Exploring the National Breath of Life Training Model

For many communities, the process of language revitalization begins in an archive with handwritten notes, old dictionaries, and recordings. But how are these materials transformed into lessons, apps, and resources for a new generation of learners? At National Breath of Life (BoL), participants use the National Breath of Life Training Trajectory, a dedicated model for…

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Call for Apprentices: National Breath of Life Digital Archive Training Program

Are you part of an Indigenous community using archival materials to revitalize your language and culture? National Breath of Life is offering paid apprenticeship opportunities to build and manage digital archives that support your community’s revitalization efforts. Selected apprentices receive hands-on training and financial support to learn the Indigenous Languages Digital Archive (ILDA)—a tribally owned…

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National Breath of Life Expands with New $2.1 Million Grant

The Myaamia Center has been awarded a $2,100,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to expand the work of its National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages. The grant, announced Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, will enable the expansion of National Breath of Life (BoL) programming in three significant ways: Click here to read more about the…

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Reflections from the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference

This November, National Breath of Life, Myaamia Center, and Miami Tribe of Oklahoma staff attended the  Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) conference on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation in Palm Springs, CA, where National Breath of Life was awarded the Language Program Institutional Excellence Award. ATALM is a non-profit organization that maintains…

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Two Years Later: Outcomes of the National BoL Apprenticeship Program

The National Breath of Life Apprenticeship Program was launched in 2022 to empower Indigenous communities to preserve and strengthen their unique language efforts. Through mentorship from their community language leaders and National Breath of Life (BoL) staff, apprentices began the process of building a digital language archive, creating usable language data, and learning about the…

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Apprentices Gather at Miami University to Learn and Share Experiences 

National Breath of Life apprentices traveled to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on May 2-4, 2024 to participate in the first-ever apprenticeship gathering. The gathering, supported in part by the Myaamia Center, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Mellon Foundation, allowed participants to meet face-to-face to learn from one another, share experiences, and…

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Meet the Apprentices: Citlali Arvizu

Meet Citlali Arvizu Citlali Arvizu was born and raised in Hotuuknga, in Orange County, California, within the Tongva Nation homelands. Citlali, a member of the Tongva Nation, didn’t grow up speaking the Tongva language but has always wanted to learn more and invest her time in the interest.  She says her passion for the language…

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Meet the Apprentices: Chloe Knope

Meet Chloe Knope Chloe Knope, a National Breath of Life apprentice for the Menominee language team, found a passion for the Menominee language a few years ago when she began participating in community language classes and programming.  While studying Menominee as a hobby, she found herself in a supportive group of language learners within the…

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Meet the Apprentices: Naomi Biesanz

Meet Naomi Biesanz When National Breath of Life started its apprenticeship program, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians language team offered Naomi Biesanz the apprenticeship position on its team.  Naomi, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, descended from the Hanis Coos people, has been involved with…

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