Library Research Guides
Library Research Guides
This seven minute, sixteen second video is the sixth in a series of ten “Let’s Learn Language (Tlingit version),” focuses on two hand puppets, Susie and Jimmy, as they converse entirely in Lingit, look for a bell and add a door to their home, so they can then pretend that, “It’s time to go to school,” where they ask a variety of questions, and then end with a counting song as they leave. Early versions of the Alaska State Libraries, Archives, & Museums began on June 6, 1900, with the mission to, “...promote lifelong learning for all Alaskans through diverse history art and culture.” and offers library and information service to state agencies and the Legislature, provides for the orderly management of current state records, preserves non-current public records of permanent value for study and research, and operates the state museums.” The video is located on the YouTube Channel of Alaska State Library Historical Collections, Alaska Libraries Archives Museum, and can found by searching, “tlingit language puppets 6”. The Susie and Jimmy Puppet Show was originally created and broadcasted in 1969 by King Broadcast Co. and works to introduce language at a beginner or children’s level through simple topics with easy-to-follow movements. The video can be used as a supplemental resource for learners to familiarize themselves with the sounds of language, to practice transcription, translation, and word recognition in a casual conversation.
Alaska Libraries Archives Museums. “Let’s Learn Language-Clincket (Tlingit) Version: Unit 6 'It’s Time for School.'” YouTube, 25 Aug. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jY1rjSi000&list=PLSP_Ns-XImOqPd-FsRc_dBJ_tMHLHqbs&index=6.
This fifteen minute-twenty-22 second video is a continuation of “An Introduction to Tlingit Sounds” and introduces sounds into Tlingit words to learn how different sounds can interact with each other. It also provided some information about the sounds and words in Tlingit. Dr. X’unei Lance Twitchell, a Professor of Alaska Native Languages at the UAS and is a strong voice for educating and advocating for Tlingit language revitalization. The video is on Dr. Twitchell’s YouTube channel, Xʼunei Lance Twitchell, and can be found by searching, “intro to to tlingit sounds with words". The video was posted in 2012 and is highly accessible to learners all over the world with an easy-to-follow structure. “An Introduction to Tlingit Sounds with Words” provides access to foundational elements of the language, with supplemental practice for hearing, speaking and reading in Tlingit, as well as the introduction of new words to learners, depending on their language knowledge; and may be best for new learners, or learners who wish to practice the materials once again.
Xʼunei Lance Twitchell. “An Introduction to Tlingit Sounds with Words.” YouTube, 20 Sept. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-x6EL39PY. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
This article critically analyzes Tlingit language revitalization through a decolonial lens. Geiger employs Patrick Wolfe's "logic of elimination" concept to illuminate the ongoing colonial dispossession of Tlingit land, culture, and language. He argues that effective language revitalization requires shifting from this logic of elimination to a "logic of the gift.” Geiger is an avid student of the Tlingit language and continues to contribute and advocate for the revitalization of the language. This open-access article can be accessed via De Gruyter Open Access or with a web search on the UAS Egan Library OneSearch tool. Geiger proposes a more equitable and sustainable approach to Tlingit language revitalization by challenging colonial power structures and embracing indigenous knowledge systems. It is a valuable read for anyone looking to further their knowledge of Tlingit language revitalization efforts.
Geiger, William A. “From the Logic of Elimination to the Logic of the Gift: Towards a Decolonial Theory of Tlingit Language Revitalization.” Open Linguistics, vol. 3, no. 1, 28 Aug. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2017-0011.
