Students in an Oregon school district can now earn credits for learning Takelma, the ancestral language of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.
The Tribe is partnering with Roseburg Schools to bring the classes to students, starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
The Takelma language was threatened with extinction when its last known speaker died in the early 1900s. In 2012, a group of Tribal member began to painstakingly reconstruct the language with the help of linguists, combing through historical documents and archival audio recordings.
Studies show that Indigenous language use, as with other cultural activities, can be a protective factor when it comes to health, or something that reduces the risk of negative health outcomes.
Lindsay Campman, a spokesperson with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua, told Oregon’s NPR affiliate station that the tribe sees the language as a “powerful connection.”
“And that continues to make our people strong,” Campman said. “It’s a link to have something in common with your ancestors who lived a very, very different life centuries ago. But being able to speak that same language that they did, that’s a powerful connection.”
The Takelma curriculum is currently being taught by one of the tribe’s citizens on Zoom.
