Recurring Questions of Technology: The Role of Technology in Indigenous Language Revitalization

About Dr. Galla, the presenter From her bio: “Born in Hilo and raised in a sugar plantation town, Pahala, in Kaʻū, I was exposed to an array of languages and cultures from a young age. I continued learning about my Hawaiian language and culture formally at Kamehameha Schools on Kapālama […]

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Living Our Indigenous Languages in a Multimedia Technology Enhanced World

About the Event Saturday April 13, 2013 9:30am – 3:30pm Sty-Wet-Tan Hall UBC First Nations Longhouse 1985 West Mall RSVP to this Language Gathering FREE and open to the public Pay parking available in the Fraser River Parkade Please join us for this exciting event that will bring together language […]

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Can the digital age save the Cherokee language?

Phil Cash Cash, who runs the Indigenous Language and Technology listserv at the University of Arizona, sent this out today… Can the digital age save the Cherokee language? The halls of Facebook, Google and texting Written by Becky Johnson, published on Wednesday, 30 January 2013 [source] Excerpt: “Susan Gathers was […]

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Secwepemctsin language app for Nintendo DSi and soon iPad

From The Daily News (Kamloops): Nintendo scores for native language “With as few as 150 fluent Secwepemctsin speakers remaining, most of them over age 65, the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society has come up with software for preserving the language. Nintendo DSi software that teaches Secwepemctsin to young children is in […]

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Special Issue of the Journal of Material Culture: Digital Subjects, Cultural Objects

The Journal of Material Culture is concerned with the relationship between artefacts and social relations irrespective of time and place and aims to systematically explore the linkage between the construction of social identities and the production and use of culture. Special Edition edited by Amiria Salmond and Billie Lythberg Introduction […]

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Digital Subjects, Cultural Objects

Special Issue of the Journal of Material Culture The Journal of Material Culture is concerned with the relationship between artefacts and social relations irrespective of time and place and aims to systematically explore the linkage between the construction of social identities and the production and use of culture. Digital Subjects, […]

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The Indigenous Languages and Technology (ILAT) Listserv

About the ILAT discussion list The Indigenous Languages and Technology (ILAT) discussion list is an open forum for community language specialists, linguists, scholars, and students to discuss issues relating to the uses of technology in language revitalization efforts. A list of links to the ILAT archives is presented at right […]

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Natives on the Electric Frontier: Technology and Cultural Change on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation

Abstract This dissertation examines the relationship between technology and cultural change on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, home to 7000 Lakota Indians. Recently, a number of popular authors have suggested that technology, especially electronic or ’emerging’ media technologies such as television and the Internet, is a primary […]

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FirstVoices Chat App enables Indigenous language speakers to text in their own language

FirstVoices Chat From the First Peoples’ Cultural Council press release (in full below): Brentwood Bay, B.C. – FirstVoices Chat, an Indigenous language texting app for Facebook Chat and Google Talk, is now available at the Apple App Store as a free download for iPad, iTouch and iPhone. The app contains […]

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ICTS for Intercultural Dialogue: An Overview of UNESCO’s Indigenous Communication Project

Abstract Using ICTs to preserve and revitalize Indigenous cultures and to promote intercultural dialogue is the aim of UNESCO’s ICT4ID Project. Five pilot projects were conducted in 2004-2005 in Africa and South America to train Indigenous people in ICTs, support production of local content and assist in its distribution. Three […]

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Living Cultural Storybases (LCS)

Nurturing the oral heritage of minority cultures in a digital world The following text is from the Living Cultural Storybases website: http://storybases.org/ Misson LCS seeks to nurture the oral heritage of minority cultures by developing respectful methodologies accompanied by appropriate technological solutions. We aim to enable indigenous communities to share and […]

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Organization Highlight: Living Cultural Storybases (LCS)

Nurturing the oral heritage of minority cultures in a digital world The following text is from the Living Cultural Storybases website: http://storybases.org/ Misson LCS seeks to nurture the oral heritage of minority cultures by developing respectful methodologies accompanied by appropriate technological solutions. We aim to enable indigenous communities to share and […]

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Indigenous Language Usage in a Digital Library: He Hautoa Kia Ora Tonu Ai

Abstract The research described in this thesis examines indigenous language usage in a digital library environment that has been accessed via the Internet. By examining discretionary use of the Māori Niupepa and Hawaiian Nūpepa digital libraries this research investigates how indigenous languages were used in these electronic environments in 2005. […]

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Indigenous People on the Web

Abstract This paper explores the ways in which Indigenous people around the world are participating in the World Wide Web, through establishing their own websites or accessing services via the Web. Indigenous websites are remarkably diverse: in addition to those representing Indigenous organizations and promoting Indigenous e-commerce, many websites have […]

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Taking Ownership: Strengthening Indigenous Cultures and Languages Through the Use of ICTs

Indigenous peoples make up 5% of the world’s population, occupy over 20% of the earth’s landmass, and pursue self – determination and sovereignty in all 73 countries in which they dwell. [3] Technology is a tool, not just a reward, for growth and development. [4] When ICTs are introduced in […]

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Indigenous Tweets

Indigenous Tweets is a website and accompanying blog by Kevin Scannell, a professor of Computer Science at Saint Louis University. To explain the project, I quote from the Indigenous Tweets blog: Project Background Speakers of indigenous and minority languages around the world are struggling to keep their languages and cultures […]

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Indigenous Language Revitalization and Technology: From Traditional to Contemporary Domains

This paper describes critical areas in which technology plays a role in language and culture revitalization and explores efforts made by Indigenous communities to preserve, maintain and revitalize their Indigenous language with the help of computer technology. People are interested in both traditional and contemporary culture and are finding new […]

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Using ICTs for Indigenous Cultural Preservation: Challenges and Strategies

As Indigenous communities endeavor to maintain their traditional ways of knowing, many are turning to information and communications technologies (ICTs) to sustain and stimulate their Indigenous knowledge traditions ([1],[2],[3]). They are using analog and digital video and audio recording devices, as well as a constellation of computer, mobile, and Internet-related […]

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Negotiating Community Resistance

“Esdunèna keh kudoge dahkwandēʼ tedètsʼet. Neni dahtsʼadi netʼē dahkwandē tsʼèn keniden. Dahtsʼadi etʼē dahkwandēʼ. Dahkwandēʼ niʼushdèn shį̀. Dahkwandēʼ tsʼèn keniden. Dahkwandēʼ tsʼèn keniden.” [“To all my children, we are losing our language. You are our future leaders; you must learn our language. It is the root and heart of our […]

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