UH Hilo hosts inaugural cohort for Next Generation Indigenous Language Leadership program
The 22 language leaders were nominated by their communities and represent Native American languages from across the country, including Tlingit, Ojibwemowin, Osage, Yugtun, Shawnee Cherokee, and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo hosted the inaugural cohort of the Next Generation Indigenous Language Leadership (Next Gen) program for two weeks at the university’s Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, July 21 through Aug. 1.
The 22 language leaders were nominated by their communities and represent Native American languages from across the country, including Tlingit, Ojibwemowin, Osage, Yugtun, Shawnee Cherokee, and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The program was convened by Aanikoobijigeng, the National Native American Language Resource Center, a federally funded program of which UH Hilo is a founding institution.
In a media release, it’s explained that Native American languages represent rich cultural heritages and play a vital role in the identity, history, and future of Native American communities. Many of these languages face challenges due to historical and contemporary policies that have marginalized Indigenous voices. However, across these regions, youth are emerging as powerful advocates, leading initiatives to revitalize and strengthen their linguistic and cultural heritage.
“We’ve come a long way in reviving ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi over the past forty years, sharing that manaʻo not only with other Native American and Alaska Native communities, but also with the younger generation of learners,” says Larry Kimura, professor of Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies and founding director of UH Hilo’s Hale Kuamoʻo Hawaiian Language Center. “By supporting these young leaders to reclaim and revitalize their languages, we can ensure that this work will continue for generations to come.”
Participants shared that the program was not just inspiring and affirming but also a deeply personal and powerful opportunity to reclaim their cultural identity.
Sierra Concha, a Lakhóta immersion teacher, said the ultimate goal is to hear her people’s language spoken across her community in public spaces — from parks to grocery stores — and shared a vision she had of her future.
“I’m going to be an old lady in my rocking chair on my front porch, and I’m seeing all my grandkids and my children and my family just speaking the language as if there’s no other language to speak,” she says.
Aanikoobijigeng, the National Native American Language Resource Center that convened the two-week event, is a consortium including UH Hilo, the University of Alaska Southeast, and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University in Wisconsin, established through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The goal is to preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, practice, and develop Native American languages in furtherance of the policies in the Native American Languages Act and the United States trust responsibility to Native Americans.
The center will keep the inaugural cohort engaged and connected with projects, advocacy, and conferences, sharing their knowledge across the country.
See also Next Generation Warriors Champion Ancestral Voices (Kūkala Nūhou, Aug. 14, 2025)
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Story by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
