Celebrating 2024's Accomplishments

Some estimates indicate that we lose the last speakers of a language every two weeks. With that loss, a community loses access to one of the things that make them unique and hold much of their history, cultural knowledge, and unique worldview. Language loss is one of the most pressing conservation issues of our time. This loss is due to many factors, including social and economic pressures to abandon less commonly known languages. Here in North America, Indigenous language loss is directly tied to generations of colonization across various Indigenous communities that forced many to abandon their languages. Today, many communities are taking steps to reclaim this part of their cultural heritage to revitalize their languages and cultural practices in order to heal their communities and reaffirm their unique worldviews. This work can, and should, be led by those with connections to the land, history, and communities where these languages were developed.

7000 Languages works tirelessly to support community-led efforts for language revitalization and cultural reclamation around the world through our various programs. Our success is defined through the successes of those partnered communities and community members who are on the ground making great strides to meet learner needs in their languages. It is our pleasure to uplift our community partnerships, the fellowship program, and the continuing development of our mobile application, Language Root.

From Left to Right: 2024 Fellow Carina Peterson, 7000 Languages Executive Director Stephanie Witkowski, and 2024 Fellow Tyler Lee-Wynant connect at the 2024 National Indian Education Association Native Languages Summit in Palm Springs

Fellowship Program

This year, we were grateful to welcome 8 fellows into our fellowship program. These fellows developed language learning resources in their languages and presented their research to the community in our Fellowship Showcase this August. You can view this showcase on via our YouTube page, and learn more about these languages here. Over the course of 10 weeks this summer, our fellows were able to meet with each other, our staff, and our fellowship alumni to share their knowledge, experience, and strategies to overcome language loss and reclaim their languages. We welcome our fellows to our growing community and look forward to seeing their accomplishments in the years to come. 

“One thing I’ve picked up during this fellowship is how to bring my language to life using technology. I can’t wait to share this with my community and start using it in reviving our language. It’s like opening up a whole new world of possibilities.” - Kelvin Ndegwa, 2024 Fellow

This year’s fellowship officially doubles the amount of fellows we have been able to work with. Over the past 3 years, we have been able to support 16 fellows working on distinct languages around the world!

Community Partnerships

This year, we were honored to join our partners, Doyon Foundation, in North Pole, Alaska for their annual Doyon Languages Education Gathering with Alaska Native Language teachers from across the region. At the gathering, we were able to support camp activities by leading workshops regarding best practices for language elicitation and the use of video for language documentation. This work often requires teachers to think outside the box in order to identify the best ways to collect natural language from speakers as well as cultural content not so easily identified in text and audio recordings. This training provides teachers with the skills to begin new, dynamic, digital recording projects in their communities with something as common as a smartphone. Beyond this partnership, we were able to partner with the following organizations working in these endangered languages:

• Alan and Anne Wallace - Nisenan

• Chickaloon Village Traditional Council - Ahtna

• Comanche Academy - Comanche Language

• Comanche Nation - Comanche Language

• Douglas Indian Association - Tlingit

• Doyon Foundation - Lower Tanana, Deg Xinag, Koyukon, Tanacross, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich’in, Han, Holikachuk, Inupiaq, Upper Tanana

• Endangered Languages Alliance - Tu’un Savi, Kelabit

• Fiona Martich - Gamilaraay

• Guy Levin and Yaacov Maoz - Aramit

• Iskonawa Community - Iskonawa

• Leli Gardaphkadze - Svan, Magrelian

• Levi Kambai Timothy - Tyap

• Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation - Chochenyo

• Sealaska Heritage Institute - Tlingit

• Tiwizi - Taqbaylit

• Tribes and Natures Defenders Inc. - Higaonon

Language Root Mobile App

We are continuing to expand access to digital language learning materials through the ongoing development of Language Root. Language Root is designed as the only language learning application accessible both online and offline for endangered languages. With this program, we hope to give more communities access to language learning materials on the go. Fellows and other community partners are able to demo Language Root as we pursue more opportunities to expand this project for the wider world.

It has been another momentous year for us as an organization and for our larger community. We are so grateful for the support of people like you who make this work possible with your generous donations, shares, and uplifting of our work and our community. There is much more we hope to accomplish alongside our ongoing community partners and new partnerships with new communities around the world. None of this work is possible without the support of partners like you. We look forward to building off of this work in the years to come and hope that we can count on your support to see us through. As communities continue to fight around the clock to slow and reverse language loss, your support means more than ever! From now until the end of the year, you have an opportunity to double your impact through our matching campaign!

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