Upper Tanana, endonymically known as Nee’aanèegn, is an Indigenous Athapaskan language spoken in eastern Interior Alaska and in parts of the adjacent Yukon territory. Estimates in the year 2000 cited the number of speakers as less than 100, the majority of those being elders. Although Wikipedia states that, “…the extinction of Upper Tanana is in the near future”, activists like Polly Hyslop are ensuring the future of their language.
Polly Hyslop was previously an assistant professor for the Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and served on the Language Revitalization Committee for the Doyon Foundation. She is currently working on the Upper Tanana course for Doyon Languages Online. Her revitalization project will establish a weekend workshop in the summer for learning about ceremonies in the language. This workshop will be conducted by elders of the Upper Tanana region—currently, there are few opportunities for elders to teach young people the ceremonies; and so, this summer workshop will provide a critical teaching platform.