NilaVena
Upholding What Makes Us Who We Are
Our lands, languages, and ways of life are deeply interconnected. At the Nila Vena Sustainability Forum, we believe that protecting the future means protecting how we speak, teach, gather, and remember. Language and culture are not side projects—they are essential forms of infrastructure, just like housing, broadband, or clean water.
We are investing in revitalization, reclamation, and intergenerational transmission—ensuring that our children and grandchildren inherit not only a healthy environment but a thriving cultural foundation.
NilaVena
Why It Matters
In many Nila Vena communities, Indigenous languages like Yup’ik and Dena’ina are at risk of being lost—not because they are less relevant, but because the systems that once supported them were disrupted. Restoring our language is not about nostalgia. It’s about:
- Understanding the land through place-based terms and traditional naming systems
- Passing down knowledge that is embedded in words, stories, and ceremonial practice
- Creating belonging and pride in our children and youth
- Rebuilding connections between generations
- Upholding sovereignty using our frameworks, values, and worldviews
NilaVena
How We’re Supporting Language & Culture
The Forum’s efforts are focused on lifting up what’s already happening in communities, while finding new ways to support, connect, and grow this work across the region. We are currently engaged in:
Integrating Indigenous languages into stewardship efforts, including environmental monitoring apps and scientific fieldwork (e.g. using sayak for salmon, azalif’biak for salmonberries)
Documenting traditional ecological knowledge through elder interviews, place-name mapping, and seasonal storytelling
Supporting language visibility on public signage, educational materials, and digital platforms
Partnering with culture bearers to support activities like plant harvesting, hunting mentorship, and traditional crafts
Creating space for youth expression through music, visual arts, digital media, and performance rooted in cultural identity
NilaVena
The Path Forward
Language and culture work is lifelong and community-led. NVSF is not seeking to own this work—but to support it. In the years ahead, we aim to:
- Host regional language and culture gatherings
- Develop youth-centered programming tied to identity and expression
- Support oral history archiving and land-based curriculum
- Expand opportunities for language use in governance, technology, and everyday life