North American Indian Sign Language Video Dictionary

Traditionally, North American Indian Sign Language (NAISL), also known as Hand Talk, was a vital inter- and intra-tribal language passed down through the generations across North America. In recent times, however, the number of NAISL signers has declined at an alarming rate. Without extensive and immediate documentation, the remaining signers today are likely the last carriers of tribal sign language knowledge. The creation of a NAISL video dictionary, made possible by this award, represents a significant step towards preservation of this rich cultural and linguistic resource for future generations. The NAISL dictionary project represents an important cultural contribution to Native Peoples as well as to fields of study such as American Indian studies, linguistics, anthropology, Indigenous education, history, and Sign Language studies. This project is a community-driven effort that gives tribes the tools to study their own unique sign languages and bring them back into use in their communities. The NAISL dictionary contains video recordings of signs demonstrated by signers from multiple tribal communities. Signs are categorized by tribal NAISL variety, meaning, and linguistic identifiers including handshape, location, movement, palm orientation and facial expression. Supplemental cultural and etymological information is also given for each entry. In addition, signs are classified as either public or private; private signs containing sensitive cultural information are retained and managed by relevant tribal language programs, while public signs are accessible to all. This project addresses the underrepresentation of NAISL in language and culture preservation as well as in scholarly research. Robust documentation and revitalization of NAISL is also motivated by a recent upsurge of interest in using traditional sign languages in Native communities. The video dictionary is shared with participating tribes and available to the public for research purposes. It is also distributed to tribes for use as educational material in language and culture. This award is made as part of a funding partnership between the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities for the NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure – NEH Documenting Endangered Languages Program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.