“Da go téh! Yá nneé yałtí ni chí gosháá néh? Kogé aigléh digií”

If you would like to know what this means, a new Apache language class that meets weekly is the place to learn both in person and online, because classes are livestreamed at facebook.com/ApacheLanguagePreservation.

This new page was created in January to give updates on the class schedule plus announcements of field trips and hikes where you can learn Apache names for plants, animals, mountains and other landmarks. Check out photos archived on that page to see images from field trips to Point of Pine, the Old Coolidge Dam Road, Bucket Mountain, Jackrabbit Flat and more.

Recent posts on that page list the class schedule as 5–7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. To confirm that schedule or more detail call the Apache Language Preservation office at 928-475-5060. There’s also an affiliated youth group with activities on alternating Wednesdays and Friday and occasional Saturday outings as well.

Again, to confirm the youth group schedule, call 928-475-5060, or connect with teachers, volunteers and participants at facebook.com/ApacheLanguagePreservation.

Who is the target audience for classes and workshops?

“Ages 17 on up, mainly the young parents who do not speak or understand our language. But the class is geared toward those who cannot speak or speak very little of our language and preference will be given to San Carlos Apaches first.”

Bob Stevens is among instructors, and wrote: “let us not lose our language but retain it for our youth so we as Apache people will survive! Please understand what we are working on with these classes and our language in general, our language isn’t readily available just anywhere. Very few “dictionaries” are available and the differences in dialects make this difficult. That’s what we are trying to do here at language preservation so a lot of the work we are doing has not been done yet.”

“We will be working on conversations and last night someone in class asked why our language is being lost when it is such a beautiful language? It’s a very long historical turn of events that almost killed not only our language but all native languages across North America. So there will be the language and history lessons in our next class.

“We will continue with these classes as long as there is interest and it will continue for months if attendance is good. So come join us as we travel down the road to an Apache speaking community once more.

Let’s not lose what makes us who we are: Apache.”