In April 2023 Outer Coast hosted its second inaugural Learners Teaching Learners Tlingit language conference, in cooperation with a treasured group of Tlingit teachers, scholars and elders from across Alaska and the Yukon known as the Nerdz Ḵu.oo.
One of the centerpieces of the Outer Coast experience, the language conference is an occasion for studying, feasting, singing, dancing, and deep connection with the community that surrounds us. It brings together scholarship, pedagogy, local activism, intergenerational transmission of knowledge, and an absolute love for the Tlingit language and its many learners.
The Nerdz Ḵu.oo: Language Revitalization Heroes Come to Sitka
In April 2022, Outer Coast hosted the inaugural Learners Teaching Learners: a Tlingit Language Conference at Outer Coast, which brought together about 15 distinguished language teachers, learners, elders, and community members from across Lingít Aaní for a weekend of rich presentations, feasts, and activities. Since the inaugural conference, we had been eagerly awaiting and planning for another gathering, and on April 8, 2023, we were honored to kick off our second annual Learners Teaching Learners on the Sheldon Jackson / SFAC campus.
Guests began arriving on Thursday and Friday before the conference, making for many heartwarming reunions as friends, elders, past staffulty, and alumni joined current members of the Outer Coast community (and an intrepid contingent of Tlingit language learners from the Yukon) on campus. Among our guests were the self-proclaimed “Tlingit Nerdz,” or “Nerdz Ḵu.oo”, a group of teachers, scholars, and learners from across Lingít Aaní, who have long been an integral part of Tlingit language revitalization. The Tlingit Nerdz have quickly become dear friends, mentors, and family to Outer Coast, and we were honored and delighted to host them once again this spring.
A brief introduction to the members of the Nerdz Ḵu.oo:
Xwaanlein Virginia Oliver, Longtime Tlingit language teacher in Wrangell
Satóokʼ Linda Belarde, Tlingit language learner and scholar, retired school principal from Juneau, Tʼaḵdeintaan clan elder
ḴʼashG̱é Daphne Wright, Longtime Tlingit language teacher in Hoonah
Yeiltʼoochʼ Tláa Collyne Bunn, Tlingit language teacher and scholar from Whitehorse and Teslin
Yeidilatseen Millie Hall, teacher and language scholar from Teslin, joined in Sitka this year by her husband Koxwéns Andy Hall
Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff, linguist, scholar, and UAS research professor from Juneau
Chʼeet Wú Joe Binger, Tlingit nursery school teacher and language scholar from Whitehorse
Dalsakʼú Tláa Barbara Craver, Tlingit language learner, retired lawyer, and painter from Juneau
Shanakʼeit Kim Perkins, Tlingit language learner and scholar from Sitka
Yakdushí Lisa Dewitt-Narino, Tlingit language teacher in Ketchikan
(Along with Outer Coastʼs in-house Nerd, Dean Skeiwdusá Matthew Spellberg.)
The Nerdz Ḵu.oo immediately sprung into action upon arrival in Sitka. When Ḵaanáḵ Ruth Demmert — fluent speaker of the Tlingit language and honored elder — got off her Seaplanes flight from Kake, a group of five Nerdz and Outer Coast staff were there to greet her with dancing and drumming. Ḵaanáḵ is truly a treasure to the Tlingit community, and is widely known for her decades of work teaching and holding up Tlingit language and culture. To be graced by her presence at the language conference this year was an immeasurable honor.
The first informal event of the conference was a Welcome Tea on Friday afternoon, when we all crammed into the little “apartment kitchen” in Sweetland Hall and shared tea, coffee, bannock bread, and cookies baked by the students. We spent a lovely afternoon catching up with friends old and new.
Jeopardy, Sunshine, Scholarship: The Conference, Day 1
On Saturday afternoon, the 2023 Learners Teaching Learners conference officially commenced. Guests, elders, Tlingit Nerdz, Outer Coast students and staffulty, and Sitka community members gathered in the Yaw 111 classroom on the Sheldon Jackson Campus for a full afternoon of presentations, talks, and activities of all kinds. The classroom was buzzing, with the 40+ attendees exchanging wáa sá iyatee’s (how are you?) and wáa sá iduwasáakw’s (what is your name?) while settling in.
Outer Coast staffulty members Naadaayi Héen Nirali Desai and Skeiwdusá Matthew Spellberg began by welcoming guests to the conference in both Lingít and English and expressed their deep gratitude for everyone’s presence and generosity in coming together to celebrate Tlingit language and culture.
Then, we were off to the races with a packed agenda led by many of the Nerdz. Ch’eet Wú kicked things off with a reprise of his much-loved verb conjugation presentation from the inaugural 2022 conference, during which he introduced the verb dashóoch (to bathe for strength) to the Outer Coast community. Ljáaḵkʼ presented on ELAN language transcription software and walked us through a recorded conversation about the disappearing herring population in Juneau. ḴʼashG̱é and Xwaanlein, joined by several other Nerdz, emceed a boisterous and competitive game of Tlingit Jeopardy, and Yakdushí led us in an online learning game to practice Tlingit place names and traveling verbs. Yeidilatseen shared two beautiful stories she had worked on with elders Aanyalahaash and Keiyishí—one about “Marcie the Moose,” and one about a book that was so good it burned two pots of potatoes! Yeiltʼoochʼ Tláa gave a presentation about the many beautiful words and ideas arising from the Tlingit concept of mind, ḵaa toowú. And Ljáaḵkʼ presented her cutting-edge research into the community health benefits of language revitalization. Shanakʼéit finished off the afternoon by telling a joke in Lingít and singing his own Lingít-language translation of the classic country ballad “Long Black Veil.”
