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Article: Oklahoma native languages at the centennial.
- Article from:
- World Literature Today
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 University of Oklahoma. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ON LICENSE PLATES AND TELEVISION COMMERCIALS, the state of Oklahoma proudly announces itself as "Native America." But just how Native is Oklahoma? The answer is probably much more than the advertisement agency or the average Oklahoman, taking in the occasional powwow or Indian art show, probably understands. The answer is more and more "every day" as Native Oklahomans regain their tongues and voices.
Oklahoma has more Native languages still spoken than any other state. Part of this diversity lies in the history of the state, now celebrating its centennial year. The lush yet harsh prairies were the ancestral home of the Wichita, a tribe that included the internal ...