Imagining Indigenous Futures through the Enactment of Linguistic Sovereignty – Wisdom from Indigenous-Language Education

• In Event: Imagining and Enacting Indigenous Futures: Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Education

Abstract

Objectives/Purpose. This presentation proposes that Indigenous futures – visioning a world from Indigenous perspectives and agency – is enhanced by education that centers Indigenous languages in schools, families, and Native nations/communities. Such education is a means of transforming the intended erasures of colonial schooling and a path toward academic wellbeing and the thrivance of Indigenous nations and communities. The purpose of this presentation is to bring recent educational research to bear on the role of Indigenous-language schooling in promoting these outcomes and the linguistic and educational sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples.

Perspectives/Theoretical Framework. The term “Indigenous futurisms” was coined to convey ideas through literature and the arts (Dillon 2012). We apply this construct to education, asserting that for Indigenous Peoples, unforgetting-visioning-reclaiming histories and imagining futures (Winn, 2025) must include Indigenous languages. A meta-review of more than 3000 bibliographic databases (Whalen et al., 2022) makes clear the connections of Indigenous languages to personal and communal health and wellbeing, elements vital for Indigenous futures (Baldwin & Olds, 2023; Barker et al., 2017; Hallett et al., 2007). Learning Indigenous languages cultivates the self-knowledge to sustain ceremony and the motivation and ability to “give back to the world” (Authors, 2023). Indigenous-language schools are present-day models for these outcomes and for challenging colonial education practices and policies (Wilson & Kamanā, 2011).

Methods. The study asks how, when, why, and for whom Indigenous-language medium education is beneficial. Methods include a descriptive survey of Indigenous-language medium programs throughout the U.S., in-depth ethnographic case studies of eight diverse Indigenous-language medium schools, and a matched-pair analysis of opportunities to learn and outcomes for K-12 students in Indigenous-language and English-medium schools. Qualitative and quantitative analyses reveal how Indigenous-language schooling promotes holistic academic wellbeing. We highlight the themes of sustainable self-determination (Corntassel, 2008), individual and communal thrivance (Baumann, 2023), relationality, and community/nation building—qualities that cultivate intergenerational contributions toward positive Indigenous futures.

Data. Data derive from 32 site visits to 8 partner schools,100 classroom observations, in-depth interviews with 174 participants, extensive photographic, video, and archival collections, and assessments of English and Indigenous-language development and mathematics.

Results/Findings. The study finds that hundreds of Indigenous language education programs exist across the U.S., serving infants to adults and employing diverse locally generated pedagogies. On assessments of math, English, and Indigenous-language development, students in Indigenous-language programs achieve on par with or better than their peers in English-medium programs. Case studies reveal a common innovative practice underlying these outcomes: a relational pedagogy that connects learners and academic content to people and place; emphasizes responsibility to self, others, and the natural world; and builds a familial school culture.

Significance. Indigenous-language education conveys Indigenous experiences and knowledges as foundational for Indigenous community futures. Relational pedagogies promote a present and future rooted in holistic academic wellbeing, which includes academic attainment, positive Indigenous identities, and school-community solidarity. These practices construct a new vision for education research, practice, and policy by embodying Indigenous linguistic and educational sovereignty.

Authors

• Tiffany S. Lee, University of New Mexico

• Sheilah E. Nicholas, University of Arizona

• Teresa L. McCarty, University of California - Los Angeles

• Michael H. Seltzer, University of California - Los Angeles

• Kyle Halle-Erby, University of California - Los Angeles

• Thomas Jacobson, University of California - Los Angeles

• James McKenzie, University of Arizona