Western Apache

Abstract: This remarkable book introduces us to four unforgettable Apache people, each of whom offers a different take on the significance of places in their culture. Apache conceptions of wisdom, manners and morals, and of their own history are inextricably intertwined with place, and by allowing us to overhear his conversations with Apaches on these subjects Basso expands our awareness of what place can mean to people.Most of us use the term "sense of place" often and rather carelessly when we think of nature or home or literature. Our senses of place, however, come not only from our individual experiences but also from our cultures. "Wisdom Sits in Places," the first sustained study of places and place-names by an anthropologist, explores place, places, and what they mean to a particular group of people, the Western Apache in Arizona. For more than thirty years, Keith Basso has been doing fieldwork among the Western Apache, and now he shares with us what he has learned of Apache place-names--where they come from and what they mean to Apaches."This is indeed a brilliant exposition of landscape and language in the world of the Western Apache. But it is more than that. Keith Basso gives us to understand something about the sacred and indivisible nature of words and place. And this is a universal equation, a balance in the universe. Place may be the first of all concepts; it may be the oldest of all words."--N. Scott Momaday"In "Wisdom Sits in Places" Keith Basso lifts a veil on the most elemental poetry of human experience, which is the naming of the world. In so doing he invests his scholarship with that rarest of scholarly qualities: a sense of spiritual exploration. Through his clear eyes we glimpse the spirit of a remarkable people and their land, and when we look away, we see our own world afresh."--William deBuys"A very exciting book--authoritative, fully informed, extremely thoughtful, and also engagingly written and a joy to read. Guiding us vividly among the landscapes and related story-tellings of the Western Apache, Basso explores in a highly readable way the role of language in the complex but compelling theme of a people's attachment to place. An important book by an eminent scholar."--Alvin M. Josephy, Jr.

Abstract: Combining methods from ethnoscience and sociolinguistics, this paper presents an hypothesis to account for why, in certain types of situations, members of Western Apache society refrain from speech. Though cross-cultural data on silence behavior are almost wholly lacking, some evidence has been collected which suggests that this hypothesis may have relevance to other societies as well.

Abstract: Foreword Dell Hymes Preface 1. Indian models of 'the Whiteman' 2. Cibecue and whitemen 3. Joking imitations of Anglo-Americans: interpretive functions 4. Joking imitations of Anglo-Americans: social functions 5. Changing portraits of 'the Whiteman' Appendix Notes References.

Abstract: Two experimental language-learning textbooks were developed in collaboration with Apache-speaking scholars from the San Carlos and White Mountain Reservations. One was written in the grammar-translation tradition and modeled after successful textbooks for Navajo and Papago. While the text's main purpose is to teach elementary conversational Western Apache with some emphasis on reading and writing, it also teaches some of the linguistics of Western Apache to Apache students and speakers. Educators can apply linguistics knowledge to contrast the languages in bilingual situations and as a tool for teaching children about scientific inquiry (analyzing their own intuitive knowledge of language rules). Also, exposure to linguistics may spark some Native American students to enter the field and apply themselves to the problems of endangered Native languages. The other textbook is a guide to teaching Apache with the Total Physical Response (TPR) method, based on. Asher's (1982) teacher's guidebook. The approaches of the two textbooks raise various problems that can be partially solved by combining approaches. For example, classificatory handling verbs are best taught by a grammar-translation method, supplemented by TPR-style exercises; straightforward syntactic structures (in Apache), such as negation and yes/no questions, can be taught through TPR exercises, supplemented by grammatical explanations. In addition, native experts should monitor any text to avoid culturally sensitive or politically inappropriate material. Finally, a dialogue between linguists and native experts is needed to decide how much linguistic terminology can be handled in each curriculum. Contains 45 references. (Author/SV) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *. ******************************************************************************** Teaching Indigenous Languages U.S. U. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION This document has been reproduced as CENTER (ERIC) received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproductton qua lay Points of view or opinions slated in this document do not necessarily represent official 0E011 position or policy PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY