era, but instead referring to deep cultural understanding rooted in the language. For them, Passamaquoddy-Maliseet is a communication system responsive to the immediate social and physical circumstances in which they find themselves. Native Passamaquoddy speaker Margaret Apt's description of the language as "a unique mindset, in which I feel completely at home," acknowledges on a very deep level how a people's cultural history and sense of collective identity are embedded in the words and constructions of their native tongue. (Leavitt, 2008)

The Living Language System

Currently the Passamaquoddy dictionary exists in an online form hosted by the University of New Brunswick. This linguistic and archival database allows for queries in either English or Passamaquoddy. Working from this foundation the Living Language System, an interactive online database, will facilitate the advancement of the current online Passamaquoddy dictionary. The system will allow users to upload and link variable types of media with the dictionary entries and provide alternative means of interpreting and learning the language. By incorporating various media types, language users have the freedom to interpret and show their collective vision of the Passamaquoddy language. This system maximizes the current available resources to revitalize the language by structuring a cycle of recording that is initiated and executed by the tribal community.

Inspiration for this system design stems from the importance of the oral tradition to the Passamaquoddy language, the preservation of the language, the enthusiastic response generated by the release of the dictionary, and the opportunity for intergenerational collaboration in the generating of the content for the system. As a result of the nature of the Passamaquoddy oral tradition, a majority of the fluent first language Passamaquoddy speakers do not read or write the language. Margaret Apt, an oral tradition language learner, participated in the construction of the newest version of the Dictionary. She reflects that "as I learned how to read and write I had the opportunity to reconnect with my elders" (Apt, 2008). Today's youth, now learning the writing system in the reservations schools, have the opportunity to share and communicate with the elders and read, hear, and see the language in its natural setting.

The Living Language System Components

User Side

All those contributing media to the System will receive a user account. User accounts will allow for verifications of the authenticity of media and allow those interacting with the system to know who generated the media they are viewing.

Media Integration

When users input media into the system they will state the language "level" of the person being recorded as either first or second language user or student of the language. This ensures that the media is specifically labeled for those who are accessing the system. The database will organize data in priority of those who are first language Passamaquoddy speakers over those who are second language learners and/or students of the language.

When entering media entries into the system the user will be asked to tag the media in either English or Passamaquoddy. These media elements will then be available when someone viewing the database comes to that entry. If the media piece is not classifiable to specific dictionary entries it can be grouped into the larger categories of stories, songs, or reflections.

Authenticating

Before media is published on the system it needs to be approved by one of the designated language savers. Brenda Losatta who is a teacher at the Indian Township school and fluent Passamaquoddy speaker will play the initial roll as authenticator.

Audio

Emulating the oral tradition that successfully passed on the language for thousands of years, first language speakers will have the ability to record the language in context to allow those of future generations easy access to hear the form (grammatical components), prosody (melody and inflection), and function (non-static characteristics) of the language.

Multiple community recordings will be encouraged to capture the voices of the first language speakers and will enhance the diversity and depth in preserving the language. The system will emphasize an auditory experience with a built in recording and playback capabilities.

In 1890 Jesse Walter Fewkes from the University of Indiana, made some of the first audio recordings of Native Americans in the United States. Fewke recorded Passamaquoddy singers and storytellers in Calais, ME using wax cylinders for the phonograph. Recently Deanna Francis and Marggy Paul Passamaquoddy signers and tribal members, studied the Fewkes recordings from the Smithsonian and learned some of these lost songs and passes them on to the tribal community. (Fewke, 1890)

The Living Language system provides a foundation for the present motivation and interest in Passamaquoddy language and culture by allowing anyone to logon and discover and learn the language with internet access.

Images

Each dictionary entry and access point in the Living Language System will also be compatible with the addition of still images. This feature will allow the user to upload an image and tag it to the words that it represents. Since the Passamaquoddy language is directly inspired by the physical environment of its people, the addition of images help to relay a deeper understanding of the language and culture. Miigam' agan, a Mic Mac tribal member clearly communicates this relationship "We're ocean movers and they tease us because we're loud and abrupt like the waves and the current we have to talk loud."¦.It just tells you how the land molds and creates our culture." (Miigam'agan, 2008).

