Writerʼs Memo: Ikhʋnachi Aiyʋmohmi - Teaching is Tradition

Traditional methodological approaches to language revitalization include methods used within Indigenous communities to teach their heritage language using strategies and tactics unique to their community. For instance, my pokni (grandmother) spoke to the influence active learning methods such as singing had on her Choctaw language development. Traditionally, singing played a large role in Choctaw culture, used on multiple occasions, such as various ceremonies, dances, and times of hardship. My pokni described the way in which Choctaw songs are sung very slowly, in such a way that each syllable is clearly articulated, allowing for an individual to really hear the root sounds of the language. Singing traditional hymns creates a learning environment where one is exposed to common words and phrases in the language within a medium in which the language is heard in a repetitive and slow fashion. And for someone like my pokni who learned Choctaw entirely through oral practices, this one method of language acquisition speaks to a larger understanding of Choctaw's oral methodology of language learning and teaching.
Language revitalization work comes in the form of connecting Native peoples to the culture and knowledge of their respective Indigenous backgrounds through the exploration of their Native languages. As tribes and other Indigenous communities attempt to retain their languages and reclaim their cultural sovereignty, these communities have developed many forms of curriculum and programming rooted in ancestral knowledge and values systems that are consistent with recognizing the pedagogical strengths within Native cultures. In this paper, I will cover the curriculum present in current language revitalization efforts, how tribal values are centered in this work, and how these efforts leverage community interest to ensure language acquisition. These sources reviewed serve as a body of knowledge to help language revitalists understand how Native language curricula can be developed within culturally-sustaining methodologies.