Denaakk'e language game to be developed with grant

The Foundation specializes in keeping Native languages alive. Lucy Miller, the Foundation’s Interim Language Revitalization Director says this three-year project will develop an online Denaakk’e language learning game.

She said there have been a lot of requests for programming or projects that focus on Kindergarten through fifth grade. And a desire to use up-to-date techniques.

“Some people might have some pause about the focus on technology. Just like the language program at the Doyon Foundation is trying to work on balancing work that is in-person, grounded, on the land. But also keeping up with how education has undeniably due to technology in the classroom.”     

Miller says there’s a stellar example of an Inupiaq language video game, and GBH has games featuring Molly of Denali with language snippets on their website.

“But there's nothing where like this, the focus is language development, the purpose of the game is language instruction.”

The game will be in the Denaakk’e language.      

This grant will be spent in partnership with Yukon Koyukuk School District. Miller says it will pay for Indigenous language instructors, and culturally relevant, gamified learning tools that hopefully will engage young learners.

 “I'm really excited about with this grant is how many different people it brings together. We're gonna be working with a lot of language consultants, speakers of Denaakk’e, pedagogical specialists and getting those relationships finalized and then building the curriculum and the initial design of the project.”

The money was awarded at a time when already allocated federal dollars are being pulled back, and the federal administration is seeking to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. But this grant remained intact. Among the U . S . Department of Education’s various sections is one called the Alaska Native Education Program.

Its scope is pretty limited, but the applications are competitive, as there are education agencies all over the state. Doyon Foundation has tried to fund this project through this program in the past, and won the grant this year.

Miller says, after the game is developed, it will be put in the hands of teachers to use as a tool.

“Part of the project is to help with professional development for indigenous language instructors. So, teaching them how to use technology, including this game, in order to really make like an effective learning experience.”

She thinks the teaching tool will be used all over the Interior, not just in the Yukon Koyukuk School District.

“We're piloting the game within YKSD because it covers many Denaakk’e communities. But I hope it will be used at other places and within Fairbanks as well. There's such a diaspora of, Denakk’e people, and we wanna make sure that this is accessible and available to all of them.”

Now, Miller says, she’s ready to make the first hires for the project.