Reclaiming Our Languages

North America

Reclaiming our languages Annotated BibliographyDownload

“teepaalilaani” © Hannah Buchanan 2025

  • K’Aaw Natash Wa CHƗ́Myanashma SHAPÁTTAWAX̱Sha Ku SÁPsikw’Asha MYÁNashma ’We Are the Parents Raising and Teaching Children’: Raising Yakama Babies and Language Together

    Anderson investigates the choices, hopes, dreams, struggles, challenges, plans, and teaching strategies of Yakama parents in their goal of rebuilding a generation of first language Ichishkiin speakers with their babies and toddlers. She explores both practical supports which parents would find helpful to support daily language use, and existing community supports which nurture family capacity for language learning. She finds that parents and caregivers do not currently have the capacity to create immersion spaces in their homes, but that they deeply wish for increased language programming and learning in their childrens’ schooling. She notes that parents mobilize their relationships with speakers to increase their children’s access to language, and that most have a variety of learning materials in their home. Parents identify written supports and songs/videos as most desired.

    Anderson, R. (2022). K’aaw Natash Wa Chɨ́myanashma Shapáttawax̱sha Ku Sápsikw’asha Myánashma’We Are the Parents Raising and Teaching Children’: Raising Yakama Babies and Language Together (Doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon).

  • The Role of Adult Immersion in Kanien’kéha Revitalization

    DeCaire highlights and contributes to the growing literature on adult Indigenous language immersion, demonstrating its ongoing and critical importance. He discusses Kanien’keha revitalization and how community resources can be best used for developing and improving adult immersion programs. He considers the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from various Kanien’keha adult immersion programs. He also offers a comprehensive second-year Kanien’keha adult immersion curriculum complete with units and lesson plans.

    DeCaire, O. R. (2023). The role of adult immersion in Kanien’kéha revitalization (Doctoral dissertation, University of Hawai’i at Hilo).

  • Growing Our Languages: An Indigenous Language Curriculum Development Guide for Shoshoni Language Teachers and Other Indigenous Language Teachers & Planners

    Dann’s Shoshoni curriculum guide is written for Indigenous language workers engaged in revitalization, cultivation, and program development. The guide provides the resources the author wished to have had when starting her own work as a Shoshoni language teacher and offers an exhaustive model for curriculum development, including planning, goals, outcomes, methods, assessment, and considerations.

    Dann, B. J. (2023). Growing our languages: An Indigenous language curriculum development guide for Shoshoni language teachers and other Indigenous language teachers & planners. (Publication No. 30484644) [Masters Thesis, Idaho State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/growing-our-languages-indigenous-language/docview/2812309962/se-2?accountid=14789

  • Indigenous Universities and Language Reclamation: Lessons in Balancing Linguistics, L2 Teaching, and Language Frameworks from Blue Quills University

    Holden provides a history of Blue Quills University, the only fully independent First Nations univeristy in Canada, and explores L2 methods and learner motivations in the Cree and Dene language programs. He discusses the implementation of lands-based education and the indigenization of linguistics at Blue Quills. He offers insight into how schools can meet learner motivations, challenges faced by Blue Quills, translation structures, and future directions.

    Holden, J. (2020). Indigenous universities and language reclamation: Lessons in balancing linguistics, L2 teaching, and language frameworks from Blue Quills University. Language Documentation and Conservation, 20SI, 20-37.

  • Students’ Perspectives on Navajo Language and Learning: Voices of the Students

    Shepard draws on student voices to determine what methods of teaching are preferred in Navajo heritage language classes, and to consider how heritage language classes affect youth engagement with both their culture and western education. She notes that students express a desire for higher quality language instruction, and that they would like the opportunity to participate in more language and culture-based activities, including immersion. She identifies that all students involved value the Dine language.

