Relationality in online Indigenous language courses

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article considers ways Indigenous Peoples enact relational epistemologies in online Indigenous language courses which support Indigenous language education. We give an overview of popular platforms and their key features, including audio, images, video, text-based instruction, and assessment. Based on our reviews of Indigenous language courses, we discuss how course creators used these features to enact relational epistemologies. Audio represented the voices of learners and speakers across generations. Images, whether photographs or graphics, offered visual representations of community life and cultural teachings. Videos showed interactions between community members engaged in cultural activities and shared stories. Text-based instruction wove together grammar teaching with culture. Some communities have also pushed against the rigid conventions of formal assessment to prepare learners through culturally appropriate measures. Through the intentional use of the course features, community-led Indigenous language courses are centering relational epistemologies and decolonizing digital language learning spaces.