1
00:00:01,301 --> 00:00:02,035
MAALIYAH PAPILLION (VOICEOVER): 
Our tribal historian, Jeffery

2
00:00:02,035 --> 00:00:03,670
Darensbourg is amazing.

3
00:00:03,670 --> 00:00:05,105
He's so many things, 
and he's been

4
00:00:05,105 --> 00:00:07,107
teaching me Ishakkoy, 
our native language,

5
00:00:07,107 --> 00:00:09,142
for the past two years.

6
00:00:09,142 --> 00:00:11,077
He's also been helping 
me and the tribe

7
00:00:11,077 --> 00:00:13,780
reconnect with the language 
by using our dictionary,

8
00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:16,249
a recent language 
revitalization project

9
00:00:16,249 --> 00:00:17,884
that he's contributed to.

10
00:00:17,884 --> 00:00:20,887
This work is really important 
because, at one point,

11
00:00:20,887 --> 00:00:22,956
Ishakkoy was considered 
a dormant language.

12
00:00:28,228 --> 00:00:31,097
- --the language, you 
know, like, and even

13
00:00:31,097 --> 00:00:32,932
the little bit that I know.

14
00:00:32,932 --> 00:00:35,268
But it gets you in 
touch with the minds

15
00:00:35,268 --> 00:00:40,140
of people, your ancestors, 
who can kind of still

16
00:00:40,140 --> 00:00:43,410
speak to you through 
those languages from--

17
00:00:43,410 --> 00:00:44,244
- Yeah.

18
00:00:44,244 --> 00:00:45,678
- --you know, a good distance.

19
00:00:45,678 --> 00:00:47,647
- It's definitely been 
a huge influence on me,

20
00:00:47,647 --> 00:00:50,150
and it's felt like 
something I need to do,

21
00:00:50,150 --> 00:00:52,752
because I do want 
to teach my children

22
00:00:52,752 --> 00:00:53,953
how to speak their language.

23
00:00:55,688 --> 00:00:57,690
[ambient music]