    Shepard, M. (2012). Students’ perspectives on Navajo language and learning: Voices of the students. (Publication No. 3503423) [Doctoral Dissertation, Arizona State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/students-perspectives-on-navajo-language-learning/docview/1009735456/se-2?accountid=14789

  • The Cherokee Nation Immersion School as a Translanguaging Space

    Peter et al. explore how Tsalagi Dideloquasdi students navigate Cherokee language revitalization, language interactions, and community spaces. They find that immersion education produces students who are robust translanguagers by the time they reach fifth and sixth grades. They also note that the success of students is in many ways dependent on the support they receive outside of the classroom and the engagement level of their parents.

    Peter, L., Hirata-Edds, T., Feeling, D., Kirk, W., & Duncan, P. T. (2017). The Cherokee Nation Immersion School as a translanguaging space. Journal of American Indian Education, 56(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1353/jaie.2017.a798920

  • Nahkawewin Revitalization: A Mini Language Nest Created with Hope and Determination

    Kennedy shares the successes, challenges, and impacts of creating a mini Nahkawewin language nest in her home with her children. She explores how families can restart intergenerational teaching and learning through intentional practices and creative teaching strategies. She reckons with the challenge of creating an immersion space in an English-majority society, and considers the emotional responsibilities associated with Indigenous language revitalization. She also details how games, labels, repetition, and even pets can become active aspects of a reclamation strategy.

    Kennedy, D. A. D. (2022). Nahkawewin revitalization: A mini language nest created with hope and determination. In Education, 27(2), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.37119/ojs2022.v27i2b.619

  • Language revitalization on the web: Technologies and ideologies among the Northern Arapaho

    Vagner explores the effects of language ideologies on language revitalization, especially the revision of language ideologies and the development of web resources. She considers Arapaho instruction and how the improvement of Arapaho website materials may produce new language ideologies. She notes that language ideologies, including that learning words in isolation is sufficient, act as an obstacle to Arapaho language revitalization. She presents digital materials as a way to circumvent this obstacle, but indicates that teachers are more likely to use language websites, while learners are more likely to use social media. She advocates for the use of computer-assisted learning as a supplement to in-person education focused on high quality immersion.

    Vagner, I. A. (2014). Language revitalization on the web: Technologies and ideologies among the Northern Arapaho. (Publication No. 1558776) [Master’s Thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/language-revitalization-on-web-technologies/docview/1554339764/se-2?accountid=14789

  • Lakȟótiyapi kiŋ uŋglúkinipi (We Revitalize Our Lakota Language): Native Language Revitalization at Standing Rock

    Hauff examines efforts to revitalize Lakota on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. She explores grassroots, community language revitalization processes and hopes to contribute to the work of those engaging directly with Indigenous languages. She investigates both school-centric programs for children, immersion programs, and adult-focused instruction. She considers the differences between performing language and speaking language, and notes that a lack of quality assessment is an issue of lack of resources. She advocates for increased funding to support immersion teachers and to appropriately compensate Elders in classrooms.

    Hauff, T. R. (2019). Lakȟótiyapi kiŋ uŋglúkinipi (We revitalize our Lakota Language): Native language revitalization at Standing Rock. (Publication No. 13899626) [Doctoral Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/lakȟótiyapi-kiŋ-uŋglúkinipi-we-revitalize-our/docview/2595145926/se-2?accountid=14789

  • Hey, there’s wi-fi at this camp!”: Remediating materiality, language learning, and digital identity within the Apsaalooke language app

    Molinari explores how the Apsaalooke Language App, from conception and beyond release, engages with language revitalization, community expressions of educational sovereignty, material culture digital returns, and shared memories. She reaffirms that Indigenous language revitalization is deeply interconnected with the transmission of cultural knowledges, and that interactive features and pleasing colour choices are important to promote community engagement. She describes how the Crow tribe is using the language app to connect young people, the most frequent users of new technology, and Elders who share their knowledge and voices in app development. She shares that community members are most excited about pronunciation exercises as they feature audio from community members they know, and increase confidence around speaking.

    Molinari, K. E. (2018). “Hey, there’s wi-fi at this camp!”: Remediating materiality, language learning, and digital identity within the Apsaalooke language app. [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Oklahoma]. https://shareok.org/items/0679156a-a41a-4aa6-95f9-35d86385297a