Supervisor: Sarah Sillins

The intersection between language revitalization and restorative justice represents a powerful journey of healing, empowerment, and cultural reclamation, as the restoration of Indigenous languages not only preserves heritage but also facilitates reconciliation, resilience, and the transformation of historically marginalized communities. This intersection is important to recognize, as it is a step towards acknowledging the historical and ongoing injustices faced by Indigenous communities, and works towards a more equitable and inclusive society. The All Our Kin Restorative Justice Fellows focus on the creation of opportunities for students to engage in this important intersection. 

Bila’ Ashdla’ii Ya’at’eeh (Navajo Conversation Circle) is a student-led weekly program created to teach and learn the basics of the Navajo Language. Shame is often a common barrier to language learning and the Conversation Circles are a space to take healthy risks, strengthen community, and explore language skills without fear of judgment. Founded in the Fall of 2022 by student fellows Shannen Jones and Dariul Shorty, Bila’ Ashdla’ii Ya’at’eeh has been an example of the connection between language and community. We hope that these Circles provide a piece of “home”  or are an opportunity for reconnection to our participants while they are at Fort Lewis College.

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Supervisor: Rosalinda Linares-Gray

Mukurtu (MOOK-oo-too) is an online platform created to share digital cultural heritage in collaboration with Indigenous communities in relevant and empowering ways. Murkutu fellows learn about decolonizing practices in Indigenous archives, technical skills in building online language-based Indigenous collections, and are able to engage with Indigenous communities to develop cultural narratives around historical and contemporary heritage items.

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Supervisor: Candace Nadon

In 2023, the AOKC hosted My Flower, My Song, a spoken word poetry event open to the public. Inspired by this event, student fellow Suntilla Jack solicited poetry from Indigenous creative writers throughout 2024 for a poetry anthology centering around the theme of “Indigenous languages as seeds of culture.” SEEDS will be published in the fall of 2025.

SEEDS >

Supervisor: Laurel Grimes

Fellows in Art, Design, & Media consider how visual material plays a powerful role in creating safe, welcoming, and vibrant spaces for language revitalization work. From creating promotional materials, designing visual identities for programs, developing and managing media platforms, to building visual supports for the AOKC at large, ADM Fellows engage with visual language to communicate and build community.

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More information coming soon!