Tewa Tribe in New Mexico
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"I'm doing this program because pretty much no one in my family or culture surrounding me speaks my language... I saw that my culture is dying very fast and so if someone needs to be there to preserve it, I'll be here... to take on that responsibility...and this is that first step." - Jeremy, student at The Young Ancestors
Actions have also been taken in the southern part of the United States, in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Schilling). The Tewa tribe living in Santa Fe sent out newsletter to inform Native students about a new opportunity: they can study the Tewa language with a help of a mentor (Schilling).
When Aimée Broustra, producer and director heard about the idea, she decided to produce a documentary about the Native students learning the language (Schilling). The title of the documentary is The Young Ancestors.
Ms. Broustra said in an interview that “I knew this would be a story of inspiration and hope and it was a story that needed to be told.” Also, she stated that, "the teenagers in The Young Ancestors are motivated and enthusiastic about learning because they understand the symbiotic relationship between language and culture; that one cannot survive for too long without the other" (Schilling).
Student learning at The Young Ancestors
The seal of the Tewa tribe