The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded funding from January 2012-Dec 2013 to a collaboration project among Oregon Folklife Network, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and Northwest Indian Language Institute called the Language-Arts Apprenticeship program. The project integrates the successful, parallel revitalizations of language and weaving traditions already underway at Grand Ronde. The project brings heritage language speakers and traditional basket weavers together with a wide age-range of learners through live, in-person activities to learn Grand Ronde basketry in the Chinuk Wawa language. The partners are collaborating to create curricular materials from these activities that can be used for future Pre-K, K-12, and adult education, while documenting the revitalization successes and challenges at Grand Ronde for public education for all Oregonians.

Related Article:
Bringing “Good Jargon” to Light by Henry Zenk
The New Chinuk Wawa Dictionary of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Oregon
From Oregon Historical Quarterly, Winter 2012 (Vol. 113, No. 4)

Drawing on the proficiency of native speakers of Chinuk Wawa, educators, and regional linguists, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde published a Chinuk Wawa dictionary that both preserves the language and provides insight into the generational significance of its endurance. Linguist Henry Zenk relates his experience contributing toThe New Chinuk Wawa Dictionary and describes the important familial relationships within the Grand Ronde community — past and present — that made the project possible.