I am reposting this revised “marching” song I wrote last year when the DBC (before they were formed) led a protest at AGBell’s summer conference on AVT in Virginia. This song was written and is now dedicated to DBC and their noble, honorable, and very important work for deaf children worldwide.
Octopus Volt refers to an archetypal character in the Deaf Child mythology symbolizing audism. The Volta Bureau, AGBell, and their organizations are the historical realities behind this archetype.
To the organizers and attendees of the DBC conference, have a great one!
Share! Empower! with Love!
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For the Deaf Child
A marching song dedicated to the Deaf Bilingual Coalition . . .
. . .
(drumming begins)
. . .
Soldier On, March On, Forge On
For our dDeaf children, the Deaf Child
. . .
Soldier on, thy Deaf comrades
With thy Deaf Conscience purest
. . .
March on, into the city of Milwaukee
To the Volt’s Bi-annual Conference
. . .
Forge on, to fight only an arm
Of the Giant Octopus Volt
. . .
Soldier On, March On, Forge On
For our dDeaf children, the Deaf Child
. . .
Soldier on, to awake the slumbering Giant
of the General Public about Castle Volt
. . .
March on, sign “loudly” and articulate well
Using interpreters and codas, our natural allies
. . .
Forge On, with hearing and deaf parents
Who believe in the Deaf Child, first
. . .
Soldier On, March On, Forge On
For our deaf children, the Deaf Child
. . .
Solider on, today’s battle won or lost? no matter
We have just begun a War against Octopus Volt
. . .
March on, to Volta Bureau in Georgetown
Another arm, recruiting soldiers from nearby
. . .
Forge On, against National Geographic Magazine
Another arm, refusing to do an article on the Deaf.
. . .
Soldier On, March On, Forge On
With loving kindness for our Deaf Child
. . .
Soldier On, toward new parents of deaf children
To make them realize that Language comes first
. . .
March On, to many more Battle sites
Against the people of Volt to wake them up
. . .
Forge on, show them the Book
Of our history and irrevocable bilingualism
. . .
Soldier On, March on, Forge On
With loving kindness for our Deaf Child
. . .
Soldier on, but don’t destroy the Volt soldiers
Love them as ones of our sacred comrades
. . .
March on, toward the dreaded Castle Volt
But don’t burn the castle down, cherish it
. . .
Forge on, make them our expert in teaching speech
Not on how to raise our Deaf Child holistically
. . .
Soldier on, March On, Forge On
For our dDeaf children, the Deaf Child
. . .
Soldier on, make them JOIN US in the War
To liberate the minds and souls our deaf children
. . .
March on, for our dDeaf children of the Now
and the Deaf Child of the Future
. . .
Forge on, for our dDeaf children
And for the Deaf Child within us . . .
. . .
Soldier On, March on, and Forge on!
. . .
Solider On!
March On!
Forge On!
. . .
(drumming ceases)
. . .
Amen
49th clip - Title: Entering the Monastery - 6:01 m./4:35:17 h.
This clip/post focuses on the world’s first public (free) school for the deaf in Paris, France, known either as the INJS or the St. Jacques school. The formal name is, in English - the National Institution of the Deaf Youth. To view the video about this school as visited in 1992, please click on this link to go to my website post focused on that school or this link to the video posted at my deafhistory youtube channel.
I also would like to share a short anecdote to reflect many “mystical” or “omen signal” connections the myth directed me to notice within the “Deaf” Life we experience on earth. For example, in one myth discussion session in 2003, a participant brought up the Martha’s Vineyard topic in deaf history - which led me to notice that the initials of the name of the god in this myth, VisMa, is VM which corresponds to the reversed initials of Martha’s Vineyard - MV. And then I experienced a goose-pimpled realization, almost mystical.
Another stronger but similiar experience happened when I first walked into the St. Jacques school in 1992. The name of this chapter, Siepee’s Monastery, was coined before I traveled to Europe to visit various historical sites behind the myth. When I opened the large green doors at the front entrance, the first thing I saw was the high iron gates few feet away directly opposite me. Both the iron gates and the green doors enclosed a small “foyer” where visitors need to go to a booth on one side in order to gain entrance to the school. As you can see in the St. Jacques video (links above), I noticed the two letters on the gate - S and M . . . . Lo and behold - Siepee’s Monastery! Goose-pimples all over. I knew what they might mean and after asking a local deaf person from the school for verification, my gut instinct was right that S stands for sourde (deaf) and M for muet (mute). I then knew that the name for the 5th chapter of the Deaf Child mythology was exactly right - to the bull’s eye.
