Tlingit Phrase of the Week

Abstract

The project is to produce sound recordings of a Tlingit Phrase of the Week for each week of the year, based on the traditional annual food gathering cycle. These will be broadcast on public radio station KSTK in Wrangell, and on any other radio station interested in participating. I became interested in producing a public radio program in Wrangell titled "Tlingit Phrase of the Week", when I was working in in 2003-2006. I heard the Alutiiq word of the week on KMXT Public Radio and I went and visited the Alutiiq Museum where the Alutiiq language was being preserved and asked if I could be of help. As Tlingit people, our lifestyle is a whole cycle surrounding food gathering for each time of the year passed down for generations. With this Tlingit Phrase of the Week our community will learn together how our people lived by the seasons and it will teach about what foods were gathered and hunted in that month throughout the year. The project will benefit UAS and the community at large. The final product can be broadcast not only on Wrangell public radio, but on any other interested station. The recordings can be used as an online audio resource for UAS distance delivery and to help any learner without easy access to a speaker or teacher of Tlingit.