Digital Realities of Indigenous Language Revitalization: A Look at Hawaiian Language Technology in the Modern World

Abstract

This paper discusses some barriers, complexities, and opportunities Indigenous peoples face when engaging in language revitalization efforts, and how those elements contribute to the adoption, adaptation, or abandonment of digital technology. I begin with framing the context of Indigenous languages in the United States and Canada to underscore the current realities in comparison to world languages. The next section introduces the uptake of digital technology for Indigenous language learning, based on the themes of equity, access, and engagement. I conclude with a case study of the Hawaiian language community as a potential model for Indigenous communities that choose traditional and contemporary pathways.

Indigenous language technologies: Anti-colonial oases in a colonizing (digital) world

“…The threat posed by the pervasiveness of the language technologies of world's major languages creates a complex relationship between Indigenous communities and the language technologies they see as vital to preserving their languages into the future. Galla (2018) conveys the complexity of this relationship as the proverbial "two-edged sword," recognizing the harm inflicted on Indigenous communities by hegemonic languages, but also feeling the necessity of active engagement with technology to ensure language survival. Many Indigenous language communities are looking at ILTs as potential tools for Indigenous language revitalization (ILR) (Galla, 2009;Keegan & Cunliffe, 2014;Kuhn et al, 2020;Littell et al, 2018;Wagner, 2017), and it is exciting to think of talking to "Siri" in a small Indigenous language.…”

Breathing life back into the stories: Creating the circle of Indigenous languages website

“…Regarding the Hawaiian efforts, it has taken about five decades of committed advocacy to resuscitate the Hawaiian language to be spoken as a first language by two full generations (Galla, 2018b). With support from Apple and Microsoft, the Hawaiian language is supported across most platforms to strengthen Hawaiian language revitalization.…”

“…In Indigenous language communities, resources to support language learners are often scarce. Through organizations and partnerships, free online digital tools for language learning using audio recordings have been created such as online language tutorials, animations, social media, games, and materials storage (Galla, 2018a;2018b;Herman et al, 2020;Ka'ai, 2017;Smith et al, 2018). Language revitalization is viewed as a long-term commitment to building community capacity with the assistance of partnerships to create technology-based teaching resources (Galla, 2016;Herman et al, 2020;Little et al, 2015).…”

The Expression of Power in ICT's Knowledge Enterprise

“…As access has become more available, our understanding of the digital divide has moved beyond access to use, and a broader view of potential implications of ICTs as a tool for self-determination and empowerment. ICT has enabled explorations of social and new media as avenues of cultural expression [1,3,23,34], language revitalization [9,10], land and territory management through geo-spatial information systems [12,21,25], digital archiving [5,33], and supporting sovereignty [26,27].…”