Haa Shuka, Our Ancestors by 
Haa Tuwunaagu Yis, for Healing Our Spirit by This project was made by Taadeiduxwáa with assistance from Dr. X’unei Lance Twitchell, a Professor of Alaska Native Languages at the UAS and is a strong voice for educating and advocating for Tlingit language revitalization. Kutx.ayanahá Kulagaaw is on Dr. Twitchell’s YouTube channel, X’unei Lance Twitchell, and can be found by searching, “kutx.ayanaha” and should be the seventh video listed in the results. It was posted in 2013 and shows one way of integrating our language into well-known mainstream media to connect multiple generations that have watched Star Wars and takes a step towards normalizing and Indigenizing text(s) in modern media. Kutx.ayanahá Kulagaaw can be used as a supplemental resource for language learners to practice reading and speaking in the language, Lingít to English translation, and word recognition. This can be practiced alone, as a “no-stakes” engagement with Lingít, or done in a group setting to provide accountability, and to challenge and help other language learners increase their knowledge of Lingít.
̱Xʼunei Lance Twitchell, and Taadeiduxwáa. “Ḵutx̱ .ayanahá Ḵulagaaw (Tlingit Language).” YouTube, 20 Apr. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJxsdd_Hets. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
This workbook is a valuable resource for those interested in learning the Tlingit language. It provides a comprehensive introduction to Tlingit grammar and vocabulary and is an excellent starting point for any Tlingit language beginner. Dr. Twitchell is a well-respected Tlingit language professor at UAS and has consistently provided valuable lessons and resources for the language-learning community. The workbook is available for purchase through various online retailers and can be checked out in libraries across the Juneau area. An online copy of the workbook is available on tlingitlanguage.com or by web search using the UAS Egan Library OneSearch tool. The workbook is designed to be used independently or in conjunction with a language instructor in a classroom setting. It includes exercises and activities to help learners practice their skills and reinforce their understanding of the language. This second edition incorporates updated information and additional resources, making it an essential tool for anyone seeking to learn Tlingit.
Twitchell, X̲ ’unei Lance. Lingít G̲ unéi Sh Tóo Dultóow X’úx’ - Workbook for Beginning to Study Lingít. 2nd ed., Sealaska Heritage Institute, 2020.
The Online Tlingit Verb Dictionary, created by Keri Eggleston, is a valuable online resource for learners and researchers of the Tlingit language. With a database of over 1,100 conjugated Tlingit verbs, the database allows users to look up verb forms in two ways: by Tlingit root or by English meaning. Eggleston has a strong linguistics background, has created multiple Tlingit dictionaries, and occasionally provides Tlingit language classes. The dictionary is freely available online at ankn.uaf.edu/~tlingitverbs/. The Online Tlingit Verb Dictionary empowers learners of all levels to look up verb conjugations quickly and provides many example sentences. The dictionary helps users understand verb conjugation and sentence construction by giving clear explanations and examples, increasing the learnerʼs fluency and accuracy.
Eggleston, Keri. Online Tlingit Verb Dictionary, 18 Sept. 2014, ankn.uaf.edu/~tlingitverbs/.
This language app features eight games: Birds!, Ocean Animals, My House, Héen Táak, and Classroom, which focus on the LingÍt Names, Spelling, which focuses on sounds and spelling, and Move the Murrlet that focus on directions, and one story, Bear Barometer!. Additionally, Birds! and Ocean Animals have Xaad Kíl and Sm’algyax versions. According to the SHI’s website, “SHI is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events...’ and provides cultural education through online and in-person classes, scholarships, and events. The app is free and available through the IOS Apple App Store, and the Android Google Play Store and can be found by searching, “SHI: Language Games”. The latest version was released in 2023 and provides a highly relevant resource with various topics for language learners to choose from, all at the flick of the wrist, as most do not leave home without a phone. The app provides a wide variety of supplemental engagement to the language through listening, speaking, and reading practice of everyday items, animals of land and sea, and has the option of game quizzes to challenge a learner’s knowledge of LingÍt.
