Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has released its first Tlingit podcast for students who want to learn the language through their mobile devices.
The podcast is part of SHI’s “Learning Tlingit” app, which was released in August. It includes 26 episodes that cover a wide range of topics, including verbs, tools, colors, places, carved objects, anatomy of a building and cooking phrases. The episodes are offered in audio (.mp3) or video (.mp4) formats.
“Our ‘Learning Tlingit’ app currently offers audio sections on vocabulary, phrases and the alphabet, but we wanted to add a podcast to meet demand from students who want to use a variety of tools and media,” said SHI President Rosita Worl.
SHI will continue to add episodes to the podcast, which is available for iOS (Apple) and Android devices through the app at no cost. Students also can download or play the episodes from the language resources section at http://www.sealaskaheritage.org.
People who already have the “Learning Tlingit” app on their devices will receive notification from their app store that a new version is available. Those users must choose to update to the latest version to download the podcast.
The podcast features audio by fluent speakers Nora Marks Dauenhauer (Keixwnéi), the late Johnny Marks (Kooteixtée), Fred White (Gunaak’w), the late June Pegues (Aan Yax Saxeex), David Katzeek (Kingeisti) and Marsha Hotch (Guneiwtí). It also includes audio from Tlingit language learners Katrina Hotch and Yarrow Vaara (S’akjayéi).
The podcast was produced by SHI in partnership with SERRC-Alaska’s Educational Resource Center. It was compiled by SHI Language Coordinator Katrina Hotch and developed by Wostmann & Associates of Juneau and Sealaska. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Alaska Native Education Program. With the framework developed, SHI plans to produce Haida and Tsimshian versions in the future.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research and advocacy that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.
