Comanche Academy Charter School Participates in Norman Language Fair
Entities from across the state competed and performed at the 20th Annual Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair on Monday, April 3, and Tuesday, April 4, at the University of Oklahoma Sam Noble Museum in Norman, Oklahoma.
On Monday, Comanche Academy Charter School performed eight different times in the day, including Traditional Song, Modern Song and spoken language.
Program Site Director Desiree DeVine was given an award at the event for attending the event for over 15 years.
“It wasn't just like a ‘me’ award, you know, it was more of me like a program award for my program because our programs competed the 17 years,” she said. “And like I said, for seven of those years I was the teacher in the classroom, but for the rest of the time I had been on the administrative side of it. I always participated in the language fair. I always made sure the kids were doing their rehearsals.”
DeVine said they make sure the students are used to the songs.
“In the past, we've always done rehearsals…inside the education department's auditorium…getting them used to getting lined up and on the stage,” she said. “In the past we performed in front of the employees before going to language competition, performing at the elder’s center…doing stuff like that prior to the event. So, they're used to going in front of students or going in front of a crowd.”
DeVine said CDs are also sent home with the kids so the parents can hear the song before the event. She also said it’s good practice for the kids.
April 3 was the busiest of the two days, and DeVine said she enjoyed seeing several events across both days.
“We've never got to see the opening parade…when the kids come in and we've never participated in a parade because…we're always prepping the kids right before they're going to go on because usually…we get there and we're not there very long and then our category's up and then we go up,” she said. “There's been a couple of times where our category was later, but trying to keep the kids entertained and keep them together and getting them ready, whether it's like if there were, they've won regalia at different events…sometimes it was just getting their regalia all on and so we've never got to see the opening parade when the kids all get to come in with their flags from their different tribes and just seeing the different tribes was my big thing. I've always just seen what was in our category so I've never got to see like what other categories, like Tuesday we went and they did like the movie clips and I've never seen the movie clips and so those were, those were cool.”
There was also a fashion show and screenings of home videos spoken in various languages.
DeVine said the language fair is something they look forward to every year.
Program Director for Comanche Nation Child Care Programs Carolyn Codopony said Early Childhood Development Center had brought students since the beginning.
“This is the biggest one I've seen,” she said. “It's the largest one and it just gets bigger and bigger every year. It's grown so much from that very first year.”
Codopony said the event is crucial because it helps teach the language to the children.
“I'm a huge advocate for reclaiming the Comanche language,” she said. “I'm the current president of the Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee and ever since I moved back to the community in 1999, my daughter was one year old, I started participating in the CLCPC's language classes and being out in the community and knowing those families that preserved our language. It's a passion of mine.”
Codopony was the co-facilitator for the Comanche Language Planning Group.
“If we create speakers of our language and we create, go forward with the 10-year plan that the department has,” she said. “We will create new speakers, a new community of speakers and we will have dual language learners and dual language learners, it's proven by research, that it will make our children stronger, better, they'll be smarter, they'll be more successful and that's the bottom line for me as an early childhood educator.”
Codopony said these events give her pride and happiness; she can see it on the children’s faces when they’re in their tribal regalia.
“It's very evident in their faces that they feel that pride of who they are,” she said.
Codopony said her favorite part is seeing the children perform across Oklahoma.
“I just love being here to be able to show them like, ‘Hey I see you,’ and in supporting that because of my elders, the speakers that preserved it and their families, they still wholeheartedly support reclaiming our language and that's what we're doing at this time,” she said.
Deyo Mission Church places first in Medium Group Modern Song.
