Footprints of Our Elders Classes

Like many Native American cultures, Yakama culture is slowly dying. The language is moribund, meaning the youngest speaker is over age sixty. And the younger generation is either not being taught how to speak it, or they aren’t caring enough to learn it, and if they don’t learn it than it will be no more. When we lose a language, we lose centuries of human thinking about time, seasons, fish, elk, edible roots, mathematics, landscapes, myths, music, the unknown, and the everyday. Unfortunately, language is not the only thing being lost. Many of our youth do not know how to drum, or sing the songs. They do not know how to gather the cedar root and bear grass to make baskets. They do not know how to gather Tule reeds to make the mats, or bead the beautiful designs that Native people are known for. These are things that are truly being lost in time.

Footprints of Our Elders are classes that are designed to re-vitalize the culture, and re-connect our elders to the youth, and the youth to the elders. Here is where we have traditionally learned our beliefs, customs, spirituality, family values, ceremonies, etc. And it is our belief that here is where we must return in order to maintain these things. These classes have one or more elders who teach, and 7-10 youth who attend.

Currently we have three classes: Tule Mats, Bead working, and Drumming. In 2008 we will introduce two more classes—basket making and Yakama language.