Begin forwarded article-------------------------------------------
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DATE=1/26/95
TYPE=CURRENT AFFAIRS FEATURE
NUMBER=3-20700
TITLE="BAMBI" IN ARAPAHO (LONG)
BYLINE=CHUCK RICH
TELEPHONE=619-1113
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=KLEINFELDT
CONTENT=
[INSERTS IN AUDIO SERVICES]
INTRO: NATIVE AMERICANS ARE MAKING AN EFFORT TO PRESERVE THEIR
CULTURAL HERITAGE. WITH EACH GENERATION, FEWER NATIVE
AMERICANS ARE ACQUAINTED WITH THE TRADITIONS, ORAL
HISTORIES AND LANGUAGES OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL NATIONS.
RECENTLY, MEMBERS OF ONE NATIVE AMERICAN NATION WORKED
WITH A PROMINENT ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IN AN EFFORT TO
REVERSE THIS TREND. VOA'S CHUCK RICH REPORTS ON THEIR
NEW VERSION OF A CARTOON CLASSIC.
TEXT: WALT DISNEY'S 1942 ANIMATED FEATURE, "BAMBI," IS WELL
KNOWN TO GENERATIONS OF AUDIENCES. THE TITLE CHARACTER,
A DEER, IS GREETED AT HIS BIRTH BY OTHER FOREST ANIMALS:
TAPE: CUT ONE -- "BAMBI" ENGLISH CLIP :16 -- FADE MUSIC AT
:09
"WAKE UP!" "IT'S HAPPENED, IT'S HAPPENED!" "THE NEW
PRINCE IS BORN!" WE'RE GOING TO SEE HIM!" "COME ON,
YOU'D BETTER HURRY UP!" (MUSIC)
TEXT: HERE IS THE SAME SCENE FROM THE FILM, THIS TIME WITH ONE
IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE: ON THIS VERSION OF "BAMBI," THE
DIALOGUE IS IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE ARAPAHO [PRON:
"UH-RAP-UH-HO"] NATION:
TEXT: THE ARAPAHO-LANGUAGE "BAMBI" IS THE RESULT OF AN EFFORT
BY STEPHEN GREYMORNING, WHO IS AN ARAPAHO, A LANGUAGE
SPECIALIST AND A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR. LIKE MANY OTHER
NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES, ARAPAHO IS DYING. IT'S
SPOKEN FLUENTLY BY A FEW OLDER PEOPLE, A SCATTERING OF
YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS AND PRACTICALLY NO
CHILDREN. MR. GREYMORNING FELT THAT A VERSION OF
"BAMBI" DUBBED INTO ARAPAHO WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO
EXPOSE ARAPAHO CHILDREN TO THEIR ANCESTRAL LANGUAGE.
"BAMBI"'S STORY OF THE LIFE CYCLES OF FOREST ANIMALS HAS
ALWAYS APPEALED TO CHILDREN, AND LIKE MUCH OF NATIVE
AMERICAN CULTURE, IT DEMONSTRATES A RESPECT FOR NATURE.
AFTER MANY MONTHS OF TRYING, MR. GREYMORNING GOT THE
APPROVAL OF WALT DISNEY'S NEPHEW ROY, AN EXECUTIVE AT
THE DISNEY COMPANY. MR. GREYMORNING SAYS THEIR PLANS
FOR A "BAMBI" BOOK AND AUDIO CASSETTE WERE REPLACED BY A
LARGER PROJECT, ON VIDEOCASSETTE: "BAMBI" WITH ENTIRELY
NEW DIALOGUE, SPOKEN BY ARAPAHO PEOPLE.
TAPE: CUT THREE -- STEPHEN GREYMORNING :15
"THERE WERE JUST A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON, AND THERE WAS
THIS LITTLE PROJECT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL. AND THEY
WERE TREATING IT AS IF IT WERE 'THE LION KING.' I WAS
JUST TOTALLY AMAZED. THEY PUT EXTRA COSTS IN THERE THAT
REALLY SURPRISED ME."
