Language

Two women sit on a log bench between two trees, facing away toward a lake and a mountain.

Language, Storytelling

Speak to me in our words: A Mother Tongue Film Playlist

January 16, 2026 | Eve Reid

These films from previous Mother Tongue Film Festival programs explore themes of verbal and non-verbal interaction.

Cover page of a book with text: Dicionário. Krenak-Português, Português-Krenak. Interior pages are marked with pink and yellow sticky notes.

Cultural Transmission, Language

Krenak Legacy Materials: Learning Indigenous Languages from Centuries-Old Sources

August 19, 2025 | Antônio Jorge Medeiros Batista Silva

I was eight years old when my family was gifted a copy of the Krenak dictionary.

In a classroom, students sit around a large oval table, watching a video screen showing two people outdoors, a microphone set on a tripod between them.

Language

Training the Next Generation of Tibetan Linguists: Nine Years of Language Workshops

May 8, 2025 | Ella Ryan

The Tibetan Plateau is home to a rich, complex language landscape in southwestern China.

A woman in a long-sleeved white top and pink shades, with long dark hair, sings among yellow wildflowers.

Language, Music

Ten Years of Mother Tongue: A Music Video Retrospective

February 7, 2025 | Corinn Olson

Each year, the Mother Tongue Film Festival highlights Indigenous-language films, including music videos.

Digital illustration of a woman with short dark hair and a white shawl seated on a train. Around her, in white and black text, are spoken phrases in the Irish language.

Cultural Transmission, Language

Taking the Train to Dublin City: A Journey to Speaking Irish in Ireland’s Capital

January 20, 2025 | Alexandra Philbin

For many, the Irish language was attached to experiences of poverty, suffering, and violence.

A crumpled white paper with Korean characters in black.

Immigration & Migration, Language

What’s in a Name? Traditional and Emergent Practices among Koreans in the U.S.

May 23, 2024 | Hyein (Hazel) Lee

A name matters. It is more than a combination of letters; it is an index of your life.

A teacher points to words on the board in front of a classroom of young students.

Cultural Sustainability, Education, Language, Traditional Knowledge

A Guatemalan Immersion School Gives Life to the Maya Kaqchikel Language

December 11, 2023 | Igor Xoyon

Igor Xoyon shares the journey and successes of Nimaläj Kaqchikel Amaq’, a Kaqchikel language immersion school located in Chimaltenango, Guatemala.

A mother and teenage daughter pose along the railing of a ship or dock. The life preserver ring next to them has text in Yiddish or Hebrew.

Immigration & Migration, Language

“A Language I Come Home To”: Yiddish in the Jewish Diaspora

July 31, 2023 | AJ Jolish

When I asked my grandmother why she didn’t teach me Yiddish, she laughed.

Animated film still of a person kneeling with a woven basket at the edge of a pond, lined with green ferns and trees.

Language, Storytelling

Cómo FicWallmapu amplía el acceso al audiovisual desde Wallmapu y más allá

May 23, 2023 | Amalia Córdova

Presentamos aquí cuatro videos que fueron presentados en FicWallmapu, que se pueden ver en su totalidad en el catálogo en-línea de FicWallmapu, con subtítulos.

Language, Storytelling

How FicWallmapu Expands Access to Indigenous Cinema from Chile and Beyond

May 23, 2023 | Amalia Córdova

We present five videos that have been screened at FicWallmapu, available in their entirety with English subtitles.

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