Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council Program Transfer House Bill 26, which moves the Alaska Native Language Preservation Advisory Council (ANLPAC) from DCCED to the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) and changes the name to the Council for Alaska Native Languages (CANL), became law on August 30, 2024. Effective November 29, 2024, all activities associated with ANLPAC and CANL will be housed at DEED. The Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council provides recommendations and advice to both the Governor and Legislature on programs, policies, and projects; and to network and advocate in support of the Council’s mission. The Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council was created by the second session of the 27th Legislature. The Governor appointed to the council five voting members who are professional language experts and who represent diverse regions of the state. In addition, one member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate and one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall serve on the council as nonvoting members. In appointing the nonvoting members of the Council, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint a member of the bush caucus, if a bush caucus exists. In this subsection, "bush caucus" means a group of legislators that represents rural areas of the state. The members appointed by the Governor shall serve at the pleasure of the governor. What's New At ANLPAC! Alaska Native Language Council offers new Action Plan for Alaska Native Languages The Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council has published its 2022 Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature: AYARUQ: 2024 Action Plan for Alaska Native Languages. It is the culmination of the Council’s meetings with stakeholder groups over the past 24 months since the 2022 Biennial Report came out and is required by Alaska Statute 44.33.520. Created by the Legislature in 2012, the Council oversees research from which it makes findings and recommendations to the State of Alaska on how Alaska can best promote the continued survival of Alaska’s Indigenous languages. Four focus areas are highlighted in the Council's 2024 Action Plan: Focus Area #1:Affirm the Right to Indigenous Education Education in Alaska has and continues to fail Alaska Native peoples. Pathways to equitable success must include opportunities to use Alaska Native languages as a medium of instruction at all levels of education. The State of Alaska must develop pathways to education through Alaska Native languages while decolonizing educational practices in all levels of public education. Focus Area #2: Address Oppression and Intergenerational Trauma Alaskan education includes dark histories of language suppression and child abuse that included the removal of Indigenous children from their homes, the denial of having identities they were born into, and forced assimilation that included violent means of attempted linguistic and cultural erasure. The State of Alaska must bring the historical and lasting impacts of boarding schools and genocidal educational practices to the surface and determine methods of healing, reconnection, and acknowledgment of new and equitable directions in governance and education while providing increased access to trauma-informed mental health recovery practices for individuals, communities, and institutions. Focus Area #3:Commit to Language Equity The damaging practices of colonization in Alaska has resulted in a privileging of English over Alaska Native languages. The State of Alaska must make a commitment to increasing the social status and prestige of Alaska Native languages through public education campaigns, increased language use in State facilities, and through partnerships that create real and lasting benefits for speakers of Alaska Native languages that are intended to undo decades of inequitable treatment. Focus Area #4: Normalize the Use of Alaska Native Languages in physical and social spaces across the vast landscapes of Alaska When languages are suppressed to the point of endangerment, they can reach a point where they are rarely heard or seen, and conscious efforts are required to reconnect peoples, languages, and places. The act of normalization involves strategies and actions that ensure that Alaska Native languages are commonly heard and seen in the spaces where those languages were born. The State of Alaska must commit to language normalization through Indigenous place name restoration, increased language use in public spaces, and the development of Alaska Native language spaces. AYARUQ: 2024 Action Plan for Alaska Native Languages Summary of Ayaruq: 2024 Action Plan for Alaska Native Languages Openings Within the Council There will be two openings on the Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council , to be filled by appointment by the Governor, on or before August 20th, 2024. The ANLPAC advocates for the preservation, restoration, and revitalization of Alaska Native languages and directly informs the Governor, the State Legislature, and Alaskan citizens about recommended strategies for the survival of all Alaska Native languages. ANLPAC members serve as volunteers and represent all Alaska Native languages, not only their own. For the best opportunity to be considered for this appointment, please apply before the end of June. Please share this information. If you or someone you know is professionally involved with Alaska Native languages and would like to be considered for appointment to this important council, please go to the Apply for a Board Appointment page. From there you can initiate your application using the hot link "Apply Online" on the lower left. Once there, use the drop down menu under “Board/Commission and seat you are seeking:” and select 'Native Language Preservation And Advisory Council'. Notice of Public Meetings The DCRA publishes notice of its meetings in compliance with the Open Meetings Act. Notice of public meetings is published on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/DCRANotices.aspx. Contact For more information about the Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council D. Roy Mitchell, IV Research Analyst Division of Community and Regional Affairs Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development Phone: 907-269-3646 Email: roy.mitchell@alaska.gov DCRA Staff Directory Staff Directory Social Media Revised 01/11/2024