Step into a world of wonder in our next lecture on July 30, 2018, with Dorothy Ramon’s family members, Ernest Siva and Carolyn Horsman. Hear the beautiful words flowing in one of Southern California’s own languages, and explore some of the cultural memories of Dorothy Ramon.
The power of the old ways
Dorothy Ramon was a force to be reckoned with. Descended from a traditional Serrano ceremonial assistant and filled with knowledge of the power of the old ways, she was in her 80s when she began working with linguist Eric Elliott to save and share the Native American Serrano language and culture. She is believed to be the last primary speaker of Serrano, that is, the last to think and dream in Serrano first, before English. The linguist later recalled that when he first met her, she was wearing a bandage on one hand from getting accidentally locked out of her home. To regain entry she had smashed her fist through a glass window. She initially refused to talk to him in Serrano, and he recalled that his nerves plunged over the brink and he began sweating profusely. Eventually they worked together for years and became dear friends. Because of their work and the work of other linguists, the language continues.
Dorothy Ramon was a force to be reckoned with. Descended from a traditional Serrano ceremonial assistant and filled with knowledge of the power of the old ways, she was in her 80s when she began working with linguist Eric Elliott to save and share the Native American Serrano language and culture. She is believed to be the last primary speaker of Serrano, that is, the last to think and dream in Serrano first, before English. The linguist later recalled that when he first met her, she was wearing a bandage on one hand from getting accidentally locked out of her home. To regain entry she had smashed her fist through a glass window. She initially refused to talk to him in Serrano, and he recalled that his nerves plunged over the brink and he began sweating profusely. Eventually they worked together for years and became dear friends. Because of their work and the work of other linguists, the language continues.
The resulting readings transport you, whether it’s to an ancient traditional time when shamans listened to the ocean and mountains to learn their teachings, or later times, when Native Americans faced the losses of their homelands. Although Dorothy Ramon ends every story with” ‘Ama’ ‘ayee’ “ — “That’s all” — we’re thankful for an amazing legacy that’s never “all.”
DETAILS: 6 pm Monday, July 30, 127 N San Gorgonio Ave., Banning, CA. Your $5 donation helps the Learning Center save and share Southern California’s Native American cultures, languages, history, and traditional arts.
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