Outer Coast offers free, online Alaska Native language courses for learners from across Alaska and beyond.
Over the past three years, we have been inspired and humbled by the response to our Alaska Native Language Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Our teachers have included X̱’unei Lance Twitchell (Outer Coast faculty member and UAS Professor of Alaska Native Languages), Dag júus Rob Yates (X̱aad Kíl language scholar), Ggoadm ʼTeebn Victoria McKoy (UAS Language Pathways Scholar), and Neilga Koogéi Taija Revels (Central Council of Tlingit and Haida), among many other contributors and guest speakers.
We are excited to continue supporting Southeast Alaska Native Language revitalization efforts this year with the return of three language courses: Lingít, Shm′algyack/Sm’algya̱x, and X̱aad Kíl.
The courses are free for all participants. Thank you to Sealaska Heritage Institute for co-hosting and sponsoring this program.
Lingít
Óoskʼi MOOC Taakw.eetíxʼ
The Little Spring MOOC
Yeidikookʼáa (Dionne Brady-Howard), Yeiltʼoochʼ Tláa (Collyne Bunn), and Skeiwdusá (Matthew Spellberg) will be MCs for five nights of Lingít songs, activities, and exercises, with guest appearances by beloved Lingít teachers and tradition bearers. All levels are welcome, especially beginners and families. We will learn lots of language thatʼs good to use at home and good to use as the bounty of spring and summer return to Lingít Aaní.
Dates: Sunday-Thursday, March 10-14, 2024
Class Meetings: 6-8pm AKDT
Meeting Location: Zoom
And if you’re excited for more, donʼt worry, weʼll be back for a longer MOOC with more conversation, verbs, activities and even some grammar in May! Exact Dates TBA. Stay tuned, and yee gu.aa yáx̱ xʼwán!
All classes from the 2020 and 2021 Lingít MOOCs are recorded and open source. Browse lesson videos and other course materials here.
Shm′algyack/Sm’algya̱x
The 2023 Shm′algyack/Sm’algya̱x MOOC has concluded.
Teacher and language scholar Shiggoap Alfie Price led this course. Shiggoap (Alfie Price) is Ts’msyen, Haida, and Lingit and is Gishbutwada, which is the Ts’msyen Killerwhale clan, Gitlaan tribe from the house of the blue billed duck. He’s one of the co-founders of the Juneau Sm’algya̱x (Ts’msyen language) learners group, along with Nancy Barnes and Alex Roehl.
Dates: Thursday, November 16 – Thursday, December 14, 2023
Class Meetings: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:00pm – 1:00pm AKST
Meeting Location: Zoom
The Shm′algyack/Sm’algya̱x MOOC is free and open to all skill levels. Families are especially welcome!
X̱aad Kíl
The 2023 X̱aad Kíl MOOC has concluded.
Language scholar Dag júus Rob Yates taught this course.
Dates: September 12 – October 26, 2023
Class Meetings: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:00pm – 1:00pm Alaska Time
Meeting Location: Zoom
The X̱aad Kíl MOOC is free and open to all skill levels. Families are especially welcome!
