Ways of Speaking and Ways of Dancing

This chapter explores how the use of indigenous dance songs is related to linguistic issues of speaking the endangered languages among St. Lawrence Island Yupik and Iñupiaq youth. Today, Alaska Native youth grow up with speaking English as a mother tongue. In the late 20th century, some Native leaders consciously or unconsciously choose to speak English, the dominant language in the United States, as speaking English is beneficial for allowing minorities to negotiate with the mainstream society on behalf of their own people. What people do with an endangered language and ethnic dance can depend on the range and composition of their linguistic and dance repertoires in their respective social contexts.