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Press Release
July 20, 2011
(For high resolution images contact Kathy Dye at
kathy.dye@sealaska.com)
TLINGIT ALPHABET CARDS, INTERACTIVE TOOL, CD RELEASED
Sealaska
Heritage Institute (SHI) has released flash cards, an audio CD and an
online interactive tool
designed to teach the Tlingit alphabet to young people.
The materials feature original, whimsical art
and are meant to provide a fun way for kids to interact and become
familiar with the Tlingit alphabet. Each card includes a character in
the Tlingit alphabet, a Tlingit word that uses that character and an
image depicting the Tlingit word, said Linda Belarde, who writes
curriculum with a focus on 
the
Tlingit language for the institute.
"It’s a fun thing. You have something you’re holding, they’re small enough, so you don’t have to have a huge board and the card game is kind of fun and they don’t really realize that they’re learning," said Belarde, a former teacher and school principal.
Students using the
online tool will be
able to scroll through the images, see the Tlingit text and hear how the
characters and words sound in Tlingit (the tool is available at
It’s essential to provide audio because the Tlingit language includes sounds that are unfamiliar to people who speak only English, Belarde said.
"The Tlingit alphabet has 50 letters and some of those sounds are not found in English. And in fact four of them as far as linguists have researched are not found in any other language in the world. So it is important to be able to hear these," she said.
SHI is distributing the card sets and CDs to more than a dozen teachers with Tlingit language programs in Southeast Alaska. Teachers who want a set and did not receive one should contact SHI. The cards and CD are available to individuals for $23 per set through Sealaska Heritage Institute. .
The project was sponsored by SHI as part of its mission to perpetuate Native languages. Art was made by Crystal Worl. The Tlingit words were edited by Belarde and Katrina Hotch and reviewed by traditional scholar Dr. Walter Soboleff, who died in May.
The project was supported in part by a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private, nonprofit founded in 1980 to administer cultural and educational programs for Sealaska Corporation. The institute is governed by an all-Native Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.
CONTACT: Linda Belarde, Curriculum Specialist, 907-586-9187
Linda Belarde, Curriculum Specialist, TRT: :11 "It’s a fun thing. You have something you’re holding, they’re small enough, so you don’t have to have a huge board and the card game is kind of fun and they don’t really realize that they’re learning." (mpeg)
(wav)Linda Belarde, Curriculum Specialist, TRT: :17 "The Tlingit alphabet has 50 letters and some of those sounds are not found in English. And in fact four of them as far as linguists have researched are not found in any other language in the world. So it is important to be able to hear these." (mpeg)
(wav)