Montana CoLang

The Montana CoLang team believes that the work of the CoLang Spirit is to encourage and facilitate greater representation of Indigenous people and Indigenous languages, both at the institute and in other language work. Towards this goal, CoLang 2022 fosters collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous language workers at every level, from the hosting institutions, workshop facilitators, and participants to partner organizations and sponsors.

Theme: Reciprocity and Accountability in Collaborative Language Work

CoLang 2022 participants learn to think beyond the practical training they will receive. We aim to challenge many long-standing concepts in the field and to promote relational accountability in collaborative research. We implore all attendees to consider the power dynamics historically present in language work. We hope that our institutional design and selection of workshops will reflect our attempts to engage with these critical challenges.

Quality Training 

Quality training will be provided for all participants seeking to learn about community-based collaborative language work. Workshops at CoLang 2022 will challenge participants to think critically about historical challenges and inequities present in language work, and to arrive each day bearing in mind the concepts of reclamation, reciprocity, and accountability. As envisioned, training will also provide meaningful interdisciplinary experiences. In order to meet this goal, we are consulting with the Natives4Linguistics initiatives as well as the American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI). 

Natives4Linguistics

The Natives4Linguistics (N4L) initiative is a Linguistic Society of America (LSA) special interest group that originated in 2017 as a response to the need to improve the field of linguistics by increasing the presence of Native Americans.  CoLang 2022 co-director, Mizuki Miyashita, participated in the Natives4Linguistics (N4L) satellite workshop at LSA 2018, and a SSILA-LSA panel in 2021 (view write-up). Montana CoLang organizers have maintained close contact with this group during the planning of CoLang 2020 (canceled) and CoLang 2022.

American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI)

Since its founding in 1978, the American Indian Language Development Institute's (AILDI) mission has been to provide critical training to strengthen efforts to revitalize and promote the use of Indigenous languages across generations. This is accomplished by engaging educators, schools, Indigenous communities and policy makers nationally and internationally through outreach, transformative teaching, purposeful research and collaborative partnerships. 

CoLang 2022 collaborates with AILDI in a variety of ways: Alyce Sadongei, AILDI’s project coordinator, serves as an advisor on the Collaborative Language Planning Project (CLPP) and an external member of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for CoLang 2022. The AILDI model for conducting community-based language surveys will be shared at CoLang 2022 in a dedicated workshop led by the AILDI team.

Collaborative Language Planning Project (CLPP)

The Collaborative Language Planning Project (CLPP) aims to enhance communication among language activists, language teachers, students, and researchers from Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in the state of Montana. CLPP is supported through the NSF-DEL and TCUP grants [BCS-1800820/BCS1800617] awarded to the University of Montana (PI: Mizuki Miyashita; co-PI: Susan Penfield) and Chief Dull Knife College (PI: Richard Littlebear). 

CLPP activities include discussions with Montana Tribal College & University (TCU) liaisons and on-site workshops in various topics, including Indigenous language teaching, basic linguistic analysis, and technology. Through this collaboration, the CoLang LOC has learned that Indigenous language teacher training is a high priority for Indigenous language programs in Montana. The CoLang 2022 LOC consults with CLPP participants to ensure that this type of training will be offered. Reports on CLPP activities can be viewed on ScholarWorks UM.

The Logos

Logos for CoLang 2022 (also CoLang 2020) are designed by Kaylene Big Knife – a proud alumnus of the University of Montana. Kaylene graduated in 2017 with a B.A. in Native American Studies and a minor in Media Arts.  In 2019, she was awarded an M.A. in Native American Linguistics at the University of Arizona. Kaylene is an emerging language activist pursuing language activism through graphic art. Her art activities and portfolio can be viewed on her website for Kay Big Knife Design. The Montana CoLang logos consist of a bitterroot flower and huckleberries. Both are traditionally and geographically important natural resources in the state of Montana. While both are similar in design, CoLang 2022 logo represents the growth of the institute as indicated by the growing and extended vines with pollens symbolizing the transition to the future and the sustainability.