Circle of Voices: The Dance of Language Revitalization

Submitted by:	Allyson Brinston
Department:	Anthropology
Faculty:	Arts

This image captures a moment of active cultural engagement. It showcases a diverse group of young people joining hands in a round dance. They wear brightly patterned ribbon skirts to visually celebrate their heritage and assert cultural identity. This scene is a practical representation of language revitalization in action, part of a research project involving Indigenous youth in actively using their Indigenous languages. Through such community-based activities, this work aims to create immersive environments where language is taught and lived. The words scattered across the lower part of the image are greetings in different Indigenous languages, illustrating the research’s focus on everyday usage as a vehicle for learning. This approach emphasizes communication and connection within the community, fostering a natural and functional language acquisition. Documenting youth participation in language underscores the essential role that younger generations play in the survival and thriving of Indigenous languages. The image shows how language revitalization efforts can engage young minds in the vital task of cultural preservation.

Was your image created using Generative AI?
No.

How was your image created?
I took the image with my iphone, and edited the greeting words onto the image, the faces have been blurred out.