By Aaron Leggett, CIRI History Assistant

"Dingi nubun k'itigi gheshtnu, dach' Kahtnu q'angheshduk, ch'u duhdgheldin Dena'ina Qenaga jitgga."

As recently as one year ago, if someone had asked me to create a sentence in Dena'ina I would have thought they were asking the impossible. Having spent three weeks in June in Kenai at the Dena'ina Language Institute, I realize that I could not only write the above statement, but pronounce it as well.

The statement - Dingi nubun k'itigi gheshtnu, dach' Kahtnu q'angheshduk, ch'u duhdgheldin Dena'ina Qenaga jitgga - captures my sentiments well. It is translated roughly as: I was too focused on earning money for this summer, so I went to learn a little bit of the Dena'ina Language in Kenai. As I learn more about the Dena'ina culture and heritage, I realize that there is no way to put a value on what those three weeks mean to me.

When I first started studying my people at the University of Alaska Anchorage, I thought I was never going to be able to learn our language; and even if I did, I wondered what use it would be. At that time, I thought it would be better to focus my efforts on other aspects of our culture and leave language work to others. Then something happened I will never forget. In June 2004, I went to Kenai to attend a Dena'ina festival held in conjunction with the language institute. While I was there, I learned of the death of a Dena'ina elder who had been teaching our language, and whom I knew from my work at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. His passing was sudden and unexpected.

Losing such an important person opened my eyes, and I realized what an opportunity I had lost by not learning from him when I could have. It was then and there that I realized a need to make the commitment to learn as much as I can about our language while there still is an opportunity. And what an opportunity there is. I feel that our language is in a state of renewal - not only is there the Dena'ina Language Institute, but there are classes held throughout the winter at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. I am also pleased that the language is being taught in several middle and high schools throughout the Anchorage School District as a language elective this year.

Dena'ina has been spoken in the Cook Inlet for far longer then English, and within the language there is a wealth of information that can be obtained from it and its complex structure. Our language - even for beginners - provides insight into our ancestors and the way that they viewed the world around them. For example, the names for Cook Inlet are Tikahtnu and Nuti. Tikahtnu means "big ocean river" and Nuti is the same name for salt. I feel these names are so much more descriptive than naming the body of water after a British sea captain.

Another example within Anchorage is "Nen Ghi_gedi," which means "Rotten Land." This is the name for a bank within Earthquake Park. The name shows that the Dena'ina were aware that the land was not a good place to build upon.

I know the chances are extremely slim for Dena'ina to again be the dominant language spoken in Cook Inlet. On the other hand, I know that our ancestors did not want to see our language die with them. That is the reason Dena'ina elders such as Shem Pete, Sava Stephan, Katherine Nicolie, Peter Kalifornsky and Mike Alex spent so much of their time in later years writing it down themselves or assisting researchers.

These elders could have provided what they knew in English, and it would have been a fantastic record. But I believe they knew there would come a time when their grandchildren and other Dena'ina would be able to speak the language in school and not be punished for it.

In recent years, there has been an upwelling of interest in our culture and our language. The Dena'ina Language Institute is designed for anyone who has an interest in our heritage. While the complexity of the language and its structure would make the language difficult for even the best students, we are blessed in this region to have patient and untiring elders who assist in all classes. The focus is not on academic achievement, but rather on learning the language to get a taste of the values, the culture, and the stories of our ancestors.

I got my money's worth at the institute. I was truly learning something that is now important to me, and it is a priceless gift that will serve me the rest of my life.

Q'ua Dutdghesche,

Chada