“My grant project’s goal is to revitalize language and story knowledge within Native American tribes throughout the United States by integrating an open-source learning tool that can be used to aid in teaching language & culture classes or used individually by users in order to learn their culture.”
Aidan Whitedeer, 19, is technology enthusiast and indigenous activist from the Eagle Clan of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe. Aidan is originally from the Otoe reservation, located in Red Rock, Oklahoma. Currently, he is studying Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University, with an interest in using AI to preserve Native American knowledge and linguistic systems.
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe experiences a lack of appropriate, culturally relevant education due to economic disparity and a loss of cultural and language traditions, due to systematic displacement and erasure by the U.S. Government. Aidan aims to leverage his knowledge of Artificial intelligence to fight the loss of language and culture by creating a free to use learning tool that can aid teaching or individual learning of Native Languages.
“Jiwere Elder Intelligence AI” stands to revolutionize Native Language preservation and accessibility. Aidan will use currently available written Jiwere Language resources and integrate recording technology to develop and train an AI that can encapsulate dialect, slang, speech, and words that are contextual to tribal stories. The AI tool will be packaged as a user-friendly app that can be accessed by individuals or incorporated into classroom curriculum. Once the AI is built, other Native Languages can be applied to the framework, to create learning tools for other tribes that are revitalizing their languages and cultures.
