ILLUMINATING WORLDVIEWS on Land, Language, and Love S1:2
Aerial image of an Artic braided river.
“That love we have for our people, and that love we have for ourselves, and that respect. It comes back into being when we speak our languages.” —X̱’unei Lance Twitchell
Continuing our Illuminating Worldviews series, we hear from X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell in conversation with Guná Jensen exploring the vital work of Tlingít language revitalization. Together, they reflect on the deep emotional resonance of speaking in one’s ancestral language, and how this practice opens an anti-colonial lens in which to see and feel the world. Set within the lands of the Yukon, this episode is a moving tribute to the power and significance of Indigenous language learning that honors the autonomy, expression, and sense of belonging it nurtures within the community.
This episode includes an excerpt from the premiere of the powerful short film The River That Untangles One’s Mind by Skaydu.û Jules, Guná Jensen, and X̱’unei Lance Twitchell, produced by Douglas Joe/Creative Crow Media.
“Colonization also tricks us into thinking there’s not enough time, there’s not enough money, there’s not enough of anything except for everything that’s already there, but I think that’s a mythology.”
X̱’unei Lance Twitchell
X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell (Tlingít, Haida, Yupʼik, Sami) is a Professor of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast, and lives in Juneau with his wife and bilingual children. He speaks and studies the Lingít language, and advocates for Indigenous language reclamation through teaching, program development, legislative changes, and healing. Twitchell is an author of poems, stories, and screenplays, and is a filmmaker, musician, and Northwest Coast Artist.
Guná Jensen
Guná (Megan Jensen) is of Dakhká Tlingít/Tagish Khwáan ancestry from the Dahk’laweidi Clan. She honors her ancestral Tlingít art form while merging formline into a bold contemporary vision.
♫ The music in this episode is “After the Rain” by Cole Pulice courtesy of Leaving Records, “Apple with Honey” by Cory Feder, and “Oro” and “ Voces que Ven” by Palo-Mah.
Listen to the series…
Our Partners
This series was produced thanks to the generous support of the team at Illuminating Worldviews, held by the RIVER collective and Northern Council for Global Cooperation. We are so grateful to the organizers, speakers, and audience members who made this series possible.
X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell and Guná Jensen explore the vital work of Tlingít language revitalization. Set within the lands of the Yukon, this episode is a moving tribute to the power and significance of Indigenous language learning.