Durango high school teacher works to preserve Navajo language
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DURANGO, Colo. — “Zero! Názbąs! Keep going,” instructed Elfreida Begay, a Navajo language teacher at Durango High School.
“Tʼááłáʼí, naaki, tááʼ,” a dozen students recited in unison. Some glanced at their notes, only to be quickly corrected by Begay.
Begay is Taʼneeszahnii (Tangle People Clan), born for Tsinaajinii (Black-Streaked Wood People Clan). Her maternal grandfathers are Kinyaaʼáanii (Towering House People Clan), and her paternal grandfathers are Maʼiideeshgiizhnii (Coyote Pass-Jemez People Clan). She is originally from Chinle, Arizona.
This is Begay’s second year teaching Diné Bizaad, which translates to “the people’s language.” She currently teaches 22 students in Diné language level 1 and 10 students in level 2.
“My personal mission is that I am saving a language from extinction. It’s not just my job. This is what I was born to do. This is what I have to do. It is on me,” said Begay, whose first language was Diné Bizaad.
The number of people who speak Diné Bizaad is steadily declining. A study shows that in 1980, 93% of Navajo people spoke the language. By 2010, that figure dropped to 51%, and it is projected to fall to just 10% by 2030.
A 2015 study revealed that 94% of Indigenous children primarily speak English at home, and fewer than 5% of Navajo children are fluent in their native language.
The decline in Indigenous languages in the U.S. is due in large part to forced assimilation. Starting in the late 1800s, Durango became a site of Indigenous cultural exploitation with the establishment of a federal off-reservation Native American boarding school, which later became Fort Lewis College. The school imposed assimilation to Western culture on Indigenous students, prohibiting students from practicing their Native traditions, including speaking Diné Bizaad.
A focus on oral tradition
Diné Bizaad is both an oral and tonal language, with much of Navajo history and knowledge traditionally passed down verbally rather than through writing. A more standardized written form of the language was developed in the early 20th century. Because of this, Begay places a strong emphasis on speaking skills in her classes.
“I do not introduce alphabets or vowel sounds, consonant sounds until late March or April. Right now, all we’re doing is just learning words. How does it sound? How does it feel coming out of your mouth?” she said.
In a level 1 class, she led students in repeating the word “ałhíidzohgo” (combine) over and over, emphasizing its rhythm and tone.
“It’s definitely hard to remember everything with it being a tone language,” said Austin Romero, an 11th-grade student in level 1.
“Your pitch matters. Wherever you go up a pitch versus down, that changes the entire meaning of the words,” he said.
Romero, who is a quarter Diné, said he hopes to communicate with his elders in Navajo and reconnect with his culture.
“Diné is definitely one of my favorite classes of the day,” said Jessi Watson, another level 1 student.
Watson, whose mother’s family is Diné, said she has learned some words over the years but had never studied the language formally.
“There’s just some words that I really like to say. Like Áshįįh — that’s salt. I like the way the words sound,” said Watson.
Language as Culture
For her level 2 class, Begay integrates cultural elements such as traditional beadwork and hair ties. Students learn to name colors in Diné Bizaad while creating necklaces.
All level 2 students have passed a four-minute oral presentation introducing themselves and their families in Diné Bizaad.
“The most rewarding aspect of learning Navajo is probably understanding what my grandparents are saying,” said Kaleigh Kailer Atizbáá, a level 2 student from Tuba City, Arizona.
“Usually, my family always talks in Navajo, and I never really understood them. Next year, I’d like to hold an entire conversation without needing a lot of support,” she said.
Challenges in teaching
Begay’s class is the first Diné Bizaad class at Durango High School. One of her biggest challenges is explaining life on the reservation — where Navajo is rooted — to students who grew up in urban settings.
“In my head, Diné Bizaad is easy because I can speak it, because I have elders who spoke it and lived it — not just the language itself, but their entire life immersed within the culture that is the language,” said Begay.
“My mom had sheep. Having to do all the duties, not having running water, not having electricity. Go outside, go chop woods, go bring it in and go get some water, put it on the stove heater. So all of that, all the directions were in Navajo. Trying to bring that experience into the classroom, they’re like, ‘What are you talking about? We have a heater,’” said Begay.
Another challenge is working within the constraints of a high school system.
“In an ideal world, I want to take my students to Diné College on the reservation, to Window Rock, to the Navajo Tribal Fair where a lot of grandparents are there,” she said.
“I want to take them to a powwow at a high school in the middle of the reservation so they can see families coming together. I want not so much books, not so much textbooks, not so much worksheets.”
Begay’s goal is to expand the program to include four levels of Diné language, teaching Navajo history in higher levels and preparing students to take certification exams in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation.
“Oral language means experiencing — going to those places and seeing the language happening,” said Begay. “If you know the language, teach that. You don’t need textbooks or worksheets. You already have it in here. You lived it. Share that experience.”
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