Learn Hawaiian & Navajo on Duolingo
Just in time for Indigenous Day, Duolingo is launching two courses for endangered Indigenous languages, both created by native speakers. Starting today, you can use the app to learn the languages spoken by the indigenous people of Hawaii and the Dinay, better known as the Navajo nation.
Both are living languages that are still spoken, but not many are fluent in them. Beginning in the late 1800s, Navajo children were sent to boarding schools where they were forced to speak only English . The Hawaiian language has also been banned from Hawaiian schools . Speakers of both languages are trying to teach languages in their communities, and the Duolingo partnership grew out of these efforts.
The Hawaiian language course (lelo Hawaiʻi) was developed by Kanaeokana , a network of Hawaiian schools and organizations, and Kamehameha schools . Today Hawaiian is one of the official languages of the state of Hawaii, and similar organizations are trying to preserve and teach this language so that more people can become fluent in it.
The Navajo (Diné bizaad) course was developed by Diné speakers including students and teachers from the San Juan School District in Utah. Duolingo team members told us that while teachers were working on the course, students volunteered to help with the project and invited community elders for experience.
Both courses have been designed with community speakers in mind, but the courses are free and open to anyone interested in learning – whether you want to get to know your ancestral language or just want to be a more thoughtful traveler when you visit Hawaii or the South west. Keiki Kawayaa, a Hawaiian language expert, said in a Duolingo press release: “Our language is our foundation, but it is also the language of this country, and anyone, Hawaiian or not, can penetrate deeper into the Ainu through it.”
You can find new courses on the Duolingo app (free for iOS and Android) or at duolingo.com .