Language Diversity and Pomo Speakers

-Language Diversity

 

Noting linguistic and cultural similarities many historians, academics and others have typically used the term “Pomo” to refer to the tribal groups and languages found in this northern California region.  Today there are twenty-two Pomo tribes within the Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake County regions.  All of these groups are separate but related.  The Pomo language family is made up of seven different dialects.  Each of the dialects typically divided by region, representing Northern, Northeastern, Eastern, Central, Southwestern (Kashaya), Southeastern and Southern Pomo.  Historically individuals spoke more than one dialect for the purposes of communicating with people from different bands.  Inter-marriage between groups also contributed to familiarity and fluency with other dialects.  While diversity distinguished one dialect from another, it did not divide Pomo people in terms of their shared values and sense of community.  Today it is important to maintain and respect the diversity of Pomo dialects.  The fluent speakers within the various tribal communities do not often have the opportunity to communicate with others who speak their same dialect.  Thus, many experience loss of language where they lack the opportunities to use it.  While preservation efforts are often focused on a specific dialect it is important to look at the significance of all of the dialects in terms of how they are related to one another and the role they play in our collective heritage. 

 -Pomo Speakers

Many speakers have focused their efforts on maintaining and revitalizing Pomo language within various families and tribal communities.  Some speakers live on or near the reservation while others travel great distances to bring information back to their people. 

The survival of our language is dependent on the knowledge and dedication of Pomo speakers; we must support them in their efforts to transmit our culture to future generations. 

 

 

Mr. Nelson Hopper of the Big Valley Rancheria has been key to the development and implementation of the Pomo Language Repository. He is the elder statesman of the Big Valley Rancheria and over the years has been a strong leader for the Indian people of the Lake County region. Nelson grew up on the rancheria with English as his second language. His fluency in his Pomo language has allowed him to be the cultural icon and the recognized historian of his tribal people.

During World War II, Nelson served his country in the Army’s tank division under General Patton. After the war, he worked at various jobs and then became an iron-worker, a career that tested his physical endurance and analytical skills. Nelson has long since retired and lives with his wife, Erleen, at Big Valley. It saddens him to know that he is the only speaker of Eastern Pomo language but he has hope that today’s youth will carry forward the culture of Big Valley through the teachings of the Pomo language.