All right, enjoy viewing the Deaf Child’s first reactions when entering the Monastery for the first time. Click away . . .
Click here for YouTube if above is undownloadable, too slow, or wanting full screen. Thank you.
Myth Commentary: As in any myth/epic of an archetypal hero-savior, there are “way-stations” where the hero stopped by during her/his journey of “development”. Some of these places became obstacles or challenges to endure (for example, Hein’s Castle). Other places became refuges or temporary homes (for example, Siepee’s Monastery as for our Deaf Child. This 05.04 clip or scene is deemed universal because almost all deaf people underwent the similar experience of entering a “deaf” school (or class) for the first time. As in almost every clip of the myth (or the myth as a whole), it is probably not possible to stop analyzing the symbolism/applications/meanings the myth offers in connection to our dDeafhood, dDeaf experience, and Deaf history. That is why creating this myth over 19 years still is a long, slow, cerebral, and somehow sensual pleasure for me.
Deaf History Commentary: The connection between monasteries/monks and deaf education in deaf history is fascinating and document able. Words have been written about the use of sign language among the monks and its’ contribution to deaf education. Here are several links if the “curiosity got your cat.”
The wikipedia entry.
A book published by Cambridge University Press.
A 1997 book about Benedictine monks and sign language.
A journal article or the book by Susan Plann on the history of deaf education in Spain.
The use of a monastery to serve as the archtype symbolizing our earliest signing deaf schools in Europe AND of the monks as another archetype symbolozing our first signing teachers of the deaf is a way for me/us to give thanks to the ancient them for something fertile (sign language) they bequeathed to us, the Deaf, even though we signed among our families and friends long before that. It was the schools they established that “turned the wheel of motion” for us to form the earliest deaf communities in the last half of the 18th century in Europe. The manual alphabet ASL uses came from Laurent Clerc and the St. Jacques school (and Epee) which, in turn, was borrowed from the manual alphabet printed in the book printed in 1620 by a hearing Spanish monk, Juan Pablo Bonet.
Deafhood Question: (for a deaf person) Do you remember the first time you entered a residential deaf (signing or oral) school? If coming from oral school(s), any differences in arriving at the subsequent signing school? If entering for the first time, were you aware of the school or its’ use of signing beforehand?
(for hearing people) What was your impressions when you first visited a large school for the deaf (residential, state, day, etc) school? Like entering a foreign land? If you are a CODA, what are your feelings when entering one?
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Below is a thumbprint of a small poster I got in gratis, if I remember correctly, from the ALSF (Academie de la langue des Signes Francaise - click here for their website) which was housed on the fourth floor at the St. Jacques deaf school during the time I stayed there in the summer of 1992. As of now, I still do not have any information on who did the drawing or where interested people could get/purchase a copy.
Please click on it to enlarge for your viewing pleasure.
“Honor thy Deaf History”
48th clip - Title: Back to the Deaf Child - 6:30 m./4:29:16 h.
This clip is posted with gratitude to my soul brother, eLiot Helman, who was my first “Aaron” voicing the myth for me in 1994 at Ohlone College in Fremont, CA. We first met at Gallaudet in 1981 when we performed together as Herald (me in ASL, him in spoken English) in the play, “Marat/Sade”. We have remained close friends through all the highs and lows in our lives. Every time Eliot and I get together, he is always all “eyes” for juicy tidbits of the myth’s new development. Because of the above and his true friendship, I post this clip with deep gratitude to him. He is the one of the handful few who are riding on the wings of VisMa with me.
eL, we keep our chins up, our hands rooted inside VisMa, and enjoy the various breezes in life up there -
And now, everybody, enjoy the next clip about the time VisMa returned to the Deaf Child in order to bring her/him west to Siepee. Click away . . .
Click here for YouTube if above is undownloadable, too slow to download, or wanting a full screen. Thank you.
