“Stay With Your Words”: Indigenous Youth, Local Policy, and the Work of Language Fortification

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

This article examines how cultural and language maintenance and fortification operate with Indigenous youth, treating “work” as two intertwined strands: youth-partnered research that centers Indigenous perspectives, and culturally grounded linguistic engagement embedded in Indigenous communities. Using a study with Pueblo Indian youth in the southwestern United States, it builds counter-narratives that show Indigenous youth as cultural and language agents of change. The analysis deconstructs dominant assumptions, addresses researcher bias, and provides empirical evidence against universal victim-at-risk framings while outlining contributions to policy development for urgent community needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 24 Number 52 May 2, 2016 ISSN 1068-2341 | | “Stay With Your Words”: Indigenous Youth, Local Policy, and the Work of Language Fortification Elizabeth Sumida Huaman Nathan D. Martin Arizona State University & Carnell T. Chosa The Leadership Institute at the Santa Fe Indian School United States Citation: Sumida Huaman, E. A, Martin, N. D., & Chosa, C. T. (2016) .“Stay with your words”: Indigenous youth, local policy, and the work of language fortification. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24(52). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v24.2346](http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v24.2346) Abstract: This article focuses on the work of cultural and language maintenance and fortification with Indigenous youth populations. Here, the idea of work represents two strands of thought: first, research that is partnered with Indigenous youth-serving institutions and that prioritizes Indigenous youth perspectives; and second, the work of cultural and linguistic engagement that is often taken for granted as part of the sociocultural fabric of Indigenous communities where youth are active participants. By highlighting a study with Pueblo Indian youth in the southwestern United States, we aim to build on the counter-narrative frameworks of other educational scholars and communitybased researchers in order to offer alternative approaches towards understanding how Indigenous youth can and do participate in representing themselves as cultural and language agents of change. Arriving at this realization requires several key steps, including deconstructing dominant assumptions, holding ourselves accountable for interrogating and revisiting our own biases, and ultimately committing to long-term research and support with Indigenous youth. As such, we offer empirical evidence that contradicts universal discourse of Indigenous peoples and youth as victims at risk. Instead, we focus on the ways in which Indigenous youth demonstrate both tentative and bold fortification of key elements in their Indigenous identities and illustrate promise in contribution to multiple levels of policy development to address their communities’ most urgent needs and goals. Keywords: Indigenous language revitalization; Indigenous language education policy; Pueblo Indian education “Mantengan sus palabras”: Juventud indígena, política local, y el trabajo de fortalecimiento de idiomas Resumen: Este artículo se enfoca en el mantenimiento y fortalecimiento de las culturas e idiomasindígenas con jóvenes indígenas. Representamos dos líneas de pensamiento – primero, investigaciones en asociación con instituciones que sirven jóvenes indígenas y que priorizan las perspectivas de la juventud Indígena, y en segundo lugar, el trabajo de participación cultural y lingüístico que a veces se da por descontado como parte de la estructura de comunidades indígenas donde jóvenes participan activamente. Destacando un estudio de investigación con jóvenesindígenas Pueblo del suroeste de los Estados Unidos, nuestro objetivo es fortalecer contra-narrativas de otros intelectuales y de investigadores insertos en comunidades Indígenas para ofrecer propuestas alternativas para la comprensión sobre como los jóvenes participarán y participan para representarse como agentes culturales y de idiomas para cambios sociales. Estas tareas requieren varios pasos, incluso deconstruir suposiciones dominantes, responsabilizándonos a nosotros mismos para interrogar y volver a visitar nuestros prejuicios, y finalmente, comprometiéndonos a estudios de investigación de largo plazo y que apoyen jóvenes indígenas. Ofrecemos pruebas empíricas que contradicen el discurso general que caracteriza a los pueblos Indígenas y sus jovenes como victimas en situación de riesgo. Nosotros nos enfocamos en las maneras como los jovenes indígena fortalecen ten

FAQs

What does the article mean by “work” in relation to Indigenous youth and language fortification?

“Work” refers to two strands: collaborative research partnered with Indigenous youth-serving institutions that prioritizes youth perspectives, and the culturally and linguistically engaged participation that is often taken for granted in Indigenous communities.

What study is used to illustrate Indigenous youth participation and language fortification?

The article highlights a study with Pueblo Indian youth in the southwestern United States to examine how youth represent themselves as cultural and language agents of change.

How does the article challenge prevailing narratives about Indigenous youth?

It provides empirical evidence that contradicts universal discourse portraying Indigenous peoples and youth as victims at risk, instead focusing on tentative and bold fortification of key elements of Indigenous identities.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag