Indigenous Language Revitalization using Virtual Reality

Abstract

Working within the framework of the Indigenous Futures project, a collaborative research project between the University of Minnesota and three local Indigenous communities, this thesis explores the potential of using VR environments to facilitate Indigenous language revitalization and trans-Indigenous exchange, specifically on the topic of star knowledge and stories. I implemented a virtual night sky filled with Micronesian, Ojibwe and Dakota constellations. These constellations carry rich cultural histories, and their stories have been passed down through generations within each community, making them an ideal topic for trans-Indigenous exchange. 3D text can be incorporated into the environment to label the constellations directly in the virtual sky; however, this raises the question of how the constellations' written names should be represented. To understand this important design choice, I developed a series of visual prototypes, both in English and the respective Indigenous languages incorporating various scripts and symbols to depict each name. The prototypes also explore where and when to display these labels (i.e., side-by-side, overlapping, changing over time). In this way, the project serves as a case study of some of the many options available to Indigenous communities for representing written forms of language in VR. Early feedback from collaborating Indigenous scholars supports the potential of VR environments in this style to open the door to further conversations about the importance of language in Indigenous culture and suggests that using "morphable 3D labels" (those that change over time to depict multiple names for the same constellation) may provide a useful graphical tool for facilitating these conversations.