“Heritage languages are so important,. And when you learn them, it’s like, ‘Okay, I’m part of the crew saving it now.’' At the language house in Kodiak, new learners keep the Alutiiq language alive:
But that’s not stopping new speakers from learning the language and passing along a distinct culture and worldview to the next generations.
“Heritage languages are so important,” said mentor Stevi Frets. “And when you learn them, it’s like, ‘Okay, I’m part of the crew saving it now.’ There’s no like, ‘Yeah, I learn a little Alutiiq on weekends, when I can.’ All of a sudden, you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, my language, I have to save it, I have to do everything I can’.”
In some ways, Frets says she feels like she missed out. The tribe estimates there are now only about 17 Elders who are fluent Alutiiq speakers left. They lost about that many during the pandemic. It’s a turning point.Hailey Thompson administers the grant. She says part of the Sun’aq Tribe’s goal is to train fluent speakers who can in turn teach the language.
“The next wave of what it looks like is building resources, archiving things that we know we’re going to need, spending the time that we know we can get with elders,” she said. “That’s what it looks like right now. Just cherishing all the things, that all the resources we can get… before we know that they’re gone.”
Learners meet up with Elders at the museum once a week. Three of the Elders that used to be at those sessions died during the pandemic, but the museum records them so new learners and descendants of the speakers can hear their stories.
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