Persistence in Indigenous language work during the covid-19 pandemic
Date
2022-09
Authors
Chew, Kari A. B.
McIvor, Onowa
Hemlock, Kanen’tó:kon
Marinakis, Aliki
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Alternative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples
Abstract
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous communities have persisted in Indigenous language revitalization and reclamation efforts. This research utilized a scan of social media, a survey, and interviews, conducted in the summer and fall of 2020 and primarily focused on Canada, to explore: What shifts to support Indigenous language work occurred during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic? and What were the impacts of these shifts on Indigenous language revitalization and reclamation? This article discusses six cross-cutting themes: (a) shifting and adapting language work to ensure community health and safety, (b) building capacity to make necessary shifts and adaptations, (c) facing challenges in shifting online, (d) promoting Indigenous languages online and in community, (e) creating and sharing language resources as alternative or increased activity, and (f) (re-)envisioning language education and pedagogy in a pandemic time. These themes exemplify Indigenous persistence in Indigenous language revitalization and reclamation work during the pandemic.
Description
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous languages, language education, language revitalization, online language learning
Citation
Chew, K. A. B., McIvor, O., Hemlock, K. & Marinakis, A. (2022). Persistence in Indigenous language work during the COVID-19 pandemic. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples.