“Traveling Our Ancestors’ Paths”
This paper will discuss the Taku River Tlingit First Nation’s use of a place names board game for the purpose of language revitalization within their community. The game integrates place names, stories, and information about their traditional territory and the resources utilized by the Tlingit people. The development of the game, which is based on place names and stories collected on a trip around Atlin Lake, with elder Antonia Jack, will also be discussed. The game provides a ludic experience for the players, while at the same time allowing them to learn their language. In its discussion, this paper will also outline the current use of the game in the community, as well as the role of games and having fun in language learning in general. The importance of relevance and context in language learning within endangered language communities is also discussed.