Evening and Weekend Activities

ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak) (2023) is feature-length documentary chronicling the efforts of Cherokee activists, artists, and educators fighting to save the Cherokee language.

Languages: Cherokee + English

This event is generously sponsored by The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the Mother Tongue Film Festival.

Poetry reading and discussion with Chris Hoshnic. Hoshnic, who is from Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, is a heritage speaker of Diné Bizaad. He writes poetry in both Diné Bizaad and English, and explores the nature of translation in creative writing. From Chris "This event will feature some work I’ve published in various literary magazines/journals alongside a craft talk on what I’ve worked on during my individualized Instruction with Tyler and some influences from my time with Natalie Diaz and Thousand Languages Project. I’ll also tie in some of the work I plan to feature in my creative project I wish to get produced by end of summer as an audio-documentary."

SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of The Knife) (2018): In a 19th-century summer, two large families gather for their annual fishing retreat on the far-removed island of Haida Gwaii. Adiits'ii, a charming nobleman, accidentally causes the death of his best friend Kwa's son and hastens into the wilderness. Adiits'ii is tormented by what he has done and spirals into insanity, becoming Gaagiixid, a supernatural being crazed by hunger. He unexpectedly survives the winter, and at next year's gathering, the families try to convert Gaagiixid back to Adiitst'ii.—xx

Languages: Haida + English

Dinner and reception including songs and storytelling with Elders from the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. 

On Friday night you had the opportunity to meet some of the community members and language activists who work on Yavapai, the language spoken at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Clissene Lewis and her team will return to CoLang to host an open discussion of experiences in community language work. CoLang participants, facilitators, and presenters will have the opportunity to share their own experiences in their communities so we can all learn from each other.

Anyukojmit - We Are Totontepecanos: Happiness and sadness are shared in one of the most successful Mexican villages where the world’s most nutritious corn is grown; but still the young leave. What they find is surprising. A hybrid documentary where indigenous filmmakers translate classic filmmaking into something of their own.

The film represents a number of language documentation techniques  adapted from documentary filmmaking that evolved in projects with the Passamaquoddy and Mixe peoples over 12 years and funded by the NSF-DEL program. These ways of using video to document and produce richly contextualized natural group language and activity offer linguists and those interested in language reclamation first hand opportunity to see and evaluate for themselves the value of using visual documentation. These techniques were taught by the filmmaker at Co-Lang 2016 and 2018 .

Language: Totontepec

Following the screening of this film, there will be a Q&A session with filmmaker Ben Levine.

Annauk Olin and her mother Nulukutaaq will sing Inupiaq songs. Annauk and her daughter Tulguna will Inupiaq dance. Tristan Madros will share about traditions. Susan Paskvan will tell about traditional food preparation - moose soup and baked salmon bites will be provided.

Dances shared by the Salt River Traditional Dancers (O'odham) and Bird Singing and Dancing by the River (Piipaash). We invite CoLang participants to share song, dance, or stories from their respective areas. 

Be sure to RSVP at the link provided in your email. If you are unable to locate your link, please email colang2024@gmail.com. 

Join us as we acknowledge all the incredible people who attended CoLang and helped make the CoLang practica possible. 

Be sure to RSVP at the link provided in your email. If you are unable to locate your link, please email colang2024@gmail.com.