Students will soon be able to sign up for classes in the Klamath, Modoc and Paiute languages.
The Tribes and the school have had on-and-off partnerships for years, including language workshops and assemblies. But this is the first time there will be dedicated, full-time classes.
GeorGene Nelson, language department director for the Klamath Tribes, said she grew up hearing stories from family members about their time in boarding schools.
"It was cruel punishment for speaking your Indian language. And so I feel it's important for us to try to get that back into our culture," she said. "We were born to speak these languages that we're teaching."
For decades, government boarding schools stripped Native Americans of their language and culture. The Klamath Tribes hope these classes will help strengthen that culture.
"I always ask kids, 'What language should they speak in Japan?' And they all say 'Japanese'. I go, 'What language would you think they speak in Germany?' 'German.' I go, 'Well, for thousands and thousands of years here, we spoke our own language,'" she said. "Language is much more than just learning the words and phrases and how to communicate. It completes us as people."
Rita Hepper, principal at Chiloquin Elementary School, said students have been interested when they’ve done language workshops in the past.
"We don't have a lot of behavior issues during that time. So that tells me right there that our kids, all of our kids, not just our tribal kids, but all of our kids, are really, really engaged and soaking it all up," she said.
The classes are available for kids in first through sixth grade. The Tribes are staffing and funding the program.
All students will have exposure to tribal languages during Friday activities, Hepper said.
"We see a need in our kids that there is connection to culture that they're craving," Hepper said. "The language is being lost if we're not careful, and part of the responsibility of our school is to help bring that language back."
Nelson said a grant from the Bureau of Indian Affairs will allow her to hire three more staff members to work at the school.
The Tribes' standalone language department has existed for three years and also teaches language classes to adults.
The school district’s first day of school is on Sept. 2.
