Wednesday, January 28, 2026

From an Iñupiaq Wordle game to a new language immersion program, a wave of efforts to revitalize Iñupiaq language has been sweeping across northern Alaska. Last month, one Utqiaġvik artist received a Rasmuson award to create an Iñupiaq language workbook for kids. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Alaina Bankston has loved making art since she was a child. Now that she has a child of her own, she wants to use her art to help him learn the Iñupiaq language. Bankston is an Utqiaġvik artist who recently received a Rasmuson award to create a workbook that will do just that. She will spend a year designing and illustrating a primer for children that teaches the Iñupiaq alphabet and numbers. Bankston says her four-year-old son Qalayauq was her inspiration for the project. “It all kind of started with creating for him and being able to use those resources.” Bankston says she is still on her own language learning journey. She practices speaking with elders and uses dictionaries and the Rosetta Stone app. But Bankston says children learn differently than adults, and she wanted to create educational materials that catered to the youngest learners. “You start kindergarten, you have the whole workbook, you’re learning the alphabet, the numbers, the colors, and we have all that in English. But I’m like, what if we had that in Iñupiaq?” Bankston says some resources for learning Iñupiaq are available through the North Slope Borough School District, but she says regular parents might not have access to them. “It’s really born out of necessity. I’m sure there are resources out there … but they’re not something you could just go pick up at a store or buy online.” Bankston’s project is just one example of the language revitalization efforts in the region. Two years ago, the school district restarted its Iñupiaq immersion program, and a few years before that, Alaska Native linguists created a digital Iñupiaq dictionary. And when the popular puzzle game Wordle took off across the country, local linguists and enthusiasts created an Iñupiaq version. “I think we’ve been making big strides recently … with the history of it, it’s definitely a dying language, but I think it’s important we keep it alive.” Bankston says everyone can do their part to preserve the language, and the workbook is one such step for her. Arizona Poet Laureate Laura Tohe (Diné) reads her poetry at the state Capitol on January 14, 2026. (Courtesy Arizona Capitol TV) A former Navajo Nation poet laureate has been named by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) as the state’s second-ever state poet. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. Laura Tohe has dedicated her life to Indigenous literature, but doesn’t want that identity to dominate her tenure. “I don’t want people to think that again, you know, I’m just shifting from Navajo Nation to Arizona as a Navajo poet.” And part of her pledge is to help bring poetry to rural communities. While most living on the Navajo Nation have no choice but to haul essentials like water, coal, and wood from far away – for Tohe growing up, it was books. “I did…” Born in Fort Defiance, Ariz., Tohe remembers taking long road trips with her mother to the closest library across state lines in New Mexico. “We did make it to Gallup, and I got a library card. She wanted to make sure I had access.” The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C., focusing on Native children. The hearing will examine the draft Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act, which focuses on improving justice and safety outcomes for Native children. It includes Tribal-federal coordination on public safety, juvenile justice, and victim services. The hearing will be streamed live on the committee’s website.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – Remembering visionary Indigenous journalist Dan David