Who We Are

The Indigenous Language Institute (ILI) is a publicly supported, 501(C)3 non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A consortium of diverse individuals and professionals with grass roots input and support, ILI is funded by grants and contributions from foundations, corporations and individuals.

Mission

The Indigenous Language Institute (ILI) facilitates innovative, successful community-based initiatives for language revitalization through collaboration with other appropriate groups, organizations and individuals and promotes public awareness of the importance of Indigenous language preservation.

Philosophies, Goals, and Objectives

The guiding philosophy behind the Indigenous Language Institute is to “help create speakers” of endangered Indigenous languages. The Indigenous Language Institute:

  • Encourages and empowers Native communities to create their own solutions drawing upon their unique culture and resources
  • Facilitates access to critical information for promoting and sustaining successful community language efforts
  • Researches unique approaches to language revitalization
  • Bridges gaps that exist between isolated communities, academia and grassroots level and seeks to consolidate fragmented efforts, in order to create opportunities for interdisciplinary, intercultural discussions and sharing.

The Indigenous Language Institute is a national research center for indigenous language revitalization work. ILI unifies and builds a network of language efforts among all 558+ indigenous communities of North America. ILI’s long-term goal is to connect North, Central and South America in this network.

  • ILI’s Language Materials Research and Development Center) researches innovative approaches that encompass teaching methods, language materials, motivation of youth, use of technology, maximizing resources in the “race against time”. We develop prototype language materials and approaches that are, if proven effective, widely distributed for replication by grassroots programs.
  • ILI’s Community Outreach Program disseminates the findings and results of the Research Center through its publications, seminars (both regional and national), consulting services to tribes, the web site and newsletters.
  • ILI’s Public Awareness and Education Program builds friendships to foster support from the public at large on the issues surrounding indigenous language revitalization.

Achievements

In 1994-1995 ILI (then known as IPOLA) collaborated with the Hotevilla Bacavi Community School on the Hopi Reservation to help create two award-winning Hopi/English bilingual textbooks that were illustrated by the second graders of the school. We also collaborated with the Santa Ana Pueblo Education Department of New Mexico on the ‘Youth Language Assessment Project’ in May 1995. An outgrowth of this project was the September 1996 cultural education trip of the Santa Ana Youth to Japan. We assisted in initiating the ‘Onondaga Summer Language Camp’ in August 1996. ILI co-sponsored the 7th Annual Conference of the Keepers of the Treasures in June 1998, the topic being ‘Native Languages: Repatriating the Spirit of Nations’. A limited edition ‘Native Languages Revitalization Resource Directory’ was published in June 1998.

Impact/Outreach

We organized a national Planning Conference for the Clearinghouse of Indigenous Language Programs on March 19-21, 1997, in Santa Fe with funds from the Educational Foundation of America and the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to counter the trend of language and cultural erosion. The 27 participants (mostly Native Americans) included linguists, community language advocates, national/regional language institute representatives, information technology experts, and media experts. The result of the conference was a commitment form the participants to immediately begin planning a national networking center and to seek input from others, especially elders, to further define the center objectives and programs. In June 1997, a task force of ten members was formed to design the blueprint and develop a budget for the center. In the spring of 1998 the Task force finalized both of those tasks, culminating in the creation of the Indigenous Language Institute (ILI).