For the extra reading unit, I chose to do half of the Apache Tales unit. Here are my thoughts.
First thoughts on reading Culture Heroes and the Owl was, "Wow, that language is weird, and kind of hard to read." Which is probably what most people think when they read the story for the first time. The hoop and poles game is something I'd never heard of.
First thoughts on reading Culture Heroes and the Owl was, "Wow, that language is weird, and kind of hard to read." Which is probably what most people think when they read the story for the first time. The hoop and poles game is something I'd never heard of.
Drawing of the Apache hoop and poles game
I also learned that owls aren't very fond of magic according to the Apache people!
After reading a few more stories, I realized I have no idea how to pronounce their words. I tried multiple different ways to say them, and the letters just don't add up to something that makes any sense. I'd have to talk to an Apache who speaks the language to properly understand it I'm pretty sure! I'm definitely glad I chose Cherokee as my language, the syllables always follow the same general rules, and vowels are always pronounced the same, which I don't know if I can say for Apache!
Hey Patrick! It's interesting that you found a unit where language provided a barrier to better enjoyment of the stories; I think we sometimes get so bogged down with the ubiquity of our own language that we forget that there are other languages out there--some right by us--that we might want or need to learn, if only to know the basics. And language can be such a barrier to taking in the culture of other peoples and nations--take it from someone who is studying abroad in Europe and only speaks English, haha.
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