Our Language, Our Legacy

Efforts to revitalize Native languages are powerful acts of resilience. But to fully support them, we must first understand how and why these languages were threatened. In the first episode of our four-part webinar series, we’ll explore the history and lasting impact of Indian Boarding Schools, and how these institutions contributed to the suppression of Native languages and shaped contemporary Native life.

Our featured speaker, Deidre Whiteman (Spirit Lake Dakota/Hidatsa), Director of Research and Education, at the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, will provide a powerful overview of this legacy. Moderated by First Nations’ Jona Charette, Director of Individual Giving, and Anaya Echo-Hawk, Development Officer, the session will lay the foundation for understanding the complex context of language loss and the critical work being done to bring Native languages back to life.

Join us to learn, reflect, and discover how history informs today’s revitalization efforts. Stay tuned after the webinar for a Q&A session.

Additional Webinar Materials: 

Native language revitalization is a dynamic expression of cultural strength, creativity, and community leadership. In the second part of our four-part webinar series, we’ll hear from Shodzi’dzo:wa:’ (Damian Webster), a member of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and a 2025 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow, whose work is expanding access to the Seneca language through teaching, curriculum design, and innovative media. From organizing a Seneca Language Bowl to producing new learning resources, Shodzi’dzo:wa:’ is creating opportunities for new speakers and future educators to connect with and carry forward their language.

Language revitalization thrives where passion, culture, and community meet. In the third installment of our four-part webinar series, we turn to ᏧᎾᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎤᏂᎦᏔ (Little Cherokee Seeds), a powerful example of grassroots leadership in early childhood language immersion.

Learn how this community-led initiative is nurturing the next generation of Cherokee speakers and culture bearers from the very beginning of life. Hear from Phyllis Sixkiller and Melissa Lewis, who share insights into the program’s vision, daily practices, and the vital role of community in language reclamation.

Webinar recording passcode: #B0@z1hb

ᏧᎾᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎤᏂᎦᏔ (Little Cherokee Seeds)
Little Cherokee Seeds is a program aimed to create language fluency starting in infancy. Mothers accompany their infants to a 30 hour/week program occurring Monday-Friday, year-round, in a cabin on the land. Little Cherokee Seeds immerses children and mothers in the Cherokee language in a nurturing environment that echoes the childhood of fluent Cherokee speakers. Families learn by doing, engaging in hands-on cultural activities that have sustained our people for centuries. From crafting to cooking to foraging, every activity is a lesson in both language and culture. Five fluent speakers and one second language learner guide the program activities, ensuring that the language and culture we pass on are true to our Cherokee ways.

In the culminating session of First Nations’ summer webinar series, Stories of Truth, Solutions, and Action Across Indian Country, we bring together the voices and experiences of Native language champions featured throughout the series for a dynamic panel discussion. Our Language, Our Legacy is both a reflection and a call to action.

Learn more through a discussion moderated by representatives from First Nations and the Native Arts, Language, and Knowledge network. This conversation will bring together panelists including Deidre Whiteman, Shodzi’dzo:wa:’ (Damian Webster), and representatives from ᏧᎾᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎤᏂᎦᏔ (Little Cherokee Seeds), to share their insights, challenges, and hopes from their journeys in language revitalization.