Resources for Teaching and Maintaining Indigenous Languages
The languages of various tribes across the U.S. and Canada are all endangered to some degree, but a number of initiatives and organizations are working to support language maintenance and language learning. They may refer to these languages as:
Indigenous
Native
Indian
First Nations
Tribal
Organizations AND PROGRAMS
AIHEC Native Languages Center
https://www.aiheclanguagescenter.org/
AIHEC American Indian Higher Education Consortium
National Indian Education Association
https://www.niea.org/missionvision
“The National Indian Education Association advances comprehensive, culture-based educational opportunities for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.”
America’s Languages Portal >
Native American Programs
https://americaslanguages.coerll.utexas.edu/http/native-american-school.html
U.S. Government Organizations
Bureau of Indian Education – U.S. Dept of the Interior
“Mission: BIE’s mission is to provide quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with a tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being, in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and governmental entities. Further, the BIE is to manifest consideration of the whole person by taking into account the spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects of the individual within his or her family and tribal or village context.”
Grants and Funding
Endangered Languages Documentation Programme
In particular, see grants for documentation of endangered languages and for digitizing and storing legacy materials that might otherwise be lost.
We support the documentation and preservation of endangered languages through granting, training and outreach activities. The collections compiled through our funding are freely accessible at the Endangered Languages Archive.
Our key objectives are
• to support the documentation of as many endangered languages as possible
• to encourage fieldwork on endangered languages
• to create a repository of resources for linguistics, the social sciences, and the language communities themselves
• to make the documentary collections freely available
Living Languages Grants – U.S. Dept of the Interior
https://www.bia.gov/service/grants/llgp
News:
Indian Affairs awards $5.7 million in Living Languages grants – December 21, 2023
Native American Language Resource Center Grants – U.S. Dept of Education
https://oese.ed.gov/native-american-language-resource-center-nalrc/
News:
Departments of the Interior, Education, and Health & Human Services Launch Multi-Agency Initiative to Protect and Preserve Native Languages – November 15, 2021
Teacher Resources and Communities
Also see Language General resources!
UNC World View – Fellows Program
https://worldview.unc.edu/
This program brings together educators to create learning materials over the course of a year. Two cohorts in the past 5 years have focused on indigenous languages, and you can access the Fellows’ materials here:
2021-2022 | Exploring Indigenous Cultures
https://worldview.unc.edu/resources/2021-2022-unc-world-view-fellows-resources/
2023-2024 | We’re Still Here: Exploring Indigenous Cultures
https://worldview.unc.edu/professional/world-view-fellows-program/global-fellows-program-2/
Materials for specific Languages
LCTL Partnership at MSU – Anishinaabemowin
Sponsored by the Mellon Foundation
https://lctlpartnership.celta.msu.edu/what-is-anishinaabemowin/
OjibweNet Resource Library
Extensive collection of lessons, stories, songs, etc.
Enweying: Our Sound Podcast – Ojibwe
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enweying
TO BE ADDED …
Language-specific resources for other indigenous languages
Online Learning and Apps
[see Language General options]
