UPDATE:

Registration for the 2008 Youth Language Fair is closed.

Check-in on March 31st and April 1st will begin at 8:30am, and opening ceremonies will begin at 9:00am. We estimate that events will be concluded at approximately 3:00pm on both days.

The 2008 fair will take place March 31st (Pre-K – 5th grades) and
April 1st (6th – 12th grades). 

Students will compete in nine categories: Individual Spoken Language, Group Spoken Language, Individual Language Performance with Music or Dance, Group Language Performance with Music or Dance, Film/Video/Multimedia, Native Language Book, Language Advocacy Essay, Poster Art, and this year’s new category, Language Masters Performance.  Each category will be judged by a panel of Native elders with elders who are Native artists judging the poster and film/video/multimedia categories and elders who are Native authors judging the Native Language Book category.  All students are winners when they speak their Native language!

Students of Native American languages from grades ranging from preschool to high school are invited to enter the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.  Performances over the two-day event range from skits, stories, poetry, drama, song, and even dance that incorporates use of Native language.  Students also present beautiful artwork related to the year’s language fair them in the poster contest, creative stories and literature in the Native Language Book category, and inventive and educational works in the film/video/multimedia category.  High school students also have a chance to exhibit their persuasiveness and advocacy for Native languages in the Language Advocacy Essay which focuses on the continuing importance of Native languages.  This year’s new category, the Language Masters Performance Category, will showcase the language skills and creativity of high school students who have grown up speaking their Native language.  As you can see, there are categories for students at all levels in their language learning.

“This is a fun day for all the kids,” says Mary Linn, Curator of Native American Languages at SNOMNH.  “They really get confident with they hear the other kids cheering for them.  It’s a great atmosphere of sharing and support.”

This statewide competition draws more than 600 participants, who compete in as many as 27 Native American languages.  Each day’s events begin with check-in at 8:30 AM with closing ceremonies taking place at 3:30 PM.  The top three performers, performance groups, posters, books, videos, and essays in each age group will receive a trophy that can be displayed at their school or tribal center.

Native artists, elders, authors, and language teachers from several different tribes will judge the various categories.  Strict accuracy in the language is not essential.  Instead, the student’s performances are evaluated on how much Native language is used, the spirit of the performance itself, and the effort behind the performance.  Every student who participates will receive an award.

To have forms sent by mail, participants may contact the museum’s Native American Languages department at (405) 325-7588 or request forms be sent hard copy via email.

 

Many thanks to our generous sponsors for this year's event!

The Boeing Company

The Chickasaw Nation

The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association

The Osage Nation Language Program

The Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma

The Indian Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma