<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large"><b>Kooch’eit’aa: Teaching the Tlingit language through basketball</b><br></div><div class="gmail_default"><p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif">
<span class=""><i>By </i><a href="http://www.ktoo.org/author/caseyk/"><span class=""><b>Casey Kelly</b></span></a></span></p><p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span class="">








</span></p><p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><i>Posted on August 10, 2014 at 6:00 am</i></p><p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span class="">Earlier this year, <a href="http://www.ktoo.org/2014/04/21/alaska-native-languages-bill-passes-15-hour-sit/"><span class="">Alaska became the second state after Hawaii to recognize indigenous languages as official state languages</span></a>.</span></p>
<p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif">The legislature <a href="http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=HB%20216&session=28"><span class="">passed a bill granting the designation to 20 Alaska Native languages</span></a>. Gov. Sean Parnell is expected to sign the measure soon. Supporters hope it will help boost efforts to revitalize those languages, many of which have just a handful of native speakers left. One such effort took place in Juneau last week: A camp that’s using sport to keep the Tlingit language alive.</p>
<p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="http://ktoo.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/08Language.mp3">http://www.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/08Language.mp3</a></p><p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif">






















</p><p class="" style="font-family:georgia,serif">On the basketball court at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, a dozen middle and high school students warm up for their first day of camp. As they stretch near half court, Jessica Chester counts to 10 in Tlingit: “Tléix’, déix, nás’k, daax’oon, keijín, tleidooshú, daxadooshú, nas’gadooshú, gooshúk, jinkaat.”</p>
<p class="" style><font face="georgia, serif">Access media & full article below: </font></p><div style><font face="georgia, serif"><a href="http://www.ktoo.org/2014/08/10/koocheitaa-teaching-tlingit-language-basketball/">http://www.ktoo.org/2014/08/10/koocheitaa-teaching-tlingit-language-basketball/</a></font><br>
</div></div></div>