Cowlitz 23rd Annual Federal Recognition Ceremony & Book Debut

Cowlitz recognition day was held at the Ilani Casino in Washington. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe (CIT) was thrilled to celebrate 23 years of federal recognition, as well as all of the amazing progress made in the revitalization of the Cowlitz language.

Since their federal recognition in 2000, the CIT has been making a concerted effort to integrate Cowlitz Salish language and culture into their events and publications. The Language Conservancy has assisted with this effort since 2020 and released two new children's books in the language at this event. 

Language Revitalization Efforts in NYC & Washington DC

In late February, TLC was joined by Renell White Buffalo, acclaimed Lakota artist and language learner, in the presentation of the New Lakota Dictionary to the New York Public Library in honor of International Decade of Indigenous Language. The library is a beacon of hope for the support of Indigenous languages and literacy worldwide. 

In the following week, a TLC delegation attended NIEA Hill Week. 2023 marks 50 years since the Indian Education Act first became law. Hill Week is an important opportunity to engage with Congressional partners and take stock of Native Education efforts. This year’s symposium included a panel on Native Language Revitalization and released this 10 Year National Plan on Native Language Revitalization.

Dakota Dictionary App Is Here!

Dakhóta Iápi Okhódakičhiye (DIO) partnered with The Language Conservancy in 2017 to create a digital dictionary to support both native speakers and Dakota language learners. In late January, the Dakota Dictionary App containing 28,000 words was released on App Store and Google Play.

“The first language speakers are all elderly now,” Šišóka Dúta, the director of DIO, said in a recent Minnesota Reformer article. “People can’t live forever. We don’t want anything bad to happen to them, but we have to plan for these contingencies. Eventually those people will be gone, and we have to get as many words as we can while they’re still here with us.”

Five newly created Crow Language Picture Books were sent to Crow Agency School on March 16th, 2023, to be delivered during Parent Teacher Conferences. Students and parents were able to hear the books read aloud by the teachers. We are so glad to see how excited everyone was for the new Crow materials, and the best part is this is only the first round of the series! Wave two will be coming later this year and will be sent to the school to support their efforts in increasing literacy among the youth at Crow Agency School.