The Breath of Life Workshops and Institutes

Abstract

Briefly summarizing the history of language documentation and the archives where the documents can be found, this chapter discusses the usefulness of archived materials to Indigenous and minority groups whose languages are endangered or dormant. The biennial Breath of Life Workshops were instituted in the mid-1990s in Berkeley, California, to help California Indians find and learn to use these materials. The concept has spread to Oklahoma, where two such workshops were held, and starting in 2011, the National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages has been held every two years. The structure of these events is described here, as well as the impact of Breath of Life on its participants, and potential future directions.

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