The Alaska Native Heritage Center has attained funding for a one year project that addresses the rapid pace of language loss of Alaska Natives, the impact that migration to urban areas has on language loss, and the need to develop a plan to preserve the diverse languages of the Alaska Natives who reside away from their tribes and communities in the city of Anchorage, Anchorage is home to the fourth largest Native American population in the United States, which has grown from 29,730 in 2000 to 36,062 in 2010. Over 26% of Alaska’s Natives now reside in Anchorage. These residents represent 11 linguistically distinct Alaska Native cultural groups including Yup’ik/Cup’ik, Athabascan, Unangax, Sugpiaq, Eyak, Tsimshian, Tlingit, Haida, and Inupiaq nations. Natives residing in Anchorage experience social, educational, health, and economic disparities as they grapple with the effects of rapid social changes. Alaska’s indigenous languages are being lost at an alarming rate and all but two are now listed as endangered by UNESCO. Language loss is accelerated by the migration of large numbers of Alaska Natives to urban areas. Anchorage’s current language preservation resources are inadequate to meet the needs of the population. Therefore, ANHC’s project goal is to develop a plan for preserving and revitalizing the diverse languages of Alaska Native people who are culturally displaced within the Anchorage area.
This one year grant gives the Heritage Center the opportunity to find out how many language learners and resources are in Alaska. Our goal is to connect all Alaska Native language learners in Anchorage with the Native language programs in the state. Success in attaining the next grant will mean language classes will be offered at the Heritage Center in about a year. If you would like to learn, teach or be involved in language revitalization and preservation, please complete this online survey!
The ANHC is an educational and cultural institution for all Alaskans, the Alaska Native Heritage Center provides programs in both academic and informal settings, including workshops, demonstrations, and guided tours of indoor exhibits and outdoor village sites. To learn more about ANHC, visit their website at www.alaskanative.net.