Aanikoobijigeng
National Native American Language Resource Center
Mission:
To support and strengthen Native American languages as outlined by the Native American Languages Act (NALA).
Named after an Ojibwe term meaning “connecting generations,” the Center bridges ancestral wisdom with future promise, honoring the role of elders while inspiring youth through language and cultural preservation.
The Center is supported by the U.S. Department of Education and led by a consortium including the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the University of Alaska Southeast, and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University in Wisconsin.
Indigenous languages are vital cultural treasures, offering insights, wisdom, and identity; preserving them is crucial to sustaining these vibrant cultures. The Center focuses on creating practical, impactful resources that honor Indigenous values and advance language education.
To ensure community trust, any data collected by the Center is strictly for grant reporting and handled with respect for privacy. Our commitment to transparency and collaboration makes us a reliable partner in the movement to revitalize Indigenous languages across the U.S.
Pillars of our work
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Building strong networks and collaborations with regional centers and Native American language programs to advance NALA policies through advocacy, capacity building, and technical assistance.
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Enhancing Indigenous teacher education programs by supporting online resources and creating NALA-aligned alternative pathways for Native American language teachers.
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Delivering accessible, high-quality resources to Native American language programs, spotlighting effective practices for language acquisition and use.
As we work to develop new resources, our content partners have a wealth of material available on their sites. See our partners section below.
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Sharing national and international best practices in Indigenous language revitalization research through a variety of platforms and channels.
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Empowering the next generation of Native American language advocates through immersive summer leadership programs designed for youth.
About Our Center
Aanikoobijigeng, the National Native American Language Resource Center, was established through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. This initiative is a collaborative effort involving key partners and is also linked to the Regional Native American Language Resource Centers.
Lead Institution
Key Partners
Co-Principals
Demonstration Sites
Resources and Content Partners
Regional Resource Centers
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Northwest Region Native American Language Center
Northwest Indian Language Institute
The Northwest Indian Language Institute is excited and proud to announce that we have been awarded a U.S. Department of Education we’ve been doing since 1997. NILI is now one of four Native American Language Resource Centers, all focused on Indigenous communities and language revitalization education. The designation adds resources to NILI’s work and broadens our reach to include tribes and communities in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and, as always, Oregon. The goals of this expanded NILI will sound familiar to anyone who has worked with us over the years:
Support the use of Native American languages in education systems by helping create language courses.
Support the recruit and development of Native American language teachers in education systems.
Support Native American language programs as they find and apply for federal resources to support language programs.
Support Native teachers and language programs at any educational system by gathering and developing material, research, models, programming, curriculum, and assessment through the NILI Resource hub.
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West Regional Native American Language Resource Center
American Indian Language Development Institute
https://aildi.arizona.edu/west-nalrc
The West Regional Native American Language Resource Center (West NALRC) is building on the American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI)'s 40 years of success and ongoing work in support of Indigenous language efforts in communities of the West region - Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. The West NALRC is located within AILDI and works closely with our partner institutions Tohono O'odham Community College, San Carlos Apache College, and Diné College.
The Center's purpose is to: (1) provide support and advocacy for the inclusion of Native American languages in local, state and regional educational systems; (2) provide training and technical assistance in implementing evidence-based pedagogical strategies, assessments, qualifications and processes for Native American language medium instruction; (3) provide technical assistance to Native American Language Programs seeking other Federal resources; and (4) provide consultation and support for Tribal language programs in the region in implementing and sustaining effective curriculum and other language work.
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Midwest Native Language Resource Center
Little Priest Tribal College
https://www.littlepriest.edu/nalrc/
The Midwest Native Language Resource Center (MW-NALRC) is a regional hub which provides technical assistance and support to Native American language schools and programs. We are the only NALRC hosted at a tribal college.
Our service area is the central region of the United States (Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado).Little Priest Tribal College
Share and Connect
Please contact us if you have a question. Aanikoobijigeng offers technical assistance to language movements, and if you want to request assistance, please use the navigation buttons on this page to reach the Technical Assistance page.
If you have a question or are interested in connecting with us, please send an email using this form.