Native Voices Endowment Recipients - 2021
Rose Ann Abrahamson "Agai-Dika/Lemhi-Shoshone Language and Oral History Documentation"
This project aims is to conduct preliminary fieldwork to record in video and audio documentation the familial, oral and cultural history of the George family, including Rose Ann Abrahamson, Rozina George, and Emma George, who are fluent, first language (L1) speakers of the Northern Shoshone Agai-Dika dialect and are descendants of Sacajawea, the Agai-Dika woman who accompanied the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806). This little- documented Agai-Dika dialect and cultural perspective, with familial oral histories dating prior to first Euro-American contact in 1805, will be preserved through the creation of a rich, annotated, corpus of video and audio recordings of conversations with fluent speakers with particular focus on the George family. This project and proposal is submitted on behalf of a collaborative team and partnership. This proposal and project has been designed according to the wishes of the George family and their preferred approach, team of collaborators, and final outcomes.
Kayla Keplin Ridgley "Ktunaxa Interactive Language Learning App"
The Ktunaxa Interactive Language Learning Project is a collaborative endeavor to develop a story-based language learning adventure. It is a mix between a digital graphic novel and an interactive adventure game that can be played on mobile devices. It puts the player into the role of a young Ksanka person who visits their auntie’s home on the Flathead Reservation and needs to solve missions and language puzzles in order to progress in the game. This experimental and complex approach to language engagement is conducted as a collaborative project. Integrating elements of curriculum design, narrative design, and game design, the group also navigates the technical components. To mitigate typical drawbacks of digital tools (e.g., costly development and maintenance) that tend to undercut the community’s educational (and digital) independence, the project relies on accessible open-source software.
Patty Timbimboo Madsen "Daan Newe Daigawa'nna (speaking the Shoshone language)"
The Daan Newe Daigawa'nna (speaking the Shoshone language) project aims to revitalize the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation's dialect of the Shoshone language. Our efforts are multifaceted, and have shifted to focus on developing more electronic language resources for our tribal members. With funding from NVE in year one, we were able to identify more of our fluent speakers, hire a Shoshone language consultant, and gather data through a community survey. This data shaped our trajectory for year two which is to create more electronic language learning resources through audio and visual materials that can be accessed online. Our project is now shifting to revitalize our language through a hybrid model by creating both online and in person aspects that will allow tribal members to reclaim the Shoshone language through a variety of pathways.
Marsha Wynecoop "Publishing Spokane Tribal Language Traditional and Historical Fiction Books"
Preparing 16 Spokane Indian Language story books for publishing. Twelve are traditional stories which were transcribe from old reel to real recording by passed tribal elders in the late 1960s. Four Seasonal stories are historical fiction based on cultural ways of the Spokane Tribe authored by Spokane Tribal Elders and the Language Program Manager. Eight stories per year will be edited and prepped for publishing. The primary beneficiaries will be the students of the Back to the Heart Immersion School and Kindergarten through 5th grade attending the local public school on the Spokane Reservation who are learning the language. The others who will benefit are the current Language Teachers and Teacher Trainees and future teachers and trainees.
This project aims is to conduct preliminary fieldwork to record in video and audio documentation the familial, oral and cultural history of the George family, including Rose Ann Abrahamson, Rozina George, and Emma George, who are fluent, first language (L1) speakers of the Northern Shoshone Agai-Dika dialect and are descendants of Sacajawea, the Agai-Dika woman who accompanied the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806). This little- documented Agai-Dika dialect and cultural perspective, with familial oral histories dating prior to first Euro-American contact in 1805, will be preserved through the creation of a rich, annotated, corpus of video and audio recordings of conversations with fluent speakers with particular focus on the George family. This project and proposal is submitted on behalf of a collaborative team and partnership. This proposal and project has been designed according to the wishes of the George family and their preferred approach, team of collaborators, and final outcomes.
Kayla Keplin Ridgley "Ktunaxa Interactive Language Learning App"
The Ktunaxa Interactive Language Learning Project is a collaborative endeavor to develop a story-based language learning adventure. It is a mix between a digital graphic novel and an interactive adventure game that can be played on mobile devices. It puts the player into the role of a young Ksanka person who visits their auntie’s home on the Flathead Reservation and needs to solve missions and language puzzles in order to progress in the game. This experimental and complex approach to language engagement is conducted as a collaborative project. Integrating elements of curriculum design, narrative design, and game design, the group also navigates the technical components. To mitigate typical drawbacks of digital tools (e.g., costly development and maintenance) that tend to undercut the community’s educational (and digital) independence, the project relies on accessible open-source software.
Patty Timbimboo Madsen "Daan Newe Daigawa'nna (speaking the Shoshone language)"
The Daan Newe Daigawa'nna (speaking the Shoshone language) project aims to revitalize the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation's dialect of the Shoshone language. Our efforts are multifaceted, and have shifted to focus on developing more electronic language resources for our tribal members. With funding from NVE in year one, we were able to identify more of our fluent speakers, hire a Shoshone language consultant, and gather data through a community survey. This data shaped our trajectory for year two which is to create more electronic language learning resources through audio and visual materials that can be accessed online. Our project is now shifting to revitalize our language through a hybrid model by creating both online and in person aspects that will allow tribal members to reclaim the Shoshone language through a variety of pathways.
Marsha Wynecoop "Publishing Spokane Tribal Language Traditional and Historical Fiction Books"
Preparing 16 Spokane Indian Language story books for publishing. Twelve are traditional stories which were transcribe from old reel to real recording by passed tribal elders in the late 1960s. Four Seasonal stories are historical fiction based on cultural ways of the Spokane Tribe authored by Spokane Tribal Elders and the Language Program Manager. Eight stories per year will be edited and prepped for publishing. The primary beneficiaries will be the students of the Back to the Heart Immersion School and Kindergarten through 5th grade attending the local public school on the Spokane Reservation who are learning the language. The others who will benefit are the current Language Teachers and Teacher Trainees and future teachers and trainees.
