Media
Iḷisaqativut has been covered and appeared on a variety of media outlets, including the Anchorage Daily News, KTUU, Arctic Sounder, KBRW, KNOM radio, Nome Nugget, and QargiZine, and has produced and published media and reports of its work. In 2020, Iḷisaqativut was honored to receive the AFN Eileen Panigeo MacLean Education Award. Iḷisaqativut videos, media articles, and reports can be found below on this page.
Conventions When Writing about Iḷisaqativut — Updated 2025
Iḷisaqativut spans all Iñupiaq regions (North Slope, Northwest Arctic and Bering Straits), and welcomes all Iñupiaq learners and dialects. Demonstrating inclusion and respect for local dialects, Iḷisaqativut is known as “Ilisazaqativut” when operating in the Bering Straits region. Most speakers in the Bering Straits region do not use “palatals” (such as ñ or ḷ), meaning that “Iñupiaq” will appear as “Inupiaq” in reference to the Bering Straits region, or when an intensive has taken place within that region. “Iñupiaq” is otherwise used in relation to intensives within the North Slope and Northwest Arctic regions, or at times, when writing about the language broadly. Writing “Iñupiaq/Inupiaq” is also acceptable. However, as the North Slope and Northwest regions do use palatals, the use of ‘Iñupiaq’ without a ‘ñ’ in reference to these regions is incorrect, as each diacritic is intentional and the lack or presence of a single diacritic may often alter the meaning of a word entirely. The absence of diacritics when printing words with diacritics also renders those spellings as incorrect.
In addition, the Iñupiaq language has singular, dual and plural forms. ‘Iñupiaq’ is singular for one Iñupiaq person, but is also the name of the language. (Some may see ‘Iñupiatun’ used at times, which translates to ‘like Iñupiaq’). Iñupiat, with a t, is used to describe all Iñupiat people, as the -t form is plural, and used in instances where there are three or more people or objects.
Ex: Iñupiaq (singular, one Iñupiaq person, or the name of the language); Iñupiak (dual, two Iñupiaq people); Iñupiat (plural, three or more; all Iñupiat)
Inquiries about Iḷisaqativut? Email us at ilisaqativut@gmail.com
2022 Coverage
Iḷisaqativut Develops Iñupiaq Worldle
Alaska’s News Source
“The online brain game “Wordle” has caught the attention of many within the past month, and that includes a doctoral student with roots in Alaska.”
Anchorage Daily News
Wordle takes off — this time, in Iñupiaq…
“Wordle conquered the English-speaking internet in January. Now, a version of the word puzzle has launched in Iñupiaq, which some Alaskans hope will boost language revitalization efforts in a fun and engaging way.”
“What we’re trying to do is just make sure that Iñupiaq is back in the mouth of our children, and that our future generations can grow up speaking Iñupiaq again as a first language,” Hopson said.”
2020 Coverage
Iḷisaqativut Receives 2020 AFN Eileen Panigeo MacLean Education Award
Quyanaq to our Elders who have taught us and continued raising us; our three fiscal sponsors, Iḷisaġvik College, Kawerak, Inc., and Aqqaluk Trust; and to everyone who has participated in Iḷisaqativut since inception. We are deeply honored.
CHANNEL 2 KTUU
“Six Alaska Native Languages have five or fewer remaining speakers who are considered “highly proficient” in the language, according to a new report by the Alaska Native Languages Preservation Advisory Council.
“Hopson is part of the Iḷisaqativut collective, which was cited in the ANLPAC report as a “shining light” of language revitalization. In between lessons at an experimental three-day long self-organized camp at the Alaska Native Language Heritage Center in Anchorage, organizers explain that the movement began organically after a meeting at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference.”
2019 COVERAGE
CBC NEWS
“Iñupiat elders in Alaska have created a new word to describe Dene Athabascan peoples.
“The word is Tinaaq (De-NAH-q). It replaces the current word, Itqiḷiq, which can be interpreted as offensive.
“The elders came up with the new word during a two-week language program, called Ilisaqativut, in northwestern Alaska.”
2018 Coverage
nome nugget
“Twenty learners of the Inupiaq language spent an intense two weeks together in Nome and the surroundings to develop their ability to build phrases and sentences from the words they already know and thereby take their knowledge of the language to a new level.”
“Ilisaqativut, which means “Those who learn together,” began last year in Utqiaqvik and was conceived as an intensive two-week class that rotates through Inupiaq country. Next year the class will be in Kotzebue.”
KNOM RADIO
“We All Learn Together” was the slogan of the class; in Inupiaq, it’s “Ilisaqativut” (ih-lih-suh-KAA-tee-voot). The concept not only conveyed a sense of camaraderie, but also plans for the future. This year’s teachers intend their students to become future Inupiaq instructors, so that each class continues a cycle of learning and teaching, receiving and giving back.”
2017 Coverage
The Arctic sounder
"Learning while teaching and teaching while learning was the way of Iḷisaqativut, the intensive language academy that took place over two weeks in May in Utqiaġvik.
"Centered around the experience of second-language learners, not fluent speakers, the camp was meant to be a space of safe practice, mistakes, and new understanding for students of the Inupiaq language."
KNOM RadiO
"After fourteen days of speaking only Inupiaq, participants in the first-ever Inupiaq Language Intensive held in Utqiagvik returned home to their respective regions last week.
"According to co-facilitators of the intensive, Cordelia Kellie and Reid Magdanz, three Inupiaq-speaking regions in Alaska were represented during this unique language program held at Ilisagvik College. 12 total participants came from places like the North Slope and the Northwest Arctic region."
Qargi zine
"As typical for the latter two weeks of May, Utqiaġvik hosted thousands of niġligit, plenty of snow and mud, and community members working hard to refill their freezers. In 2017, Utqiaġvik also hosted something new during those long spring days: Iḷisaqativut.
"Twelve Iñupiaq language learners, representing all regions where Iñupiatun is spoken, met those two weeks on the Iḷisaġvik College campus. Together, we devoted ourselves to full-time Iñupiaq study, working with each other, talking with speakers in the community, struggling at times, but always laughing."
Final Report
"In May 2017, twelve Iñupiaq language learners lived together for two weeks with the sole purpose of going deeper into the language.
"Iḷisaqativut is dedicated to the premise that stronger Alaska Native languages will lead to a stronger Alaska. Iḷisaqativut aims to develop young, second-language Iñupiaq speakers, drawing from all regions in Alaska where Iñupiaq is spoken and encouraging sharing of dialects. At Iḷisaqativut, we taught with and learned from community elders, games, songs, and most importantly each other."
2017 Iḷisaqativut Intensive Recap: Utqiaġvik
2018 Iḷisaqativut Intensive Recap: Sitŋasuaq (Nome) and Aaŋuutaq (Solomon)
2022 Iḷisaqativut Intensive Recap: Camp Sivunniuġvik near Nuurvik (Noorvik)