Myth Commentary: This clip does not have direct historical background except for modeling after a classic situation where the countless of parents realized that it was their mistake enrolling their deaf child(ren) in an oral school and deciding that a school using sign language was the better option. There were some, maybe few, deaf students who succeed in a strictly oral only upbringing. My gut instinct is, based on my 25+ years in the field of deaf education, my research in deaf history, and interacting with many different kinds of deaf adults, that a large, anywhere between 70 to 90, percent of deaf people reared in oral environment turned to sign language at different points of their lives. It is possible to gather several examples from the actual lives of deaf people to support the metaphors used in this clip. Someday this will be done.
Deafhood Question: After attending an oral school for a certain number of years, what was your feelings when your parents (or someone else) informed you that you will be going/moving to a different school, this time the one using sign language?
For those of you who has been following the story, have you noticed two new additions to the clips? The clip title under the numbered chapter title. And a quote related to the myth or to anything Deaf at the end of the clip. It is much fun tinkering with the editing process and making the clips better as time goes along. Comments? Suggestions?
Worship the Deaf Child Within You.
47th Clip - Title: Discovering the Deaf Girls - (04:26 m. - 4:22:46 h.)
This clip is posted with homage to Charles-Michel de l’Epee who created the first Deaf “sacred” space by establishing an educational institution critical in the nascence of sign languages, deaf culture, and deaf communities. It is important to note that he did NOT “invent” sign language or started a deaf community. He merely established a public school using sign language - probably the world’s first Deaf sacred communal space where deaf people can flourish in Gaia-God given ways - where deaf people could finally congregate as a community which resulted in the creation of sign language and deaf culture by themselves. The school Epee began in Paris spawned more deaf signing schools in Europe and ultimately in the United States through Laurent Clerc.
This clip is also posted with hands outstretched welcoming a Deaf artist into this story. She is an actress and a children’s book author I was re-acquainted with last night at the KodaWest benefit gala. She was not aware of this DC myth so I explained, in as few ASL signs as possible, my artistic/scholastic/spiritual work on this story. Her enthused responses were typical of very few people who understood the use of metaphors and archetypes in sacred and popular literature. When she exclaimed, “I love metaphors,” I knew that she was one of the rare kindred spirits. As I began describing the Tower Mountain, her hand rose up in front of me, telling me to stop. She want to dive into the myth with a blank state of mind. AA, I give you a warm welcome into a sacred story that does belongs to you as a Deaf person.
Dive into this video clip describing how VisMa FIRST discovered Abbe’ Siepee. Click away . . .
Click here for YouTube if above is undownloadable, too slow to download, or wanting a full screen. Thank you.
Deaf History Commentary: The historical background of the fifth chapter of the DC myth, Siepee Monastery, focuses on the birth of sign languages and deaf communities. The discussion on that history will be broken into parts that correspond to metaphors used the next 13 clips of this chapter. This clip discusses how VisMa first met Abbe Siepee as he met the two deaf girls who led him to begin a monastery (”school”) for the deaf which will be featured prominently in the SIepee’s Monastery chapter of the myth.
Abbe Charles-Michel de l’Epee is still revered today as the Father of manual education for the deaf. His legacy continues to shine as opposed to A. G. Bell whose legacy is now being tarnished based on the hearing public’s growing understanding of his role in degrading sign languages and the deaf community. For more information on Epee himself, please click on this link at Wikipedia, in New Advent - Catholica encyclopedia website, and at the answer.com site. We can find people all over naming their places after Epee. For example, Click here to learn a little more about a children playground named de l’ Epee Deaf Center in Mississippi or click here to look at a painting of a street in Paris named after him. Click here for a picture and some information on the gravesite of Epee in Paris. Click here for further information on Epee’s published works.
I asked Bernard Truffant, a deaf historian in Orleans, France in 1992 if he could sign this French Epee legend to me on videotape. Click here to go to my deaf history website where you can view him describing, in French Sign Language, the first encounter between Epee and the two deaf girls. It is also subtitled for those who could not understand his signing.
Also below here is one bronze plaque made by a deaf sculptor on the same event described in the myth. Click on the photo to enlarge.
