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Athlete intent
on preserving
native language
Nya:wëh sgënö’ lani ni’gya:söh
Onödowa’ga:’ ni:’ah
This is Lani Cornfield’s way of saying to you: “Hello, I’m thankful you are well. Lani is my name and I’m of the Seneca Nation of Indians.”
Cornfield, a member of the Putnam Science Academy women’s prep basketball team, says life on campus isn’t all that different from living on the reservation, aside from one major thing. Instead of having time set aside each day to be taught her native language, she has to find time in her very busy schedule to teach herself to stay in practice. English is the dominant language on her reservation in western New York, though most of the elders there speak Seneca. She is passionate about keeping up.
“My mom knows a little bit. And my grandmother was fluent so I’d be speaking to her in Seneca around the house,” Cornfield said. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can. In college and after, I do still plan on taking classes in the language and making sure my kids are exposed to it and around it.
“Our language is dying and I’m trying to keep up with it as much as I can and keep it alive.”
Cornfield, 17, moved to the reservation with her family – including twin Shawni, who is also at PSA – 10 years ago, and this is her first time away for such an extended period of time. Before this, it would be maybe a couple of weeks for basketball tournaments or visits. She has adjusted well off and on the court (more on the latter in a bit) but does still feel the tug of home and the culture.
“I want people to know about the history of Native Americans,” she said. “There is so much people just don’t know. Most schools that are near a reservation, they will learn about the reservation near them, and they’ll have the option for a language class for students to learn. But most schools don’t know or teach about Native Americans because they don’t live near a reservation.
“The hate that Native Americans get, the fact that a lot of things in our history are unrecognized, I just don’t think it’s fair and I think people should know about it. Our language is dying because of certain things that happened in the past. I just don’t think that it’s right and I want to do what I can to preserve it.”
(Full disclosure: Putnam Science Academy does not offer a course in Native American history or language.)
While back in New York, Cornfield was a dynamic scorer for Lake Shore High, where she scored more than 1,000 points through her junior year. PSA coach Amanda Morales had high expectations for the 5-foot, 6-inch point guard, but she wasn’t expecting them so quickly.
Cornfield took little time establishing herself though, dropping 21 points off the bench in the Mustangs’ season-opener in late October. She has continued to impress since then.
“She’s got her name in almost every category of the stat sheet and makes it really hard for me to take her out of the game,” Morales said. “She’s a dynamic guard with a high IQ. She’s very cerebral, picked up on the offense extremely fast and she knows every play from every position. She’s a winner and gets the job done.”
The Mustangs split their first four games of the season, played in a series of scrimmages this past weekend in Maryland, then return to the floor for road games that count in the standings tomorrow and Saturday.
They will be home again for three straight on December 5, 7, and 9.
Cornfield, the team’s leading scorer, will be ready.
“I think everybody has played well,” she said. “Everyone has their own key aspect to the team and their own thing that they can do really well. For me, I think I can see things outside of what we’re doing. I think I’m able to see things before they happen a little bit more than some and anticipate well.
“Everyone is always going to want to make an impression. But honestly, all I want to do is help my team win. That’s all I ever want to do.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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