SHI: Language Games. Sealaska Heritage Institute, Vers. 3.5, 2023. Apple App Store, SHI: Language Games on the App Store
Dr. Twitchell simplifies the linguistical components of conjugating a verb in the Tlingit language. His step-by-step setup gives learners a visual and ‘formula’ to practice conjugating Tlingit language in past tense and future tense. His first step in helping the reader, is to identify basic structure and the verb phrase. The practice sections after each lesson are extremely helpful and beneficial for the learner. As the learner goes on,
Dr. Twitchell then focuses with the reader on one tense/mode at a time, “The Perfective Mode” and “The Future” (Twitchell, 2016). With the tables to visualize the different conjugations for each subject to use a verb is spectacular and again with the grammatical break down is very constructive for the learner to practice. With additions of other verb structure components, Dr. Twitchell continues the guidance for the reader to practice verb conjugation. Dr. Twitchell’s guide to conjugating Tlingit verbs in perfective and future modes is beneficial for any Tlingit language learner.
Twitchell, X̱ʼunei Lance. Tlingit Verb Conjugation: An Interactive Look at Verb Components. Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, 4 Jan. 2016.
Frank and Emma Williams were the last known speakers of the Taant’a dialect in the Tlingit language. Frank and Emma, born in the 1890s had a wealth of knowledge about their homelands and language. Linguist Jeff Leer transcribed and edited the recordings to create, Tongass Texts. This text transcribes Frank and Emma’s stories in both Tlingit and English. Leer notes and tables the differences he notices between the Taant’a dialect, the Henyaa dialect, Saanyaa dialect, and Northern dialect with a large emphasis the on the tonal markings and vowel lengths. With the front load of Mr. Leer’s notes and observations, gives the reader opportunity to see Frank and Emma’s narratives. Emma shares on Tlingit culture, subsistence, medicine, and societal norms referencing quite a bit that she had learned much from her mother-in-law. Frank shares a story that includes village, “Taa kw Aa’ni” and a war that took place on the south end of Duke Island. His story was so rich in language with traditional place names, terms used to describe things while a people are at war, and how he came to learn the story. Tongass Texts is filled with much cultural knowledge and with Leer’s help, the reader can learn and identify Taant’a dialect through Frank and Emma’s narratives.
Williams, Frank, and Emma Williams. Tongass Texts. Translated by Jeff Leer, edited by Jeff Leer, Fairbanks, Alaska, University of Alaska Fairbanks: Alaska Native Language Center, 1978.
Bessie Denny and her son, Henry Denny Jr. are of the Saanyaa Kwáan Neix.ádi of the Eagle Fan-Tail House. Bessie was born in 1870; before the move and establishment of Saxman, Alaska. Bessie and Henry’s recordings can be found at Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Digital Archive. The transcription however, is more difficult to find. To note, the book contains no written Tlingit. This annotation will overview the first forty-three pages of the transcription. These pages share about a wide array of Tlingit cultural topics specific to Saanyaa Kwáan and Taant’a Kwáan area. Some sections of the transcription include Bessie speaking in Lingít and Henry translates. The knowledge they share about the land includes traditional place names, subsistence spots and which clan owned them, and land marks in clan stories. Henry does use some language, mainly when sharing traditional place names in the transcription. There is not much language to learn from in the transcription, however, in the recordings you can listen to Bessie speak Tlingit and Henry translates. The Southern dialect that lived in both Saanyaa Kwáan and Taant’a Kwáan is rare to hear with limited recordings. The transcription of these recordings is a wealth of knowledge. The recordings themselves are invaluable for Tlingit language, especially for Southern dialect resource.
Denny Jr., Henry, and Bessie Denny. Verbatim Transcriptions of the Henry Denny Jr. Collection Oral History and Stories. Translated by Bruce E. Kelley, edited by Gregory D. Kelley, pp. 1–43. Henry Denny Jr. Recordings Collection. Sealaska Digital Archives. MC11. https://collections.sealaskaheritage.org/MADetailS.aspx?rID=MC011/007&alevel=ALL&dir=ARCHIVES&list=global&osearch=henry%20denny&rname=
This annotated bibliography is licensed CC:BY:NC:ND. This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator
The following people contributed to this guide: Yakdushí Lisa Milne-DeWitt; Gush Tlein, Levi J. Rinehart; Students from the Fall 2024 section of AKL 290
Research Guides by Egan Library | University of Alaska Southeast are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
