American Indian tries to save dying language through music

If you were to peruse the “About” section of IndianGiver’s Facebook page, you’ll notice how the instruments attributed to each of the Oklahoma City band’s five members are described with downright flippancy: Dylan Jordan plays “sticks & animal skins,” while Jazzton Rodriguez earns his keep with “shanties & loud noises,” and so on.

Code 22 — Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!

The guys of Oklahoma City’s Code 22 seem like a likable group of fellas. Their latest release, Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!, is likable enough as well — so likable that on first listen, I took its clean, acoustic sound and clear, unstressed vocals as an alternative praise-and-worship band.

Eureeka — Polysynthetic Fields

It’s always refreshing to hear music that embraces its own eccentricity, yet presents it in an accessible and meek fashion. Eureeka — the Norman-based duo of Jordan Vargas and Devin Wahl — has tapped into this rarified air on its self-released EP, Polysynthetic Fields.

Rock 'n' roll just might save a language that is in danger of dying out. The man that made this part of his mission is American Indian recording artist and Grammy winner Robert Mirabal. "In the Bloo...

Rock 'n' roll just might save a language that is in danger of dying out. The man that made this part of his mission is American Indian recording artist and Grammy winner Robert Mirabal.

"In the Blood," his 12th release, features songs in English as well as Tiwa, the indigenous language of Mirabal and his ancestors of the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. Mirabal explained that while 2,000 Taos Pueblo remain, only half speaks the language.

The difficulty of passing the language on to the next generation is made harder because Tiwa is a completely oral language and not a written one. The fragile language, if not taken care of, it could disappear in one age group.

CHALLENGES
Mirabal said the task of saving Tiwa is not as simple as recording the language for generations to come, because there are nuances to the language, such as gestures and innuendos, which don't have sounds to record. He compared using conversational Tiwa in his music to teaching algebra to a student before he or she could learn physics.

"There are different levels to the language," he said. "It's a very poetic language; it paints pictures."

The responsibility of passing the language down lies on the shoulders of those who still speak it, he said. By setting Tiwa to rhythm and melody, Mirabal wants to help preserve his culture and help create an easier way to learn Tiwa. "Bryan Mangieri

IndianGiver — Plafond EP

Various artists — Never Give Up: Celebrating 10 Years of The Postal Service

Big Worm — Bench All-Stars

Code 22 — Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!

Eureeka — Polysynthetic Fields

American Indian tries to save dying language through music