The recent discovery of oil at the Native American reservations has placed the state in a very delicate state. Considering the demands of the California Indian Council, the state has to take into consideration the best strategy to solve the controversy surrounding the discovered oil and its exploitation while at the same time not compromising state laws as this might lead to a national outcry. California as well as the US understands the importance of oil as a source of energy in steering the economy forward and it will therefore be relevant and realistic if the state tries to convince the Hacama into allowing the state to exploit the oil whose amount is not certain but prospected to be of high value from the initial sight. The first policy would be esteeming the Native American tribes and allowing bilingual education. The second policy would be not giving into the demands of the Native Indian Council but provide a different strategy that can still be used to convince the Hacama into allowing the state to exploit the highly valued oil. We believe that our recommendations will be of great value and the governor should feel free to implement for the benefit of the state as well as the Hacama without necessary making the condition of any party involved in the controversy worse off (McWilliams, 67).
California is a state composed of many tribes hence many languages are in use too. There are 6 language groups in California namely Athapascan, Penutian, Yukian, Hokan, Algonquian and Uto-Aztecan. The natives make about 333,511 (approximately 1% of the total population) of the population of California (US Census Bureau, 14). They are characterized by linguistic and cultural diversity. The Native American Indians are part of the population of California. They are therefore entitled to the rights that every other citizen of the state is entitled to. The California Indian Council claim that the state must initiate bilingual education programs for Native American Indians in California before being allowed to exploit the oil is constitutional. According to the laws governing the use and ownership of land in California, the land still belongs to the native Indians even after the oil discovery hence the state does no have a direct access to it. Since the state needs the oil, it should consider the demands of the California Indian Council (McWilliams, 45).
The native Indians have suffered a lot since the colonization of America. It is there high time to be recognized as US citizens and treated equally. Implementing bilingual education will make the Indians feels more appreciated and recognized thus bettering their relationship with the state. Additionally, the knowledge of bilingual (taking into assumption) that they will be taught English, will make them use it. The English as a second language (ESL) program will be beneficial to all people living in California since knowledge of the language enforces unity as well as coherence. However, giving in to their demands will have some financial implications to the California state government. More teachers will have to be trained and employed so that they can propagate the program. These teachers must be very proficient in English as well as other languages required in classes.
According to the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, all teachers teaching in bilingual education programs must be fluent in English (Hinton, 25). Additionally, the Act gives parents the choice to enroll their children in bilingual education programs but for a minimum of 3 years. Another cost associated with the bilingual program is financing. After adoption of HB 1126, in 1975 the law required that the bilingual program to be allocated $ 25 per pupil and was increased in the preceding years (Hinton, 25). Additionally, the bilingual program will require specialized instructional materials which are an additional cost to the state. Although the state incorporates these materials in the textbooks and complementary resources, some local schools will still require some additional consumable materials to provide the specific directives needed in the implementation of the bilingual program. Furthermore, the bilingual program will require a focused evaluation of the program implementation and program outcomes which will add unique add-on costs for school systems.
However, if the estimated costs of implementing this program prove to be more than the anticipated value of the oil reserves, then it would be realistic to drop the program since it will be a costly undertaking that will be using the taxpayers’ money while generating little returns (Albert, 56). The six broad language groups in California will perceive it to be preferentialism if the native Indians are compensated with a bilingual program. They will also require such programs to be implemented in the whole of California or else this might bring enmity between the tribes living in California. California Indian groups are small and scattered and the great language loss that has so far occurred renders the tribes that can successfully implement the bilingual program very few. If the state makes an effort to neutralize the criticisms of other tribes, it will only prove to be a costly undertaking that will prove to a waste of resources that should otherwise have been used in financing other progressive programs. Additionally, any tribe that will complain against provision of bilingual education to the native Indians should be recapped that the Native Indians were the original occupants and they therefore fall under distinct rules within their reservation. Therefore, adopting this policy will make the state as well as the native Indian community. However, great care must exercise if this strategy is preferred for implementation.
The other policy that the state can implement is rejecting the demands of the California Indian Council. The native Indian community will be opposed to this policy but definitely it will be the best strategy for California. The economic crisis that California is undergoing affects all its residents and apparently the US in general. The Native Indian community should be convinced by all means that oil is needed for economic progression that will benefit all its residents. Additionally, they should be told that denying the state the right to exploit the resources will be a waste of resources since the oil will not be exploited and will not in any way benefit the people as well as the state. There is also a high possibility that the oil reserves is far much below the expected value and giving into the demand s of the California Indian Council will be a waste of resources (Albert, 36). It is better to avoid the risk rather than facing it since if the worst happens it is the taxpayers’ money that will be squandered.
Additionally, the Native Indians should be made to understand that research indicates that people who are bilingual lack adeptness in both languages due to a situation known as semi-lingualism. So, it is therefore reasonable that they stay with knowledge of the one language that they know. The Native Indian Council should be brought to table and informed that it is only the Hacama that live in land that oil deposits have been discovered and it would therefore be unrealistic for the council to push the government to provide bilingual education to all Native Indians. Proposition 227 should be overwritten and overruled since it will be of little value in the prevailing situation. The native Indians make up only about 1% of the population in California and their demands can be ignored. It is also better that the native Indians preserve their culture and drop the demand of bilingual education. This policy will only benefit the state at the expense of the Hacama.
The Hacama too have a right to benefit from the discovery of oil on their land. Taking this into account and considering the kind of oppression that the native Indians have gone through, it is therefore apparent that the state’s failure to meet the demands of the Native Indian Council as an unfair treatment. However, the oil reserve extends to Arizona where prop 227 is implemented (Arizona Secretary of State, 01). This policy will therefore be in line with prop 227 in Arizona since the state has outlawed bilingual education.
Both policies attempt to get the oil reserves which are believed to be of great significance to the state. The 1st policy will benefit both the state and the native Indians. The 2nd policy will benefit the state at the expense of the Native Indians. Taking these considerations and the various implications of the policies as elucidated above, the 1st policy is therefore recommended. Its implementation will make the Native Indians feel respected and the oil obtained will in turn be used to steer the economic sector.
Works Cited
Albert Cortez. "Insufficient Funding for Bilingual Education in Texas." IDRA. N.p., 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
Arizona Secretary of State. "Bilingual Education in Arizona -- Unz Initiative." Language Policy Web Site. N.p., 8 Apr. 2001. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
McWilliams, Carey. California, the Great Exception. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. Print.
US Census Bureau. "California's Native American, Eskimo and Alute Populations." California Native American Heritage Commission. N.p., 2000. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
Hinton, Leanne. "Language Loss and Revitalization in California: Overview." International Journal of the Society of Language(1998): 216-21. Web. 6 Dec. 2011 U.S.
