Sonic Journey One: Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa

“I’ll always remember my grandfather’s stories... about what it means to be a Gwich'in person. We want our children to live like our Ancestors.” - Alisha Carlson, translation from Gwich’in 

We hope you’re ready for something different. In this episode of Seedcast, we’re going on a Sonic Journey, immersing ourselves in the words and sounds from a story told entirely in the Gwich’in language. “Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of Our Ancestors)” is a short film created by friends Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Alisha Carlson, who are working to revitalize the Gwich’in language and keep the lessons of their elders and ancestors alive in the Boreal. In this episode, hear the sounds of snowshoes crunching on ice, crackling fires, and lessons passed down from Alisha’s grandfather to her and her children. 

We send much gratitude to both Princess and Alisha for sharing their beautiful film. We also extend thanks to Alisha’s grandfather, Chief Reverend Trimble Gilbert, and the other community members whose voices we hear in this episode. Thanks also to our sibling initiative, the Emmy-winning Reciprocity Project, which is a partnership between Nia Tero and Upstander Project, in association with REI Co-op Studios.

And if you enjoy this episode, listen to our next Sonic Journey episode here.

Host: Jessica Ramirez. Producer and Editor: Stina Hamlin. Story Editor: Jenny Asarnow. Audio Mix: Ha’aheo Auwae-Dekker. 

More:

• Watch the film Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors).
• Learn more about Reciprocity Project and partners Nia Tero, Upstander Project, and REI. 
• Listen to this Season One episode about Gwich'in language revitalization, featuring Princess and Alishia, produced by Kavita Pillay.

Seedcast is a production of Nia Tero, a global nonprofit which supports Indigenous land guardianship around the world through policy, partnership, and storytelling initiatives.

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