Native Public Media reports that “radio is a lifeline for emergencies, tribal languages, health and economics news, and electoral participation across the Indian Country.” This site which promotes the radio station, with the “only on-air Native language programming helping to keep tribal languages and cultures alive and strong. ” I believe this is an interesting idea, in a time when many push social visual media (TV) as a way of maintaining aboriginal languages.
Radio does allow the listener to concentrate on the words in order to grasp the meaning. Therefore in may very well be a more effective method of retaining a language. However it is important to rememeber that ther is more to a cultural language than merely sounds. The non-verbal aspects of language may be missed through radio. Blogs and other events in the US serve to fortify the Native Public Media’s mission to: “promote healthy, engaged and independent Native Communities through media access, control and ownership.”
Feel free to visit or listen.