The Aaniiih tribe’s worldview is embedded in its language, explains Sean Chandler Ph.D., interim academic dean at Aaniiih Nakoda College on the Ft. Belknap Reservation in Harlem, Montana. That worldview, he says, values community well-being over individual accomplishments. “The word for chief, ‘Nakya,’ embodies our attitude toward leadership and accomplishment.
“Although Nakya means leader or chief, unlike its English counterpart, it also describes a person who is generous, both materially and spiritually,” says Chandler, who is of the Aaniiih and Nakoda tribes. Both tribes live on the Ft. Belknap reservation.
By contrast, he adds, the English word for chief carries an element of fear. “English gives one the sense that people follow a chief primarily because they fear them.”
Not so in Aaniiih. “People would agree by consensus to follow a certain person, who would then be called Nakya. Typically that person demonstrated a willingness to care for the weak as well as share his possessions with those in need. A Nakya modeled leadership behavior.”
The worldview imposed by English-speaking settlers encouraged self-centered, individualistic behavior and values. “We were encouraged to rise to the top at the expense of others. If you go back to the worldview of the Aaniiin people, we see that everybody depends on everybody. It encourages us to look out for each other and be generous.”
“In addition to banning our language, settlers even outlawed our traditional giveaways on the reservation.”
The White Clay or Aaniih language was hit extremely hard by colonization, and by 1997, there were only 25 Native speakers. Chandler and his wife, Lynette Chandler, wanted to revitalize the language and began learning Aaniiin in the 1990’s and in 2003 helped start the White Clay Immersion School. The Chandlers hold PhD’s in Educational Leadership from Montana State University.
Lynette Chandler is the director of the school, which serves grades K-8th grade. Since their numbers are small—just 12 students in 2016/17—the White Clay School has adopted a cohort model. “We use our 8th graders as mentors to the younger students,” Lynette Chandler says.
Learning Aaniin has helped give students a strong sense of self and identity according to Chandler. “They are often called upon to offer prayers at community gatherings. Other children look up to them.”
White Clay students are “wickedly” successful, she reports. “Our students carry themselves with pride and respect. Many have gone on to win academic awards.
“Sometimes Native people describe Western education as learning to walk in two worlds. At White Clay Immersion School, we believe students can walk in one world. As an educated Native person, you don’t have to be a fractured person anymore; This is your world.”
White Clay Immersion School, although affiliated with Aaniiin Nakota College, doesn’t receive funding from the state of Montana or the federal government. Instead, the school relies on support from private foundations and community fundraisers.
The Chandlers and members of the Ft. Belknap community, however, are committed to keeping the school and language alive. “The is the last stand for the Aaniiin language,” says Sean. “So far, we are winning the war.”