[OPT]
TEXT: THE DIRECTOR OF DISNEY CHARACTER VOICES, RICK DEMPSEY,
FLEW TO A RECORDING STUDIO IN JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING TO
SUPERVISE A NON-PROFESSIONAL ARAPAHO CAST. THE STUDIO
WAS THE CLOSEST FACILITY TO THE RESERVATION WHERE MANY
ARAPAHO LIVE, 290 KILOMETERS AWAY. MR. DEMPSEY HAS
WORKED ON MANY ENGLISH AND NON-ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSIONS
OF DISNEY CARTOONS. HE SAYS USE OF THE ARAPAHO LANGUAGE
HAS DECLINED SO SHARPLY THAT FEW OF THE ARAPAHO ACTORS
WERE FLUENT IN IT.
TAPE: CUT FOUR -- RICK DEMPSEY :14 **BRIGHTEN**
"WE THOUGHT, 'WELL, FIRST OF ALL, NONE OF THESE PEOPLE
HAVE PROBABLY EVER ACTED,' AND THE OTHER THING THAT WE
WERE UP AGAINST IS THAT THE KIDS, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE
ADULTS, DON'T EVEN SPEAK THE LANGUAGE, BECAUSE IT'S A
DYING LANGUAGE, WHICH WAS THE WHOLE REASON FOR DOING
THIS."
TEXT: BUT RICK DEMPSEY SAYS THAT WITH SOME ACTING ADVICE, AS
WELL AS LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE FROM MR. GREYMORNING, THE
AMATEUR CAST MANAGED TO RECORD ALL THE ARAPAHO DIALOGUE
FOR "BAMBI" IN A SHORT TIME:
[OPT] TAPE: CUT FIVE -- DEMPSEY :24 **BRIGHTEN**
"ONE THING THAT'S GREAT ABOUT THE FILM 'BAMBI' IS IT HAS
THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DIALOGUE OF ANY DISNEY FILM WE'VE
EVER MADE. SO THAT MADE IT EASIER. WE DIDN'T HAVE TO
DUB THE SONGS; WE'D DECIDED THAT THAT WAS JUST TOO
COSTLY, AND WE DIDN'T KNOW IF WE COULD PULL THAT OFF
[MANAGE THAT]. SO WE JUST SIMPLY HAD THE DIALOGUE, AND,
YEAH, I REALLY 'CRACKED THE WHIP' ON THEM AND WE KEPT A
PRETTY TIGHT SCHEDULE, AND WE WERE ABLE TO FINISH IT IN
ABOUT THREE DAYS." [END OPT]
[END OPT]
TEXT: NOT ALL ARAPAHO SPEAK IN THE SAME WAY, SO IN TRANSLATING
THE "BAMBI" DIALOGUE, STEPHEN GREYMORNING CONSULTED
OTHER ARAPAHO SPEAKERS. HE SAYS HE WANTED TO AVOID
WORDS, TONES AND INFLECTIONS THAT MIGHT CONFUSE ONE
GROUP OR ANOTHER WITHIN THE ARAPAHO NATION. AND HE SAYS
HE TOOK SOME LIBERTIES IN TRANSLATING CERTAIN SCENES
FROM "BAMBI," SO THAT THE ARAPAHO LINES WOULD MAKE SENSE
AND WOULD MATCH THE LIP MOVEMENTS OF THE 1942 FILM.
HERE'S ONE SCENE FROM "BAMBI" IN ENGLISH, WHEN THE OWL
NOTICES THAT BAMBI HAS GROWN INTO ADULTHOOD:
TAPE: CUT SIX -- "BAMBI" ENGLISH CLIP :16
''WHY, IT'S -- IT'S THE YOUNG PRINCE! BAMBI!
(LAUGHTER) MY, MY, HOW YOU'VE CHANGED! TURN AROUND
THERE. LET ME LOOK AT YOU. I SEE YOU'VE TRADED IN YOUR
SPOTS FOR A PAIR OF ANTLERS. (LAUGHTER)"
TEXT: STEPHEN GREYMORNING SAYS THIS SCENE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW
NOT EVERY ENGLISH WORD HAS A DIRECT ARAPAHO TRANSLATION.
TAPE: CUT EIGHT -- GREYMORNING :14
"THAT BASICALLY TALKS ABOUT 'TRADING WHITE DOTS,' AND I
HAD TO PUT IN 'WHITE DOTS' BECAUSE 'SPOTS' JUST DON'T
TRANSLATE. AND 'ANTLERS' DIDN'T TRANSLATE, AND SO I HAD
TO USE '[ARAPAHO PHRASE],' WHICH IS 'HORN.'"
