Native Americans and Indigenous peoples in North America are using social media and technology to preserve and promote their language and culture .
by charlotte west illustration by joão queiroz
TRIBAL CONNECTIONS
WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC hit in 2020 , Tracy Kelley , a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts , saw an unexpected opportunity for her website ,
Kun8seeh , which means “ talk to me ” in Wampanoag .
She had been encouraging her tribe to launch a website dedicated to the teaching , learning , and reclamation of their language and oral traditions . But while tribal members acknowledged the increasing role of technology , they felt protective of their language and didn ’ t want it exploited or used as a commodity . “ The language circle was broken for some time in our community ,” Kelley says .
Kun8seeh ( run through the
Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project , where Kelley is now interim director ) was part of Kelley ’ s master ’ s project in linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ’ s Indigenous Languages
Initiative , a special program for members of communities whose languages are threatened . When in-person classes became impossible , the community realized the need to offer online language instruction .
In September 2020 , Kelley taught her first Kun8seeh class in Wampanoag via Zoom . “ I had students from all over — New Mexico , Virginia , New York ,” she says . “ One student told me , ‘ I ’ m so happy to have this experience .’ It was her first time having access to her birthright .” Now classes are open to any households that have a tribal member .
Kelley is just one of many Indigenous people in the United States and Canada who are using social media and digital technology to connect Native peoples and as a vehicle to help share their cultures , preserve language , document history , and correct misperceptions . J
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