Colorado Environmental Law Journal

Cewagĭ Pi ṣa:muñ ‘ab dahă. ‘ab dahă kc ‘ab beihim g gewkdag ‘ab beihim ‘amjeḍ g s-ke:g hewel. ‘I:da gewkdag mo na:nko ma:s. ‘I:da gewkdag mo d ‘ep ge’e tatañ. ‘I:da tatañ mat ‘ab amjed o si i-hoi g jeweḍ. I:da tatañ mo we:s ‘an ‘i-t-bijimidahim. Summer clouds sit silently. They sit, quietly gathering strength. Gathering strength from the good winds. This strength that becomes the thunder. The thunder so loud it vibrates the earth. The thunder that surrounds us.[2] This is language. It is Continue reading →

NOTE: what follows is a lightly-edited transcript of the keynote address held as part of the 54th Algonquian Conference, University of Colorado Boulder, October 21, 2022. Terveh teilä, hyvät rahvas! Warmest greetings to all conference participants! It is my pleasure to deliver these keynote remarks tonight on the occasion of the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages[2] here at the University of Colorado, an institution that indeed has the capacity and the expertise to make a difference when it comes to concrete steps Continue reading →

NOTE: what follows is a lightly-edited transcript of a panel discussion held as part of the 54th Algonquian Conference, University of Colorado Boulder, October 21, 2022. Three panelists (Mary Hermes, Mary-Odile Junker, and Michael Running Wolf) joined remotely, and two panelists (Antti Arppe and Nora Livesay) joined in person. Authors/panelists Antti Arppe, University of Alberta Mary Hermes, University of Minnesota Marie-Odile Junker, Carleton University Nora Livesay, University of Minnesota Michael Running Wolf, McGill University, Indigenous in AI Moderator Alexis Palmer, University of Colorado Boulder Overview: Continue reading →

aya ceeki. Wesley Leonard weenswiaani. niila myaamia. What I just said in the myaamia language (also known as “Miami”), is very simple: I just shared my name – I said who I am, and that I am Miami. This, however, becomes a relatively big deal when you consider the history of the Miami people and of our language, which like Wampanoag was a sleeping language for a number of years and only later became reclaimed from archival documentation. I refer here to language documentation that Continue reading →

The United Nations General Assembly recently proclaimed the International Decade of Indigenous Languages ( “IDIL”) from 2022-2032 to “to draw attention to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages and to take urgent steps at the national and international levels.” The Decade is an opportunity to expose and address the severe loss of Indigenous Peoples’ languages locally, regionally, and globally. It is a chance for the entire world community to gather together and commit to Continue reading →

Siyo nigad. Again, welcome to the Cherokee Nation. I think it’s appropriate to recognize the gentleman who just introduced me. He is the former chief of the Cherokee Nation, currently our special envoy for international affairs and language preservation. I want you to think about this. His service to the Cherokee people has touched the last five decades of our existence. Think about that for a moment. When I was a young man, I saw Chief Joe Byrd take office and speak the Cherokee language Continue reading →

NOTE: what follows is a lightly-edited transcript of a panel discussion held as part of the 54th Algonquian Conference, University of Colorado Boulder, October 21, 2022. Three panelists (Shannon Bischoff, Monica Macaulay, and D.H.) joined remotely. Authors/panelists Andrew Cowell, University of Colorado Boulder; Shannon Bischoff, Purdue University-Ft. Wayne;  Monica Macaulay, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and  Doug Whalen, CUNY Graduate Center and Endangered Language Fund Moderator Joe Dupris Part one: Overview Shannon Bischoff I’m Shannon Bischoff. With my colleagues Doug Whalen and Monica Macaulay, we’re going to Continue reading →

  NOTE: what follows is a lightly-edited transcript of a panel discussion held as part of the 54th Algonquian Conference, University of Colorado Boulder, October 21, 2022. Three panelists (Justin Neely, Billie Sutton, and Richard Kistabish ) joined in person and one panelist (Rosalyn LaPier) joined remotely. Authors/panelists Justin Neely, Billie Sutton, Richard Kistabish, Rosalyn LaPier Moderator Kristen Carpenter, University of Colorado Boulder Kristen Carpenter: Welcome to our roundtable discussion on the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, this session brings together a group of Indigenous Continue reading →