The importance of speaking our languages

October 30, 2019

University Relations

— by Elton Chanar, student ambassador

The Yup’ik language is my first language. I started to learn how to speak and write in English in 3T, a transition grade between third grade and fourth grade, when we switch from learning in the Yup’ik language to the English language.

Being able to speak two languages helps me with furthering my education in college by utilizing and communicating in both the Yup'ik and English languages. It is something I learned how to use while I am away from my village. Before I came to college, my maternal grandma, who speaks mostly in the Yup’ik language with a limited ability to speak English, told me that if I ever were to further my education and don’t understand a certain assignment or task, to translate the assignment into the Yup’ik language and see if it would make more sense. Her advice really helps me and it still does today.

The 2019 Elders and Youth Conference happens before the events for the Alaska Federation of Natives begin. I was delighted to get involved with the admissions office as a student ambassador for UAF and help represent the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

This year, the 2019 Elders and Youth Conference theme was “Language is our superpower." As a student going to school at UAF, utilizing my Indigenous language helps me a lot with my school assignments. Being able to take advantage of the ability to speak bilingually and fluently in the Indigenous language and English shows that language is our superpower. It is our identity and it makes a good tool to use every day. Practicing our languages is important, and we should use it every day to preserve what was brought down to us.