Leon Hawzipta’s first memories of hearing his Kiowa language were as a child listening to elders sing church hymns and recite prayers.
Now, as the advisor for the Tulsa Kiowa Language and Culture Revitalization Program, he works to ensure the culture and language of his tribe is kept alive.
“Language is key. Our culture is based on the Kiowa language,” said Hawzipta. “The purposes of the Tulsa Kiowa Language and Culture Revitalization Program are to promote and implement Kiowa language and culture in the Tulsa community, develop a Kiowa language curriculum, identify and train future Kiowa language teachers, develop teacher certification standards for Kiowa language teachers and develop Kiowa language resources.”
To help achieve the goal of increasing native language speakers, Hawzipta works as the advisor for the “Kiowa Language Class” which is free and open to all levels of adult and teen language speakers. The classes are presented each Tuesday in April, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Zarrow Regional Library, 2224 W 51st St. Classes are led by Asa Lewis, Antonia Belindo Hudson and Travis Mammedaty.
TCCL’s American Indian Resource Center, which is located at the Zarrow Regional Library, is a co-sponsor of the program. The American Indian Resource Center provides access to thousands of books, periodicals and media for all ages about American Indians, including historical and rare materials, new releases, language resources, videos and music CDs.
“The concept of the American Indian Resource Center’s various language classes is to create an interest in native languages,” said Teresa Runnels, American Indian Resource Center coordinator. “The hope is that people will seek further learning through library resources, individual tribes or colleges and universities.”
For more information on TCCL’s programming and services, call 918-549-7323 or visit the library’s website, www.tulsalibrary.org.
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