2026 IÑupiaq Language intensive: Qikiqtaġruk

We are excited to announce that applications are open for the 2026 Iḷisaqativut Iñupiaq Language Intensive in Qikiqtaġruk (Kotzebue)!

If you are interested in participating, please review the information on this page and then click “Apply Here” at the bottom of the page to submit your application.

For the 2026 intensive, we will be offering two separate weeks. Week 1 will be designed for beginning learners, including “true beginners” with no prior experience learning Iñupiaq. Week 2 will be designed for fluent speakers and intermediate/advanced learners seeking Iñupiaq language immersion environments. You can apply to attend for just one week, or for both. More information is available on this page and the application form.

Beginner Week 1: July 27 - July 31

Intermediate Week 2: August 3 - August 7

Quyaanna to Aqqaluk Trust, our local partner and host organization. A reminder that Iḷisaqativut intensives are free, but participants are responsible for their own travel, housing, and food.

The application period will close at 5 pm Alaska time on Friday, May 8. You will be notified if you are selected to attend no later than May 15.

Questions or concerns? Contact the Intensive organizers at ilisaqativut@gmail.com.

Overview

Intensives are special times for coming together as Iñupiaq language learners to focus on building up our language abilities, supporting relationships with each other and Elders, and growing our language community.

Iḷisaqativut intensives are designed as adult programs. You must be 18 to apply, though youth are welcome if a parent/guardian is also a participant. Note that intensives do not offer programming specific to youth, and participants are responsible for their own children at all times. Participants who have brought children in the past have found it deeply meaningful but also challenging to manage active learning and childcare together.

This is the 8th Iḷisaqativut Intensive and we will gather on the lands of the Qikiqtaġruŋmiut (people of Kotzebue). The first Intensive was held in May 2017 in Utqiaġvik, which was followed by intensives held in June 2018 in Siqnazuaq (Nome), August 2019 in Qikiqtaġruk (Kotzebue), June 2022 at Camp Sivunniuġvik (near Noorvik), August 2023 in Qikiqtaġruk, October 2024 in Utqiaġvik, and October 2025 in Siqnazuaq.

Iḷisaqativut is a grassroots effort, and we rely on donor and volunteer support. We facilitate the curriculum, organization, and unique learning opportunity. You provide your knowledge, your passion, and your motivation to learn and contribute to the Iḷisaqativut community. Most participants find that they get out of an Intensive, what they put in.

IḶiSaqativut Values

There is room for everyone to learn their language.

• The responsibility of reclaiming our language cannot fall on the shoulders of a few. We support efforts occurring on many fronts, meeting our fluent speakers where they are. 

• We aim for outcomes that unify our people and language, not divide us.

An Iḷisaqativut intensive offers the opportunity to learn Iñupiaq in a dedicated and safe space. We pool together our language resources to enhance accessibility for aspiring speakers and create a time where we can focus just on Iñupiaq.

Language efforts are encouraged.

• Iḷisaqativut prioritizes a positive and supportive learning environment. We appreciate that children are granted the grace to practice speech sounds; adult second-language learners should be afforded the same privilege.

• We support second-language learners as teachers, in partnership with fluent elder speakers. 

Iḷisaqativut means “those who learn together” as we take that philosophy seriously at our intensives. Organizers strive to facilitate a supportive environment that emphasizes grace with both ourselves and others. Our work is only possible when we hold each other up.

All dialects are welcome.

• We emphasize what we have in common, such as the grammatical structure of the language and prioritize the attributes that are shared.

• We welcome and encourage all dialects, acknowledging both the distinctiveness of our home communities and that our ancestors knew many ways of speaking. 

• We recognize that learning additional ways to speak Iñupiaq does not diminish the ability to learn our own dialects — it is all additive.

At an intensive, the learning environment honors the dialects of the fluent speakers teaching and guiding our work, as those are the speakers present to help us learn. This is often, but not always, the dialects of the local area where the intensive is held.

Responsibilities

Participants are personally responsible for:

• LEARNING: Your personal investment in our time together co-creates the Iḷisaqativut language learning experience. Each participant is responsible for being present, on-time, and engaged. An Iḷisaqativut Intensive is what the participants make it.

• TRAVEL: You are responsible for roundtrip travel to and from Qikiqtaġruk (Kotzebue). Many past participants have been able to find support from their family, community, or employer to support their attendance. Each week’s agenda will start Monday morning and conclude Friday midday. Plan to arrive no later than July 26 (Week 1) or August 2 (Week 2) and depart no earlier than the afternoon of July 31 (Week 1) or August 7 (Week 2).

• HOUSING: We do not provide housing in Qikiqtaġruk. Each participant is responsible for securing and paying for their own housing. The organizers will provide a list of available options following the application period.

• FOOD: We will provide morning coffee and tea and light snacks. We will also have one potluck or cookout at the beginning and encourage each participant to bring niqipiaq to share! All other meals will be on your own.

Expectations

Intensives are designed to be just that: intensive and fast-paced. Participants should be prepared to learn by participating, taking notes (when appropriate), and most importantly trying.

Iḷisaqativut intensives are designed to help you progress in the language. Participants can expect at times to feel challenged, frustrated, and tired. However, it is also extremely rewarding to work through challenges and grow.

Each participant is expected to speak as much Iñupiaq as they are able: the single best way to learn a language is to speak it. However, at times using English is helpful in creating a supportive environment for learning or necessary to communicate essential needs (after all, we are still learners).

We also expect learners to serve as teachers. More advanced learners can expect to spend time supporting others; while those with less experience can expect to spend extra time on individual study to keep up with the pace. Each participant has a role to play in learning and teaching.

Participants can expect a variety of group dynamics and activities. There will be times when you are actively engaging with a group and also times for self-study and personal time. Please be prepared to direct your own experience at times.

One of the ingredients of success for an intensive is flexibility. While there is structure to our time together, specific elements may be adjusted to match the needs of the learners and speakers participating, as well as our host community.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

At the end of our time together, you will have greater confidence in your ability to continue your language journey, greater confidence speaking and sharing the language with others, and a deeper foundational knowledge of the Iñupiaq language.

Beginner week participants will be able to say things with confidence (even just a few things!) that you did not know when you arrived. You will gain familiarity with the speech sounds of Iñupiaq. You’ll be better prepared to continue learning at home, talking with fluent speakers, and communicating with your language-learning friends. You’ll know more about how to learn Iñupiaq and be better prepared to help others who want to learn.

Intermediate week participants will grow in their confidence being in immersion spaces, and increase their ability to understand spoken Iñupiaq and respond. You will also have the opportunity to build connections with the elders present and learn traditional Iñupiaq knowledge in Iñupiaq language.

All participants will also leave with a powerful new network of language learners and activists: your fellow learners and speakers.

To apply to the intensive, please click “APPLY HERE” below.

Questions or concerns? Contact the intensive organizers at ilisaqativut@gmail.com.

Our DONORS AND Sponsors

Quyanaqpak, Iliġanamiik, Taikuullapiaq, Quyaana!

To Aqqaluk Trust, our local host organization in Qikiqtaġruk. In-kind staff and organizational support from Aqqaluk Trust is essential to the success of the 2026 Intensive.

We also thank our primary funders for this year’s intensive: Seventh Generation Fund and the Administration for Native Americans (via Aqqaluk Trust).

The 2026 Iḷisaqativut Intensive is also benefitting from the support of the following donors over the past few years. We are deeply grateful and humbled by your faith in our work.

Our work is made possible by our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Native Movement.

You too can support Iḷisaqativut’s work through a tax-deductible donation at ilisaqativut.org/donate!