Native Voices Endowment Recipients - 2022
Dr. Robert E. Lewis Jr. "Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë zgestthegadék (Potawatomi Language Archives) Project "
Over the course of the three-year project period, Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë ték, Inc. will support training and technical assistance for staff and consultants to develop the necessary infrastructure to develop a digital archival website. Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë ték, Inc. is a nonprofit established in 2020 established by three of Jim Thunder, Sr.’s students. As part of this project, the Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë ték, Inc. Director will work with a consultant (Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë zgestthegadék Technician) to develop a digital archives to organize and preserve language learning materials and first language speaker recordings the Board of Directors have accrued over the years. Additional exploratory processes will be undertaken to determine sharing permissions and parameters for various recordings and materials lacking thorough provenance information. At the end of the project, a pilot group will be identified by the Board of Directors to test out the various Mukurtu functions to organize, preserve, and protect.
Justin Neely "Summer Master Apprentice Project "
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) Language Department aims to preserve the Potawatomi language by increasing the number of Potawatomi speakers through a Summer Master Apprentice Project. The goal of the project is to develop conversationally fluent 2nd language speakers of the endangered Potawatomi language. Two apprentices would work with knowledgeable experienced staff members of the CPN Language Department for a consistent 8-week period each summer for 3 years. The uniquely designed Apprentice program would include on- site individual instruction as well as online course work with continuous feedback and support from the project team. Upon completion of the 3-year project, the Apprentices would have gained almost 1,000 hours of intense Potawatomi language instruction and would be conversationally fluent Potawatomi speakers.
Braxton Redeagle "Osage Nation Project"
Language loss, lack of access to primary sources, lack of access to older sources of such organization and quality, lack of analysis of older sources, reconstruction of older language. The project designed for this grant would address all the above, and lay the foundation for numerous other project while creating more teaching materials. The Osage Nation Language Development will acquire good quality images of the James Owen Dorsey Osage-English vocabulary slips, manually transcribe the content into a text document, and format the document so that it may be converted into the Osage writing system in the future. The ultimate goal is to produce content that is accessible to Osage language teachers, students, researchers and Osage community members.
Desiree Stormbrave "Revitalizing Kaánze Language and Culture "
The Kaánze Níkashinga have worked hard to sustain and revitalize our Kaánze Íe. At this time, we would like Mother Earth to become our classroom. With this grant, in Year one, we would like to teach our youth to utilize Kaánze natural resources by establishing a garden and educating them on resources they can find on Kaánze lands. This would increase their knowledge and awareness of Kaánze culture and history through our language. Year two will incorporate signs within our tribal jurisdiction. This will help establish Kaánze Níkashinga identity by marking places in our native language. It will also help with word identification and retention. Year three will focus on our native lands through hunting and fishing with our youth. Hunter safety courses, bow making, hiking to find our native medicinal plants, and incorporating our EPA and Land Management departments to help us locate lands and places to fish.
Over the course of the three-year project period, Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë ték, Inc. will support training and technical assistance for staff and consultants to develop the necessary infrastructure to develop a digital archival website. Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë ték, Inc. is a nonprofit established in 2020 established by three of Jim Thunder, Sr.’s students. As part of this project, the Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë ték, Inc. Director will work with a consultant (Bodwéwadmimwen Ėthë zgestthegadék Technician) to develop a digital archives to organize and preserve language learning materials and first language speaker recordings the Board of Directors have accrued over the years. Additional exploratory processes will be undertaken to determine sharing permissions and parameters for various recordings and materials lacking thorough provenance information. At the end of the project, a pilot group will be identified by the Board of Directors to test out the various Mukurtu functions to organize, preserve, and protect.
Justin Neely "Summer Master Apprentice Project "
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) Language Department aims to preserve the Potawatomi language by increasing the number of Potawatomi speakers through a Summer Master Apprentice Project. The goal of the project is to develop conversationally fluent 2nd language speakers of the endangered Potawatomi language. Two apprentices would work with knowledgeable experienced staff members of the CPN Language Department for a consistent 8-week period each summer for 3 years. The uniquely designed Apprentice program would include on- site individual instruction as well as online course work with continuous feedback and support from the project team. Upon completion of the 3-year project, the Apprentices would have gained almost 1,000 hours of intense Potawatomi language instruction and would be conversationally fluent Potawatomi speakers.
Braxton Redeagle "Osage Nation Project"
Language loss, lack of access to primary sources, lack of access to older sources of such organization and quality, lack of analysis of older sources, reconstruction of older language. The project designed for this grant would address all the above, and lay the foundation for numerous other project while creating more teaching materials. The Osage Nation Language Development will acquire good quality images of the James Owen Dorsey Osage-English vocabulary slips, manually transcribe the content into a text document, and format the document so that it may be converted into the Osage writing system in the future. The ultimate goal is to produce content that is accessible to Osage language teachers, students, researchers and Osage community members.
Desiree Stormbrave "Revitalizing Kaánze Language and Culture "
The Kaánze Níkashinga have worked hard to sustain and revitalize our Kaánze Íe. At this time, we would like Mother Earth to become our classroom. With this grant, in Year one, we would like to teach our youth to utilize Kaánze natural resources by establishing a garden and educating them on resources they can find on Kaánze lands. This would increase their knowledge and awareness of Kaánze culture and history through our language. Year two will incorporate signs within our tribal jurisdiction. This will help establish Kaánze Níkashinga identity by marking places in our native language. It will also help with word identification and retention. Year three will focus on our native lands through hunting and fishing with our youth. Hunter safety courses, bow making, hiking to find our native medicinal plants, and incorporating our EPA and Land Management departments to help us locate lands and places to fish.