A nonprofit initiative is engaging Indigenous youth in building customizable robots programmed to teach Native American languages. The project, centered around devices called SkoBots, emerged from the observation that traditional language instruction methods often fail to capture students’ interest, particularly when languages are framed as academic assignments rather than cultural tools.
Anishinaabemowin, which encompasses Potawatomi, Odawa and Ojibwe languages, has fewer than 10,000 speakers in the United States and approximately 25,000 in Canada. Language loss among Indigenous communities stems partly from historical boarding school policies that discouraged Native language use among children. Current educational approaches in schools have shown limited success in maintaining youth engagement with these languages.
The SkoBot project, founded by Danielle Boyer when she was 18 years old, addresses this engagement challenge through hands-on robotics learning. The robots are compact enough to wear on the shoulder, resemble woodland creatures decorated with Native American florals, and use artificial intelligence to respond to language queries. Rather than employing generative AI systems that could produce inaccurate information, the SkoBots play prerecorded audio files, ensuring linguistic accuracy and preventing the introduction of fabricated words into endangered languages.
Young participants like 12-year-old Holden Hoy have created their own SkoBots tailored to their specific languages and cultural contexts. Hoy’s device, named Sabe (meaning Bigfoot in Anishinaabemowin), demonstrates how youth can simultaneously develop technical skills in coding and electrical circuitry while deepening their connection to their heritage. Boyer’s broader mission extends beyond language learning to include instruction in science, mathematics and engineering, while also promoting ethical considerations regarding Indigenous data sovereignty and artificial intelligence development.
The initiative has attracted parental support, with family members recognizing the potential for SkoBots to facilitate intergenerational language transmission and cultural reconnection. Participants emphasize the inseparability of language and cultural identity, viewing language preservation as fundamental to maintaining Indigenous ways of life across generations.
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