Efforts to ensure the survival of Alaska Native languages threatened with extinction have picked up speed with the signing of Administrative Order 300 in Juneau, declaring a linguistic emergency in Alaska.
“This linguistic emergency declaration is just the beginning,” said Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan after Gov. Bill Walker signed the administrative order on Sept. 23. “Now it’s time to buckle down and fight for the survival of these languages and the cultures they represent.”
The administrative order began as House Concurrent Resolution 19, sponsored by Ortiz, which passed the Legislature this year with broad bipartisan support.
With Walker’s signature on the administrative order, the state joins the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council in acknowledging a “linguistic emergency” that threatens the continued use of many Alaska Native languages. The council warned earlier this year that most of the 20 recognized indigenous languages in Alaska could become extinct by the end of the 21st century unless there are policy changes to support the learning and speaking of these languages.
Ortiz said that support for the linguistic emergency declaration came from across Alaska and crossed all political party lines.
“The testimony we heard from Alaska Natives who are dedicated to protecting their languages was powerful and helped convince many of the skeptics of the seriousness of the situation,” he said. “As Alaskans, we share in the history and culture of Alaska Natives, and we need to all come together and work to protect an essential part of what it means to be Alaskan.”
