The Arctic Indigenous Languages Symposium will be held in Tromsø, Norway on 19-21 October 2008.
On the Arctic Indigenous Languages website are published the goals of the symposium and the their vision statement. The vision statement and the goals are:
The symposium is an exciting initiative that will bring together indigenous peoples from throughout the circumpolar region to build on each other's knowledge and experience in protecting and revitalizing our indigenous languages.
The symposium aims to be a forum where Arctic indigenous peoples can learn from one another and develop practical ways to revitalize our languages so they remain strong for generations to come.
The languages symposium was mandated by the Salekhard Declaration, 2006, which stated that "Ministers representing the eight Arctic States, convening in Salekhard, Russia, for the Fifth Ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council, ... Recognizing the cultural diversity in the Arctic represented by more than 40 distinct peoples, cultures and languages ... Hereby:"
Please check back to the Arctic Indigenous Languages website for the latest details on the symposium and many insightful background articles as well as video clips showing individuals from several Arctic peoples speaking their indigenous languages.
To view Live Webcast from the symposium, please click here, on the Arctic Portal Webcast area. It is also possible to view the recordings of the symposium at the Arctic Portal Webcast Archive.
"To enhance and promote Arctic Indigenous languages and all the Arctic knowledge contained therein".
Their objectives are:
- To share best practices from across the Arctic and elsewhere on enhancing and promoting Arctic Indigenous languages.
- To engage policy-makers and indigenous experts in discussion of the state of the languages and on revitalization strategies.
- To explore the role of language in understanding, maintaining, and increasing Arctic-specific knowledge.
- To investigate the many ways language is transmitted through cultural expressions, stories, and literature across the Arctic.
- To provide guidance and recommendations on circumpolar-wide language issues to the Arctic Council and indigenous peoples, as well as other bodies such as:
Arctic states
UNESCO
UNPFII
Other legislative jurisdictions responsible for Arctic Indigenous language policy
Other interested groups, such as universities and research institutes.