Native language preservation bill gets OK

Rep. Clarena Brockie became emotional when she spoke on the floor of the Montana House on Saturday in favor of a bill to help preserve Native American languages.

The Harlem Democrat broke into tears when she described how her relatives, including her grandchildren, had a more positive self-image when they started to learn the languages of their ancestors.

Older generations were prohibited from speaking native languages, Brockie said.

Keeping the language alive is an important part of preserving native cultures.

Brockie was one of several lawmakers who became emotional when they spoke in favor of the bill, which passed the House 74-26.

Some native languages are nearly extinct, they said. At Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, there is only one person fluent in the Chippewa language, they said, though there is a resurgence of Cree on the reservation.

The bill, proposed by Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, is the first of its kind in the nation.

Windy Boy said there is no other legislation to use as an example because no other state has such a law.

The bill calls for $2 million to help reservation-area schools to come up with plans for preserving the languages.

The bill now goes back to the State Senate, he said. The Senate-passed version of the bill is similar, but not identical to the House version.

Windy Boy said he will ask that a conference committee, consisting of three members from both houses, iron out the differences.

He said he opposes the amendments added by the House.

On the bill to preserved native languages:

Rep. Clarena Brockie, D-Harlem, and Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, voted yes. Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Chinook, voted no.