Collection of Indigenous Languages Digital Preservation
The Digital Archive of Indigenous Language Persistence (DAILP): Preserving and Promoting Indigenous Languages
The Digital Archive of Indigenous Language Persistence (DAILP) is a groundbreaking digital initiative dedicated to preserving, sharing, and supporting Indigenous languages. This community-based digital archive aims to provide accessible digital resources that showcase Indigenous linguistic heritage and foster language revitalization and education.
At its heart, DAILP is committed to Indigenous language preservation and digital humanities, with a mission to centralize and share Indigenous language materials to aid in cultural continuity and education. The inaugural collection of DAILP, titled "Cherokees Writing the Keetoowah Way," exemplifies this goal.
This collection focuses on the Cherokee language, specifically materials related to the Keetoowah band of Cherokee people. The written materials in "Cherokees Writing the Keetoowah Way" are in a syllabary invented by Sequoyah in the late 1810s and early 1820s. This syllabary, a unique writing system that represents each syllable of the Cherokee language with a distinct symbol, has been instrumental in preserving and promoting the Cherokee language.
The collection includes various written materials such as translations, letters, funeral notices, stories, and speeches. These documents, many of which are produced by the Kituwah Preservation and Education Program (KPEP) in Cherokee, North Carolina, provide a valuable resource for Cherokee language learners, researchers, and community members. They offer insights into the historic and contemporary persistence of Cherokee language and writing traditions.
In summary, the "Cherokees Writing the Keetoowah Way" collection, part of the digital archive DAILP, serves as a testament to the power of digital archives in preserving and promoting Indigenous languages. By making these preserved written materials and audio resources accessible digitally, DAILP is fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures, histories, and linguistic heritage.
The Digital Archive of Indigenous Language Persistence (DAILP) extends its scope beyond Indigenous languages, also offering resources for the home-and-garden enthusiast through their cherished collections, specifically by showcasing gardening techniques and native plantlife in Cherokee home-and-garden lifestyle.
The unique Cherokee syllabary, central to the "Cherokees Writing the Keetoowah Way" collection, can now be applied to gardening manuals, enabling an immersive and authentic Cherokee gardening experience that marries traditional culture with modern lifestyle trends.
