Native Word of the Month

Doyon Foundation is pleased to present the Native Words of the Month. Each month, a new Native word or phrase and definition will be shared here on the website, along with an audio recording of the pronunciation. Have a translation in another language? Share it with us on Facebook! Have an idea for a Native Word of the Month? Please email your idea to haytona@doyon.com.

View the most recent Native Word of the Month posts below, or click here to view all of the posts.

February 2023 Native Word of the Month

Loretta Lolnitz, an apprentice in our Mentor Apprentice Program, was a snowshoe racer for 20 years. In our February Native word of the month, Loretta shares the story of how she gave her youngest son a Denaakk’e name inspired by her love of snowshoeing.  Oyh K'edzaaye...

January 2023 Native Word of the Month

Learning a language can bring up long-forgotten memories. Loretta Lolnitz, an apprentice in our Mentor Apprentice Program, is learning Denaakk’e with her mentor and mother, Ethel Esmailka. In our January 2023 Native Word of the Month, Loretta shares a word and a...

December 2022 Native Word of the Month

Anna Clock, featured in our Storyteller language profile, shares her favorite Denaakk’e word for our December 2022 Native Word of the Month. https://youtu.be/yDyYf2GOBdc Edeghoyeneeghaalʉhdeneek = you take care of yourselves - Denaakk'e For more Native...

November 2022 Native Word of the Month

https://youtu.be/zw45JYysOH8 Our November 2022 Native Word of the Month features a video clip from our upcoming Storyteller language profile on Denaakk’e teacher, Susan Paskvan. Dot’aanh? = What is he/she/it doing? “It’s a good word to know for language learners...

September 2022 Native Word of the Month

When learning a new word or phrase, it’s estimated that a person needs to hear/see/say it 20 times in 20 different situations. That is why consistent practice and repetition is so important for the teams in our Native language Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP). In our...