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Kuwneepuyôm

Kun8seeh is an online community where you--a Wampanoag language learner can learn, engage, and connect with your language & community whenever you want, from wherever you want. With the sole mission of increasing accessibility to all Wôpanâak language learners, Kun8seeh will continually add mulit-media content to enrich our language reclamation journey. Please visit often for new content such as language lessons, games, and stories! 

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The "Community" area is available to all tribal households of Aquinnah, Assonet, Herring Pond, and Mashpee. It provides access to basic phrases, simple lessons, and word lists. More self guided content will be added as this website develops. 

About Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project (WLRP)

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The Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project began in 1993 under the direction of jessie 'little doe' baird who earned a Master’s Degree in Algonquian Linguistics from MIT in 2000. Through the joint collaborative efforts of members of The Assonet Band of Wampanoag, The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah and the Herring Pond Band of Wampanoag, our mission is to return language fluency to the Wampanoag Nation as a principal means of expression.

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You can find more information about WLRP at www.wlrp.org 

About the creator of Kun8seeh 

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Tracy Kelley “Wunushq” is a proud member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. She was born and raised on the unceded territory of the Mashpee Wampanoag where she lives her purpose through youth work and language reclamation. She has been growing with Wôpanâôt8âôk (Wampanoag language) since the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project’s inception in 1993, as a language apprentice, student, instructor, illustrator, and author.

 

Ms. Kelley received her BA in Journalism and English from the University of Massachusetts—Amherst, and has always maintained commitment to her tribal community through her passion for her indigenous language. She earned her Master’s degree as part of MIT’s Indigenous Language Initiative where she studied theoretical linguistic coursework while simultaneously advancing her community’s language needs. She is focusing on increasing the tribe’s accessibility to pedagogic materials that incorporate audio and visual material. Her thesis resulted in the "Kun8seeh"digital language learning tool for her tribal community.  

Kun8seeh Content Creators & Contributors

jessie little doe baird

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jessie little doe baird is a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and Lead Linguistic for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.  She was born in Mashpee and lives in Mashpee and Aquinnah.  jessie is married and has five children and 12 grandchildren.  

 

She is the Co-founder of the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project that began in 1993.  This is a Cooperative endeavor between Mashpee, Aquinnah, Herring Pond and Assonet communities. The aim of the project is to reclaim Wôpanâôt8âôk as a principal means of communication for the Wampanoag.  There were no speakers of the language for six generations. 

 

She received her Master of Science in Linguistics from MIT in 2000.  She has completed a Layperson’s Introduction to Wampanoag grammar as well as curriculum for teaching and is currently working toward the completion of a dictionary and expansion of the curriculum used for classroom settings as well as for Master Apprentice teaching; which she implemented to create speakers and teachers for the Wampanoag Nation.  Jessie is also working on the Mohegan-Pequot language where she currently has three language apprentices.  

 

Jessie’s many books in the language including grammar text books, coloring books, stories, game curriculum, a prayer book, and two phrasebooks for everyday use are being used as tools in reclaiming fluency.   She writes articles on Wampanoag culture and history and is a former research fellow of the National Science Foundation’s Documenting Endangered Languages as well as a member of the American Antiquarian Society, a Paul Harris Fellow, a Mac Arthur (Genius) Fellow, and is named one of One Hundred Women of the Century by USA Today. In addition, she holds Degrees Honoris Causa from Cape Cod Community College, UMASS Dartmouth,  and Yale University.

 

She has served as Vice Chairwoman for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as well as a congressionally appointed commissioner on the American Academy of Arts and Science Commission on Language and Learning.  Jessie has served on numerous advisory boards in the areas of Indigenous language, culture and history. She has consulted with museums and institutions in the US and the UK on exhibits regarding Wampanoag culture, history, and language. 

 

Jessie has participated in Mashpee town government on the Mashpee Housing Authority as a commissioner and as a commissioner of the Mashpee Historic District. 

 

She worked in the 1990s for Gosnold’s Emerson House for Women and created the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Action Plan to address the needs of families suffering from substance use disorder as well as treatment services planning for tribal citizens.  

 

She also gives talks for colleges and universities in the US and abroad.

 

Her other interests include traditional dance, cooking for family and friends, shell fishing, creation of traditional regalia, a passion for Wampanoag-written histories and documents as well as writing.

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Melanie Roderick​

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Kuwneepuyômuw! Nutus8ees Melanie Roderick kah nutômâs Ahsunut.

Welcome all! I am Melanie Roderick and I come from the Assonet Wampanoag Community. 

     I have been on an amazing 20 plus year journey with Wôpanâôt8âôk. It is an honor to teach our tribal community and a privilege to learn with my people. We have learned and used many methods over the years to facilitate our language learning and I am very excited to be a part of Kun8seeh. This is a tool that will help us to engage with many more people and spread the language learning!   Kutâpatôtamawunumuw, Thank you All

Acknowledgements 

I would first like to acknowledge Manut and my Ancestors for the gift of Wôpanâôt8âôk. I am truly grateful for the sacrifice and prayers made seven generations ago to be on this path.

 

Kutâpatôtamawunumuw to the many people and organizations that have helped me on this journey of language reclamation:

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Nunâmôn Isaiah Tahshayuw for rerooting me in my language journey and embodying the teaching that our purpose and language work must be steadfast and full of compassion for the sake of our children, our descendants, and our survival.

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N8hkas kah nukuhk8tamwuhtyâeenune8m jessie little doe, for her vision, passion and commitment to the return and reclamation of Wôpanâôt8âôk. You inspire many through your sacred work in language reclamation. Now, people don't even wonder if they have an indigenous language or not--it's simply a matter of how to reclaim it.

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N8hsh for the encouragement to apply myself and for truly inspiring me to be creative, bold, and focused in all I do.

 

WLRP for the ongoing commitment to healing Wôpanâak through language and intergenerational education. Through their strategic planning and many resources, our community is able to flourish and carry on our language reclamation.

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Nukuhk8tamwuhtyâeenune8m Norvin at MIT for his ongoing commitment to Wôpanâôt8âôk through his teaching, dictionary work, remarkable knowledge of Algonquian languages, and unwavering availability for linguistic needs our community has. 

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Linguistics & Philosophy Department for the extraordinary faculty and staff, generous resources, and unwavering support required to complete this program. I am able to continue to grow my knowledge of generative linguistics and the development of accessible language materials for Wôpanâak through such support.

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My fellow eagle Alex for daring to fly high with me on our journeys through healing, teaching, learning, and mom-ing. To see the view takes so much love, faith, energy and focus, but it's always worth it.

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The family members, colleagues, my cohort Ling-18, Skeej Paul, my MIT Co-Indigemom, and close friends who support my language journey through listening, advising, reaffirming.

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Unâch 

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