46th Annual Siouan and Caddoan Languages Conference
46th Annual Siouan and Caddoan Languages Conference
May 27-29, 2026
Lawrence, KS
Submissions: sclc.kansas@gmail.com by May 1, 2026
Please fill out our registration form or simply email sclc.kansas@gmail.com to indicate your intent to attend. If attending virtually, we will send the Zoom link directly to you. Registration is free!
The conference will be hosted in the Burge Union at the University of Kansas.
Wednesday, May 27
On Wednesday we will be hosting a Language and Land Walk; details TBD. We may host talks on Wednesday if needed.
Thursday, May 28
Thursday will consist of talks in the morning and afternoon. A catered lunch will be provided.
Friday, May 29
Friday will consist of talks in the morning. We may host talks in the afternoon if needed.
Light refreshments will be served for the entire conference.
Lawrence is accessible via Amtrak and Kansas City International Airport. Note that Amtrak trains coming through Lawrence are notoriously delayed. Kansas City International Airport is about an hour's drive away from Lawrence. We hope to offer rides from the airport on a first-come, first-served basis. Please request a ride as soon as possible; requests very close to the conference date may not be able to be honored.
The closest lodging to the conference venue is the Oread Hotel. Note that the Algerian national soccer team is also using this hotel as their base for the World Cup.
Lawrence is navigable via a free, public, and reliable bus system.
The closest paid parking to the conference venue is the Allen Fieldhouse Parking Garage. We are still working on a free parking option!
Submissions to SCLC will receive decisions within two weeks of submission or by May 6, 2026, whichever is sooner. Participants who would like to book travel early are encouraged to submit in advance of booking their travel.
The Siouan and Caddoan Languages Conference (SCLC) promotes the study and teaching of languages in the Siouan and Caddoan language families. SCLC will be hosted in a hybrid format at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas from Wednesday, May 27 to Friday, May 29, 2026.
Lawrence, Kansas was ceded by the Kaw (Kanza) Nation (Kaáⁿze) in the Treaty of 1825, but eastern Kansas has also historically been traversed by other tribes such as the Osage (𐓏𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟) and Pawnee (pâri pakûru’). Many more tribes were forcibly moved through the region, including Shawnee (Saawanook), Miami (Myaamia), Wyandotte (Waⁿdát), Delaware (Lënape), and Peoria (Peewaalia). The nearby confluence of the Kaw and Missouri Rivers nearby brought intertribal activity and movement, associating the area with many more tribal nations, including the Otoe-Missouria (Jiwere) and the Ioway (Báxoje). Central and western Kansas were also home to many more Nations, including the Kiowa (Gáuigú), Cheyenne (Tsistsista), Arapaho (Hinono'ei), Apache (Ná'ishą), Northern Cheyenne (Tsistsista), Northern Arapaho (Hinono'ei), Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ), and Wichita (Kitikiti'sh). In present time, Kansas is home to four federally recognized tribes: the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (mshkoteni botwewatmi), the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska (Báxoje), the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas (Kiikaapoi), and the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska (Ne ma ha ha ki). Furthermore, with Haskell Indian Nations University also in Lawrence, there is an eclectic intertribal presence representing tribal Nations from across the country, creating a diverse representation of Indian Country within the community.
The conference is organized by members of the Department of Linguistics, the Indigenous Studies Program, and the Office of Sovereign Partnerships and Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Kansas. Questions may be directed to sclc.kansas@gmail.com.
SCLC has a special emphasis on community-driven research. We welcome proposals for individual, group, or roundtable presentations. These may include:
Indigenous education
Teaching and learning language
Language and cultural identity
Film and media
Folklore
History
Music and art
Traditional beliefs and knowledge
Linguistic description and analysis
Indigenous data sovereignty
Performances in indigenous language
Our conference theme is “Language Revitalization: Practitioner Perspectives.” We especially welcome tribal citizens and members working in and with language programs to consider participating.
Types of presentations include:
Individual or team presentation – can be a live talk, a pre-made video, or other work of art
Group / panel discussion (typically 3-5 presenters)
Roundtable discussion (with audience participation)
Workshop
If you think of a type of presentation that is not on this list, please ask! Please let us know which type of presentation you would like to be considered for. No proposal is too small: even an email telling us what you’d like to share is perfect.
The (soft) deadline for proposals is May 1st, 2026. Please send submissions to sclc.kansas@gmail.com.