The
native languages and culture of the Ojibwa tribe and Peruvian natives will be
introduced through words, song and dance in a lecture by two faculty members at
the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
“Importance
of Indigenous Languages: Ojibwa and Runasimi (Quechua)” will be presented at
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, by Spanish Professor Elia Armacanqui-Tipacti and
Social Work Professor Sonny Smart. Held in the Pinery Room of the Portage
County Library, 1001 Main St., Stevens Point, it is the seventh of the
eight-part 2013-14 Community Lecture Series sponsored by the College of Letters
and Science at UW-Stevens Point.
The
presentation will give a short history of the languages, how each connect to
native culture and how the languages have survived western influence and
attempts to discontinue them through historic federal policies and missionary
schools. A demonstration of song and dance will explore how languages and
cultures interact with each other.
“This
is the first time there will be such a unique and interdisciplinary
presentation featuring two indigenous languages and cultures,” said
Armacanqui-Tipacti. “It promises to be intellectually stimulating, and
demonstrates UW-Stevens Point’s commitment to global citizenship.”
Armacanqui-Tipacti is a native of Peru and specializes in Latin American,
Portuguese and Brazilian colonial literature. She has also studied women’s
roles in colonial times as a means to uncover the silent voices of the past.
She has taught at UW-Stevens Point since 2002, and has served as an adviser to
the Spanish Club and Latin American student organization. She has twice won the
UW System Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award.
Smart
coordinates the Native American Rural and Social
Work program and Native American Family Institute at UW-Stevens Point, where he
has taught since 1990. He is a member of the Bad River Band of Chippewa of Wisconsin
and has been adopted into the Menominee tribe. A certified therapist, he also
serves as consultant for Wisconsin Native American tribes, has been a tribal
judge and actively participates in powwows as a dancer, judge and master of
ceremonies.
The College
of Letters and Science Community Lecture Series schedule and previously
recorded lectures may be viewed at www.uwsp.edu/cols/lectureseries.