This project has two goals. One is to teach Ahtna people about the language materials previously collected by anthropologists and linguists available to them, and the second is to create new Ahtna speakers through the use of these materials. One of the goals of the Documenting Endangered Languages Program is to provide wider access to documentary materials. The Program solicitation also encourages language investigators to find innovative ways of training native speakers in descriptive linguistics. The project proposed by PIs Cain and Charley-John would accomplish these objectives. While 'wider access' generally refers to digitization or other means of treating linguistic materials so that they can be shared through current technological media, this project aims to widen the access of Tribal members themselves through training in linguistic analysis. Given the extreme endangerment of a language that has, apparently, fewer than 100 speakers, all of whom are elderly, providing access to the ethnic population that has the greatest stake in its preservation is the major contribution of this proposal. Using Breath of Life methodologies proven to be successful in other communities to enhance that access is an excellent way to begin the training of the speakers in linguistic analysis. The hands-on homework/project plan proposed by the PIs enhances the possibilities for success in this project.
A language with as few speakers as claimed in this proposal for Ahtna could be urgently in need of documentation. Unfortunately, while the proposers indicate that there does exist documentation within 'the Ahtna archive', specifics are not made available within the proposal. That 'dictionaries, language curriculum materials, audio and video recordings, transcripts, photo archives and documents' exist and are available to the Tribe for their study is not substantially documented within the proposal. It is, therefore, difficult to assess their quality or their accessibility for the proposed project and to declare its intellectual merit on that basis. However, the participation of elders who are speakers of the language assures that language data will be available to the tribal member student groups for further documentation in addition to transcription of existing materials, no matter the quality of those materials.
The Ahtna Language Infraction Training (A-LIT) "Breath of Life" Conference series that was conducted by the Ahtna Heritage Foundation through funding provided by the National Science Foundation was very successful. A total of 24 participants including, linguists, fluent speaking Ahtna Elders, and new language learners attend two week-long conference sessions at the Ahtna Cultural Center. The language learners were engaged in learning new techniques on how to exact pertinent linguist material from the Ahtna Digital Archive. In doing so, students learned how to transcribe and translate recordings done in the Ahtna language, with the assistance of an Elder and a linguist. Each student then created a language project for public presentation on a topic that was of significant personal meaning. As a result of each students' accomplishment, they were inspired to continue their personal learning and to begin teaching the language in various settings. For example, one student began teaching Ahtna language classes in the urban area, while another student has begun teaching classes in the tribal villages within the Copper River Valley. One particular participant who is also currently a high school senior, has decided that she would like to take up the study of the Ahtna language at the college level to teach the language and perhaps become a linguist herself. One of the instructors and one of the fluent Elders cultivated a strong working relationship that lead to a university level class being offered on the Ahtna language. One student, who is also a staff member at the Ahtna Cultural Center, has become more proficient with the archive and other resources that are available for the language, which is a benefit to all visitors to the Cultural Center. Each of the students remain to be committed to the language and continue taking classes when available. Each of the Ahtna Elders also expressed their appreciation for the group of students that were serious about keeping the language alive and they were also delighted in their progress and ability to correctly pronounce several difficult words in the Ahtna language. They also very much enjoyed spending the time speaking and sharing completely in the language and expressed their desire to see this type of conference continue into the future. Because of this project we were able to expose sixteen Ahtna tribal members to the capability and potential of the Ahtna Digital Archive to be used as tool in learning the Ahtna language. Furthermore by way of articles, videos, public reports and word of mouth, countless other Ahtna member have been made aware of the possibilities that lie within the archive. Working relationships with in the linguistic community have been strengthen and renewed in a manner that will benefit the intellectual and linguistic community for years to come.
