This Summer, NILI has 3 different program offerings on Indigenous language revitalization, all of which are happening at the end of June.
June 21 - 28, 2026: NILI Summer Institute
June 22 - 26, 2026: Tuxámshish Revitalization Learning Series (TRaiLS)
June 26 - 27: Symposium on Northwest American Indigenous Languages (SNAIL)
Summer Institute 2026
June 21 - 28
An institute that brings together Indigenous language teachers from a broad region to share, learn, develop, and test language teaching and revitalization methods, skills, and ideas.
In 1998, NILI held its first Summer Institute (SI) which has been running continuously since. Participants from across Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, North America and elsewhere gather to work on their languages. From elders to youth, we live, learn and speak together.
We offer strands for beginning and experienced teachers, focused on skills for building language use and supporting your students. Participants will also attend the Tuxámshish Revitalization Learning Series (TRaiLS), a series of talks and discussions focused on Indigenous Language Revitalization. TRaiLs is a hybrid event, available online to people who do not attend SI.
Registration for SI 2026 will open soon! If you have any questions about SI 2026, please email nalrc@uoregon.edu.
TRaiLS 2026
June 22 - 26
A hybrid discussion series on topics related to Indigenous language revitalization. This year, the theme of TRaiLS is: Indigenous Language Revitalization & Technology
The Tuxámshish Revitalization Learning Series (TRaiLS) began in 2020 as a pandemic response. When our traditional face-to-face SI was cancelled, we developed a series of one-hour, online talks profiling different language practitioners engaged in community language projects. Our goal was to continue to offer access to professional development and community building opportunities in spite of restrictions.
Today TRaiLS is a one-week online discussion series that parallels SI each summer. It includes daily presentations and conversations led by experts from Native communities. Our purpose in offering TRaiLS is to reach a wide audience of revitalization practitioners; to highlight Indigenous Language Revitalization experts from diverse communities; and to build relationships between online and in-person audiences.
SNAIL 2026
June 26 - 27
A conference that brings together linguists, tribal administrators, language teachers, artists, and others for talks and discussions related to Indigenous Languages of the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest: a geographic area ranging from Alaska to Northern California, to Montana (including British Columbia). The Indigenous languages of this area were and remain interconnected with one another. Recently, the area has been a hotbed for language revitalization and reclamation work. The Symposium on Northwest American Indigenous Languages (SNAIL), hosted by the Northwest Native American Language Resource Center (NW-NALRC) at NILI, seeks to provide a venue for language speakers, artists, communities, and linguists to come together to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and celebrate the beauty and diversity of languages within the Pacific Northwest.