TEXT: THERE ARE SOME WORDS THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE IN ENGLISH --
MUCH LESS IN ARAPAHO. ONE OF THEM IS "TWITTERPATED,"
WHICH THE OWL IN "BAMBI" USES TO REFER TO BEING IN LOVE:
TAPE: CUT NINE -- "BAMBI" ENGLISH CLIP :49 -- IN FULL TO :46,
THEN FADE MUSIC UNDER TEXT
"NEARLY EVERYBODY GETS TWITTERPATED IN THE SPRINGTIME.
(MUSIC) FOR EXAMPLE: YOU'RE WALKIN' ALONG, MINDING YOUR
OWN BUSINESS. YOU'RE LOOKING NEITHER TO THE LEFT NOR TO
THE RIGHT, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU RUN SMACK INTO A
PRETTY FACE. WHOOOWHOOO! (MUSIC, THEN BRIEF SILENCE)
YOU BEGIN TO GET WEAK IN THE KNEES. YOUR HEAD'S IN A
WHIRL. AND THEN YOU FEEL LIGHT AS A FEATHER, AND BEFORE
YOU KNOW IT, YOU'RE WALKIN' ON AIR." (MUSIC)
TEXT: MR. GREYMORNING SAYS IN THIS SEQUENCE HE HAD TO CHANGE
"TWITTERPATED" TO SIMPLY "LOVE." HIS NEW DIALOGUE FOR
THE OWL ALSO CHANGES ENGLISH FIGURES OF SPEECH SO THEY
MAKE SENSE IN ARAPAHO.
TAPE: CUT TEN -- GREYMORNING :18
"IT SAYS 'TOWARDS SPRING, THAT'S WHEN THEY ALL GET STUCK
AND THEY'RE IN LOVE.' AND HE SAYS 'YOU'RE WALKING ALONG
AND YOU'RE NOT LOOKING LEFT OR RIGHT. THEN YOU SEE A
PRETTY GIRL, YOUR HEAD SPINS LIKE A TOP, YOU FEEL LIKE
FEATHERS, AND THEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE WALKING ON
CLOUDS.'"
TEXT: STEPHEN GREYMORNING SAYS THE PURPOSE OF THE
ARAPAHO-LANGUAGE "BAMBI" WAS TO HELP PRESERVE THAT
LANGUAGE, NOT TO MAKE MONEY. HE SAYS VIDEOCASSETTES OF
"BAMBI" ARE BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO SCHOOLS AND
INDIVIDUALS WHO ASK FOR THEM. AND HE PRAISES THE DISNEY
COMPANY FOR PAYING FOR A FILM PRINT AND A NEW SOUND
SYSTEM ... SO THE ARAPAHO "BAMBI" VIDEOCASSETTE COULD
HAVE ITS PREMIERE SHOWINGS THIS PAST NOVEMBER IN A
WYOMING THEATER.
[OPT] MANY AMERICAN CHILDREN LOVE TO WATCH THE SAME
VIDEOCASSETTE OVER AND OVER; MR. GREYMORNING SAYS
REPEATED VIEWINGS OF THE ARAPAHO "BAMBI" VIDEO ARE
ALREADY INFLUENCING ARAPAHO KIDS:
TAPE: CUT TWELVE -- GREYMORNING :20
"CHILDREN WATCH THE MOVIE AND BEGIN TO PICK UP LINES
FROM THE MOVIE AND START RECITING THEM. AND I GOT
REPORTS, THE FOLLOWING WEEK AFTER THE VIDEO STARTED
BEING DISTRIBUTED, FROM BUS DRIVERS EVEN, THAT CHILDREN
ON THE BUS WERE THROWING LINES [SHOUTING LINES] BACK AT
EACH OTHER INSTEAD OF THROWING PAPER."
TEXT: STEPHEN GREYMORNING SAYS HE'D LIKE TO SEE ARAPAHO
DIALOGUE ADDED TO OTHER WORKS, BY PROMINENT FILMMAKERS
SUCH AS STEVEN SPIELBERG AND GEORGE LUCAS. AND IN ORDER
TO MAKE SURE THE LANGUAGE SURVIVES, HE SAYS HE HOPES
THERE'LL BE ORIGINAL MATERIAL PRODUCED IN ARAPAHO. [END
OPT]
I'M CHUCK RICH.
26-Jan-95 5:22 PM EST (2222 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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End forwarded article---------------------------------------------
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