We Are Our Language: An Ethnography of Language Revitalization in a Northern Athabaskan Community

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments While singular on cover and in copyright, this text has been composed through the labors and the support of many. Though brief, this is my heartfelt attempt to thank all involved for their commitment to this project and their faith in the author. For funding and support in the United States, I am indebted to the following institutions and departments: the WennerGren Foundation (#6375), the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation , the National Institutes of Health (PG# 1-F31-GM18263-01), the National Endowment for the Humanities (#FA-53427-07), the University of Arizona, the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan , and the University of Michigan. I would also like to acknowledge the tremendous support I’ve received from the University of Arizona Press, the three outside reviewers, the staff, especially Nancy Arora and my copy editor, Lisa Williams, and editor-in-chief Dr. Allyson Carter. I have also benefited from conversations with many audiences and colleagues far and near, too numerous to name; thank you. I would also like to thank those locally who have helped my ideas grow, especially Dr. Judith T. Irvine and Dr. Bruce Mannheim, and budding colleagues, especially Jean Balestrery, Erika Hoffmann-Dilloway, and Sherina Feliciano-Santos. For resources and support in the Yukon Territory, Canada, I am immensely grateful to Aboriginal Language Services (Yukon Territorial Government), Yukon Native Languages Centre, the Department of Education (YTG), Kaska Tribal Council, and Liard River First Nation. I am also extremely thankful to the aboriginal language teachers, administrators, linguists, and friends who have guided, instructed, and mentored me along the way, most especially Mrs. Ann Bayne, Mrs. Alice Brodhagen, Mrs. Leslie Carberry, Ms. Olive Cochrane, Mrs. Mida Donnessey, Dr. Jane Hill, Mrs. Leda Jules, Mrs. Aggie Magun, Mrs. Kathy Magun, Mr. Russell Magun Jr., Mrs. Linda McDonald, Ms. Cheryl McLean, Dr. Pat Moore, Mrs. Barbara Morris, Dr. Susan Philips, Mrs. Jeannette Poyton, Dr. Keren Rice, Dr. Diane Riskedahl , Dr. Scott Rushforth, Dr. David Samuels, Dr. Emory Sekaquaptewa, Mrs. Marie Skidmore, Mr. Mike Smith, Dr. Mary Willie, Mrs. Eileen Van Bibber, and Dr. Ofelia Zepeda. I am eternally grateful to the families and children who welcomed me into their lives—while unsurprising, it’s still astonishing how much everyone has grown since this project began, including my own two children! Finally, my own family deserves recognition, a few apologies for distraction, and overwhelming thankfulness, especially to my husband, Gerald Carr. xxvi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We Are Our Language ...