LearnHidatsa.com

Living Link To The Past

Oct 22, 2008 - 04:05:16 CDT

By LAUREN DONOVAN
Bismarck Tribune

TWIN BUTTES - In only one school in America could children honor their teacher by speaking the lost words of the Mandan.

Edwin Benson's face was full of happiness Tuesday as every elementary child came to the microphone to say one word, or a phrase in a language only he knows.

Benson is the last one to speak the Mandan language fluently, though he has labored for years to teach the children simple words and phrases and tell them the stories he has known all his life.

He is sought out by linguists from around the world and is, in many ways, a national treasure. But his most important work has been on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation at the Twin Buttes school, where he has taught words and stories for 16 years.

The children, some parents and community members celebrated Benson's 77th birthday and his supposed "retirement" from the school in a ceremony of gifts and food.

To him, retirement means cutting back from full time to a few hours a day.

Kids love him and they all call him "Grandpa Benson."

"He's a pretty cool guy," said Roy Morsette, 5. "He plays bingo with us."

It's a game Benson devised for showing the same word in English and Mandan.

Tiffany Weigum, the kindergarten teacher, said the children love to see him in their classroom.

"They really enjoy it when he comes in," she said.

Cory Spotted Bear is a language apprentice and is working for the Twin Buttes community council on a Mandan language initiative.

He works with Benson to preserve the language, getting as much taped, digitized and memorized as he can, adding to similar efforts in the past.

"Language, identity and land - to me they're all the same," Spotted Bear said.

"It's like the reservation - it's not what we've been given, but what hasn't yet been taken away. It's the same with language," he said.

Benson finished his hearty lunch and looked around the community center.

He said most of the people there could, at best, speak a word, or two, of Mandan.

No one could speak with him in the first language he ever learned.

Any fluent speakers he knew have since died and they were few because so many more died in early 1800s smallpox epidemics when the Mandan still lived as free people along the Knife and Missouri rivers.

"The language really got lost when we couldn't speak it at school, until we got on the playground and we could use it on the sneak," he said.

Now, rather than hide it on the playground, children learn it in school, from Benson.

But they know a few words, or a phrase or two and some can imitate the breathy, nasal sounds of the language better than others.

After Benson - and may he live a long, long time - no one will speak it naturally in the words and cadence that came from the throats and minds of men in a distant past.

Benson knows the old history of the Mandan and he lived through his own history, when the Missouri River was flooded and the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara were forced off the river up onto far less hospitable land on the reservation.

"When I was young, sadness never bothered me so much, until the dam came. We were forced out and I lost my language. I can't use it. That's my sadness in my life and I'll never get over that loss," he said.

(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 888-303-5511 or lauren@;westriv.com.)

Apologies and Updates

Dear Readers,

As the soul initiator and moderator of this website, I have not kept up on my responsibilites to Learnhidatsa.com and therefore apologize for not putting as much effort that is needed to maintain this site. It has always been my passion to learn and help maintain and preserve the languages and customs amoung the people of Fort Berthold.
     Currently I am getting back to working on profiles of teachers, elders, and anyone else within the Fort Berthold community who can provide some insight on the current affairs of whats going on in the community, and to help share their understanding of the ways and customs of Fort Berthold, how they have grown and changed or stayed the same.
     I am also taking the iniative to establish some cultural programs on Fort Berthold that I think will benefit a lot of people in their structure and purpose. I encourage anyone reading this who has any input and ideas that feel can be positively implemented to email me at ANY time.
     As for the website itself, I am working on a new structure and trying to organize everything the best way I can. I will provide updates frequently and inform readers of how progress is going with the implementation of the programs, and again if you feel you have anything to contribute feel free to email me. If anything becomes of it you will get the proper recognition you deserve.

Maacagiiraac,

Lisa Casarez

Revival of Black Mouth Society shows value of culture

AUTHOR: Jodi Rave, Billings Gazette

Gerald "Tex" Fox held a microphone in his hand as he introduced members of the Hidatsa Black Mouth Society.

It had been more than a half-century since anyone had seen a member of this once revered and prestigious society. But in recent months, Mandaree community members decided to revive the society that had all but faded into history books.

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The Three Affiliated Tribes is considering a new constitution to replace one written by the federal government 70 years ago.

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A long time ago the Indians roamed the West like the buffalo, one family scattered and returned by change. There were no separate tribes.

One of the Indians was a woman of powerful beauty. She gave birth to twin sons, but she did not know who their father was. The beautiful woman sang her sons to sleep with a heartbreaking lullaby, and everyone who heard it took pity on her.

Finally, the Earth agreed to claim the first son, and the stars took the second son as one of their own. From then on, the people called them Earthboy and Starboy.

In the footsteps of Lewis and Clark

Author: Jodi Rave Lee, Lincoln Star Journal

"Down by the river, where the water flows cold and clear, I'll whisper sweet words to you, honey, words you want to hear." -Hidatsa courting song

KNIFE RIVER INDIAN VILLAGES, N.D. - The renowned Mandan-Hidatsa flute player shared his people's songs and stories as listeners huddled around a glowing fire in the earth-covered lodge.

"A young lady might hear a song similar to this along the river," explained Keith Bear, as he began to play the flute, pausing midway to sing the words from a courtship song before ending the soulful melody with one last breath.

Dorreen Yellow Bird

Dorreen Yellow Bird profile - coming soon

COMING SOON

Lesson plans that are taught to K-12 will soon be available ....

Fluent Speaker Index

Fluent Speaker Profiles Index

This section highlights fluent speakers in all languages and their thoughts on language, culture, teaching and preservation.

Martha (Yellow Wolf) Birdbear, Hidatsa Language Instructor

Martha Birdbear is a fluent Hidatsa speaker and currently an elementary language instructor at the Mandaree Public School.