West NALRC Vision

The Western region of what is now the United States (California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada) is home to approximately 160 Federally Recognized, and many Unrecognized, Tribes, each with its own linguistic and cultural heritage.

Despite assimilative policies that created boarding schools and continue to promulgate English-only education, as well as modern challenges including few fluent speakers, a scarcity of teaching resources, a lack of institutional support, and the dominance of English at work and school, Tribes continue to speak and sing their languages in religious, educational, and home contexts.

The Vision of the West Region Native American Language Resource Center (West NALRC) is to support western Tribes in maintaining and revitalizing their languages by providing guidance and resources to empower educators. We hope to realize this vision by:

• Advocating for the inclusion of Native American languages in local, state and regional educational systems;
• Providing training and technical assistance to Native American language-medium instructors, including evidence-based pedagogical strategies, curriculum development, and assessment; and
• Providing consultation and support for Tribal language initiatives throughout the region.