Two members of the From Revitalization to Reclamation: Reinforcing Nishnaabeg Language Pedagogy and Indigenous Epistemologies at the University and Beyond Proposal Development Grant team attended The Institute on Collaborative Language Research (CoLang) conference in early June. Kayla Gonyon (Lecturer in American Culture, Ojibwe Language) and Skyelar Raiti (Undergraduate Research Assistant) traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, where the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and Arizona State University (ASU) jointly hosted the training and networking event. CoLang is held every two years, and is a great resource for anyone working in Language revitalization.
Kayla and Skyelar were able to connect with people from across the globe, many of which were linguists and community members working in tribal language programs. Several of the workshops presented at the conference were focused on using linguistics-specific and other computer software for the purpose of language learning. One such program, Praat, can be used to visualize speech sounds which could be used in unique ways to help language learners compare their pronunciation to that of native speakers. Another program was ELAN, which could be used by language instructors to transcribe audio and video in their desired language and then posted online for learners to view.
The conference also hosted non-technical workshops on topics such as best practices for Indigenous Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights and one on establishing tribal archives. The team is itself engaged in archive work as they currently have a group of research assistants, including Skyelar, working to digitally archive Ojibwe language learning materials at the University of Michigan. The team plans to use this as a stepping stone to begin collecting, comparing, and archiving Ojibwe language materials from across the Great Lakes region.
Kayla participated in a workshop teaching participants to make stop-motion animations. This is a unique way to engage language learners in the classroom by combining audial and visual learning with technology and creative experimentation. Kayla is excited to incorporate this into her future courses.
Other research assistants with the team have also been finding great success this summer conducting research into issues relevant to the pedagogy of understudied languages. Several ideas have come from this research which have led the team to consider creating virtual language classes to increase enrollment beyond central campus and potentially forming an Ojibwe language teacher certification program.
The team is now shifting its focus to planning outreach visits with local Native tribes and tribal colleges and building their application to apply for National Endowment for the Humanities funding.