Another project that has used visual imagery to translate Passamaquoddy culture is the Equinox Petroglyph project. In 2006, land was returned to the Passamaquoddy tribe which held ancient Passamaquoddy Petroglyps on the tidal line in Machias Bay. Passamaquoddy female artists and children inspired responses interpreted the petroglyphs through various mediums. The Living Language system would be an ideal venue to host these types of media. (Equinox Pamphlet)

Video

The Passamaquoddy Living Language System will provide the ability to upload and record video into the database. Seeing and hearing a speaker and or footage from Passamaquoddy events allows for a deeper comprehensive mapping and authentic experience of the Passamaquoddy culture and language. Subsequently Contributing to the website creates a sense of ownership and pride in being an active participant in preserving the culture.

Currently Watching Place Productions in collaboration with the National Science Foundation is filming Passamaquoddy elders speaking their language in natural contexts. The initial distribution plan for these video pieces is through the development of a DVD set. To date there are seven of these pieces in the DVD set covering a wide variety of Passamaquoddy cultural activities and social issues. The DVDs allow viewers the option to watch without subtitles, Passamaquoddy subtitles, or English subtitles. Currently this valuable resource is only available to those who can obtain a physical copy of the DVD. As part of the outreach plan for the DVD project, Watching Place Productions is collaborating with the Living Language System by making this footage available to the system with consent from the contributors.

Technology

The backend of the Passamaquoddy Living Language system is being developed in collaboration with Sam Hunting. Hunting is an Orono based programmer who has expertise in XML, database management, Drupal and is the founder of univesalpantograph.com.

To power the Living Language system will require a variety of web technologies. The system will use an XML formatted version of the current Passamaquoddy Dictionary by Robert Leavitt and David Francis. XML is an Extensible Markup programming language. This computer language was designed to transport and store data on the web. It is an interchangeable format that allows for systems to arbitrarily move and extract any aspect of the data. (W3 Schools)

The system will be powered by Drupal. Drupal is open source content management software that allows for customizable content management. This well regarded system powers the online magazine the Onion, Popular Science, Ohio State entomology index, and Amherst College. (Drupal.org)

On the server side to handle the media the system will use Red5 open source flash server that is written in java. The Red5 is critical due to its ability to handle the recording of audio, video, and uploading onto the system. (osflash.org)

The online audio and video recording and uploading of The Living Language System will use an open source widget created in the Openlaszlo scripting language. This application will allow computer users with a built in microphone or webcam, such as those provided through the Maine laptop initiative to all 7^th and 8^th graders to record and upload audio and video. (openlazlo.org)

Audience

The Living Language System is designed for all members of the Passamaquoddy community and for those who are interested in learning and preserving the language. The system has the potential to bring together multi-generations of the Passamaquoddy in a collaborative learning experience which bypasses previous divisions due to social and political issues. The children who are being taught the Passamaquoddy language in the elementary and middle schools on the reservations at Indian Township and Pleasant Point "learn to read and write the language through the schools but cannot understand the spoken word." (Sockabasin p 8 2007), therefore an interactive media system that presents native speakers is essential to communicating in the language. This system also opens up the possibility for those off the reservation to reconnect hear and learn the language as well as future generations who may not have access to native speakers.

Deployment

To seed and implant the Passamaquoddy Living Language program New Media practitioners from the University of Maine and developers of the Living Language System will work with students in the Indian Township schools. The reservation school students will be taught the logistics and use of the system. The potential exits for inclusion of this program in their language classes at school.

Currently all seventh and eight grade students in the state of Maine have access to Mac books with built in microphones. These computers are ideal tools for gathering language recordings. The Wabanaki Center at the University of Maine also has made available six Mac Book pros for use in the initial deployment of the system. These computers are not only equipped with a built in microphone but also I-sight web cams that make image and video capturing available.

The students will be encouraged to use this equipment in order to record native elder speakers in the community. These recordings will function as the initial media development stage of the system and a test to the effectiveness of this process.

Implications

• The Living Language System is an innovative approach to preserving a language, providing a means for documenting expansion of a language and creating a system for language learning. It is inspired by the current web culture of instantaneous media capturing and publication.

• Availability of technology workshops to all members of the community to teach them the functionality of the system and actively participate in developing media for the system for language learning.

• In learning the system the opportunity exists for building and strengthening relationships between members of the tribe and with outside institutions such as the University of Maine.

• The future plans for the Living Language System are extensive with the potential to make this technology available to other tribal communities in Maine, the United States and internationally.

• Another advancement of the system in consideration is making the system cell phone compatible.

References

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