A highlight of the afternoon was when Ḵaanáḵ shared a moving, personal story about the song “You Are My Sunshine” and taught us her Lingít translation. Then the whole room stood and sang the song together with Ḵaanáḵ, first in Lingít and then in English.
After four beautiful hours in the classroom, we transitioned to our first Community Feast of the conference. Staffulty and students had spent Friday and Saturday afternoons preparing dishes for the feast, and at around 6:30pm on Saturday, we gathered in the dining hall together for the first time.
We ate rockfish prepared three ways (Seafood Producers Cooperative generously donated 100 pounds of rockfish for the conference — aatlein gunalchéesh!), bannock bread, salad, coleslaw, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, and many other goodies. The evening ended with Tlingit Comedy Hour, during which Matthew and Teslin Tlingit teacher Shkooyéil Tim Hall performed a live rendition of the Susie & Jimmy Puppet Show (inspired by the original Susie & Jimmy of 1969); Chʼeet Wú and Nirali led a moose call competition; Skaydu.û of Teslin told a story she had learned from Sam Johnston about the origin of yodeling; and Yakdushí and Kiyéis Tláa from Ketchikan performed bilingual Tlingit/English stand-up (e.g., “Is your fish x̱áat”? Hint: x̱áat means ‘fish’, and sounds like “hot”). Xwaanlein brought down the house with a spirited rendition of a song about Fred the Moose Full of Juice.
Devilʼs Club, Soapberries, the Tlingit Oratorical Tradition: The Conference, Day 2
The second day began with culture-bearer and Outer Coast Indigenous Studies faculty member Yeidikook’áa Dionne Brady-Howard giving a welcome from the Kiks.ádi clan of Sitka, followed by an Eagle response led by Xwaanlein, Yakdushí, and Kiyéis Tláa. Festivities then commenced!
With over 60 guests and Sitkans in attendance, Odess Theater was filled with excitement and energy as we flowed from one station to the next. Activities included making necklaces out of devil’s club (sʼáxtʼ) stalks that Yeiltʼoochʼ Tláa had harvested and prepared, making soapberry ice cream with Yeidilatseen (a particular favorite for all the children present), playing Tlingit card games, and painting portraits with Daalsakʼú Tláa. It was a day of speaking Tlingit and also learning with our hands, as we sanded down devil’s club beads and mixed together soapberries and sugar.
Outer Coast staffulty and students spent much of the day shuttling back and forth from the kitchens as we prepared our second community feast. After a few hours of lively games and art-making, everyone sat down in the Odess Theater over tables of venison stew, lentil curry, cornbread, and herring egg salad.
Towards the end of the feast, Outer Coast staffulty and students took a moment to express heartfelt gratitude and deepest respect to Ḵaanáḵ for the immense honor of her presence at the Conference. Ḵaanáḵ then gave a powerful speech, first in Tlingit and then in English, about the importance of the Tlingit value Yáa at Wooné (Respect for All Things).
After the feast concluded, several guests and Outer Coasters accompanied Ḵaanáḵ and her daughter with drum and song as they departed campus. The knowledge and stories that Ḵaanáḵ shared throughout the weekend will remain in our hearts and minds for years to come as we continue learning and practicing the Tlingit language.
The third and final communal feast of the weekend took place in the evening, which included the last of the delicious rockfish donated by SPC. With full bellies and hearts, we rejoiced in the endless warmth and generosity that had filled the weekend. Speeches and gifts were exchanged; songs and dances filled the hall; big hugs and a few joyful tears closed out the evening.
Brownies, Ceremony, Tlingit Coffee Klatsch: The Week After
In the week following Learners Teaching Learners, we were delighted to continue hosting many of our guests on campus, as they were staying for the upcoming Yaaw Koo.éex’ (Herring Ceremony). We continued to fully immerse ourselves in the language and in one another’s company as we geared up for another big weekend. Students and Nerdz met in the school kitchen every day for coffee and talk. Daalsakʼú Tláa led an evening art session. Satóokʼ shared her treasured brownie recipe along with much love and wisdom given in the wee hours of the night. To the studentsʼ delight, she proved you can be a night owl your whole life (“Satóokʼ for Residential Fellow!” was the refrain heard echoing through the halls).
A highlight of the week was the Tlingit Nerdz’s appearance on the radio. LJáaḵk’, Yeidilatseen, Satóok’, and Yeilt’ooch’ Tláa joined staffulty members Matthew and Frank on K’yuuhlgáansii Fred Olsen’s radio show, Gunalchéesh!, where they told stories from the Tlingit Language Conference and gave speeches in Lingít.
Aatlein gunalchéesh to K’yuuhlgáansii for inviting us on the show and to KCAW Raven Radio for making the show possible. You can find the episode on Spotify or by searching for Gunalchéesh! wherever you get your podcasts.
The highly anticipated Yaaw Ḵoo.éex’ took place on April 15, 2023, bringing together nearly 500 guests from all across Alaska and the Yukon and lasting from 1pm to 1am the following day. We were so honored to help support the Herring Protectors with preparations leading up to the event (including baking 527 cookies the night before!), and to attend the ḵoo.éex’ as guests and volunteers.
A final aatlein gunalchéesh (thank you very much) to all of the elders, leaders, teachers, learners, community members, and friends who were part of this very special month in Sitka. You have taught us so much. You are all Sh yáa awudanéixʼi (people of honor). You bring endless generosity and unfailing kindness to Outer Coast and your communities.