Revitalizing Joy: Language Learning through Card Games

Indians of North Amierca: Conflict and Survival 

byFrank W. Porter

Porter III outlines the long arc of colonial pressure, cultural suppression, and survival strategies that Indigenous communities faced as the United States expanded westward. He describes how U.S. federal policy systematically attempted to “break apart tribal cohesion by undermining traditional leadership and social structures,” He highlights the destruction caused by land seizures, forced removals, and military violence, noting that federal authorities often justified these actions through the belief that Native cultures were “obstacles to progress.” Porter emphasizes that despite these pressures, Native nations resisted through political organization, cultural endurance, and strategic adaptation. He writes that Native communities “survived because they refused to surrender the values that bound them to their people and their land,” framing Indigenous persistence as an active, powerful force rather than a passive survival. I connect to this because the damage Porter describes, cultural suppression, the breaking of community structures, the devaluing of Indigenous identity, created the very conditions that threaten Tewa language today. When Porter writes that federal policies sought to “disconnect Native people from the sources of their identity,” it echoes the legacy my community still feels: the boarding school era, stigma around speaking our language, and generations of fear or shame tied to learning. Understanding this history helps me see that language loss didn’t happen by accident; it was produced by systems meant to erase Indigenous knowledge. 

Porter, Frank W. Indians of North America: Conflict and Survival. Chelsea House Publishers, 1989.

"Online Learning Booms Open New Avenues to Spread Indigenous Languages"

by Scott Suina

This article explores how online learning platforms have expanded access to Indigenous language education, especially for learners separated from their home communities. Through digital classrooms, apps, and virtual language programs, Indigenous communities are finding new ways to teach and share language across distance and generations. While the article acknowledges concerns about technology replacing in-person learning, it emphasizes that digital tools can support revitalization when guided by community values and goals. Online learning allows flexibility, accessibility, and increased participation, particularly for youth and diaspora communities. This reflects a growing shift toward combining tradition with modern tools to keep Indigenous languages active, spoken, and evolving.

Simon, Scott. “Online Learning Booms Open New Avenues to Spread Indigenous Languages.” NPR, 12 July 2020, www.npr.org

"Researching Game-Based Learning Practices in Aotearoa New Zealand" 

by Rachel Bolstad

In this article, Rachel Bolstad examines how game based learning is used in educational contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly within Indigenous and culturally grounded learning environments. Bolstad explains that games are not simple entertainment tools but also can be structured learning systems that encourage experimentation, collaboration, and problem-solving. The article highlights how Māori educational approaches often align naturally with game based learning because they emphasize collective participation, storytelling, and learning through experience rather than  memorization. Bolstad also discusses how digital and physical games can support language learning creating low pressure environments where learners feel safe to make mistakes and learn through repetition and interaction. 

Bolstad, Rachel “Researching Game-Based Learning Practices in Aotearoa New Zealand.” New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 2017, https://www.nzcer.org.nz/research/publications/researching-game-based-learning-practices-aotearoa-new-zealand.

"Indigenous Languages and Research Universities: Reconciling Worldviews and Ideologies" 

by Helen Roy & Mindy J. Morgan

In this article, Helen Roy and Mindy J. Morgan explore the tensions between Indigenous worldviews and Western academic systems, particularly in the context of Indigenous language research and revitalization. The authors argue that universities often approach Indigenous languages as objects to be studied, documented, or archived rather than living systems tied to community, land, and identity. They emphasize that Indigenous languages carry epistemologies, ways of knowing, that do not always fit within Western research frameworks. The article calls for research practices that are community-centered, relational, and accountable to Indigenous peoples rather than solely to academic institutions.

Roy, Helen, and Mindy J. Morgan.
“Indigenous Languages and Research Universities: Reconciling Worldviews and Ideologies.” Michigan State University, n.d.,
https://education.msu.edu/green-and-write/policy-briefs/Indigenous-Languages-and-Research-Universities.pdf.

"All My Relations - Can Our Ancestors Hear Us?"

Hosted by Matika Wilbur and Adrienne Keene

The All My Relations podcast explores contemporary Indigenous issues through conversations rooted in Indigenous knowledge, humor, and relational accountability. In the episode focused on language, culture, and education, the hosts discuss how Indigenous languages have been historically suppressed through colonial policies such as boarding schools and assimilationist education. They emphasize that language loss is deeply connected to trauma, shame, and survival, and that revitalization efforts must address emotional and cultural healing alongside instruction. The podcast also highlights how joy, laughter, and everyday use of language are essential to rebuilding strong relationships with Indigenous languages.

All My Relations Podcast.

All My Relations. Hosted by Matika Wilbur and Adrienne Keene, episodes on Indigenous language, culture, and education, https://www.allmyrelationspodcast.com.