Flutes of Fire
Essays on California Indian Languages
Leanne Hinton

In Flutes of Fire, Leanne Hinton cites to examples of how Wintu speakers think differently from English speakers. Instead of saying, “I live with my sister,” a Wintu speaker would say, “I am sistered.” Rather than, “I took the baby,” a Wintu person would say, “I went with the baby.” In Wintu, speakers conceive of their bodies and the clothes holistically, and so rather than say, “Her dress is striped,” one would say, “She is dress striped.” Rather than, “My head aches,” one would say, “I head ache.” While English has the concepts of singular and plural, the Wintu default is unified categories of beings. In Wintu, a speaker would have to specifically point to an individual member of a category. So, while a person raised speaking English sees a painting of a deer, the Wintu painter represents “deerness.”  

Hinton stresses that learning a California Indian language is not just about saying the same things as in English with different words. The language itself is key to cultural understanding.  Those who come to a Native Californian language from English may be perplexed initially because of how it is put together. The author explains that for example, the same stem for a verb may have a completely different meaning depending on which prefix is attached to the front of it. Hinton cites to the example of Kashaya, in which the verb “to hit” occurs with a prefix that shows exactly what “kind” of hit the speaker is referring to. She explains that in many Californian languages, different concepts are combined into a single
grammatically complex word which can be a sentence unto itself.  

Hinton reproduces Pomo design elements recorded in 1908, each associated with several names. The presentation shows how much information is encoded in the design of a basket, and presumably in other items as well. The design elements point to a complex writing system using patterns and shapes rather than words. Hinton notes that California Indians referred to the images produced on rock as “rock writing,” and had their own words for "reading" and "writing" that were not borrowed from Spanish or English. The actual transcription of words was unnecessary because the messages were not intended for anyone outside the area.  

The book explains how Native Californian languages encapsulate unique historical information. In one example, people who lived separated by hundreds of miles had quite similar languages, showing that at one time they were one people. In another, people with completely different languages had substantially the same mythologies and traditions, indicating close ties and probably intermarriage and bilingualism. The upshot is that the Native languages contain a great deal of important cultural information that cannot be found by reference to English or Spanish.

Hinton discusses how a government policy of forced language eradication during the first half of the twentieth century did terrible damage to the Native languages of California. She provides excerpts from the personal stories of two Pomo women who grew up in the days of government-run Indian boarding schools, when severe corporal punishment was administered to children for speaking their own languages.  

One of the women arrived as a little girl speaking two words of English and thus found herself isolated, marginalized, disfavored, and treated as if she were severely disabled. Girls were dressed in shabby clothes and boy’s shoes, and returned home as skin and bones. The mistreatment produced so much pain that as elders, many who endured those times reflexively avoid using their languages and do not want to pass them on because it brings up too many bad memories.  

Then, however, there was a 180-degree shift in government policy.  Hinton describes such legislation as the Native American Languages Act, which was enacted and signed into law by the first President Bush, and which encourages the preservation and revitalization of Native languages. An important question then was whether the policy change came too late. It only takes a generation or two to stamp out a language.  Since the publication of Hinton's book, much progress has been made, and much remains to be done.  

Hinton offers numerous valuable tips for those engaged in revitalizing and restoring the languages. She points out that among non-speakers, basic proficiency can be obtained in about 500 hours. Many of her suggestions involve incorporating learning into child rearing and early education, and creating natural language learning opportunities for all ages. Language use at home is a key. An appreciation for the richness of the heritages under threat and for the creativity and playfulness of the languages, and enjoying oneself along the way are positive tools for learners.

Hinton’s appendix of linguistic symbols is clear and user friendly.