10th Annual Native Language Symposium

Breath of the Ancestors: Reclaiming Our First Words: Empowering Early Childhood Educators, Families and Communities through a Shared Vision About This Gathering Language is breath — alive, relational, and essential to our children's futures. Join us for our 10th Annual Native Language Symposium, Breath of the Ancestors: Reclaiming Our First Words, a two-day gathering centered on early childhood as a powerful and urgent site of Indigenous language and cultural reclamation. "First Words" holds a double meaning: the earliest words our children speak, and the original languages of the lands we come from — languages that carry memory, worldview, and the living knowledge of our ancestors. When we return language to our youngest children, we return them to themselves. This symposium brings together early childhood educators, families, language carriers, community leaders, artists, researchers, youth, and advocates from across Turtle Island to learn from one another, strengthen our collective practice, and recommit to this vital work together. What to Expect Over two days, you'll participate in workshops, panels, and breakout sessions led by practitioners and communities doing this work on the ground. Sessions reflect the full range of Indigenous language reclamation in early childhood — from classroom immersion strategies and family engagement to intergenerational storytelling, land-based learning, and culturally grounded curriculum design. Come ready to share, listen, and be in community. Who Should Attend This gathering is for you if you are: • An early childhood educator working in or alongside Indigenous communities • A language keeper, elder, or cultural practitioner engaged with young children • A family member invested in raising children with their ancestral language • A researcher, advocate, or leader supporting Indigenous language revitalization • A young person carrying this work into the future All are welcome. The work belongs to all of us. Why This Matters We are in a moment of both urgency and possibility. Languages once silenced are being sung again. Children are growing up hearing words their grandparents fought to keep alive. This symposium exists to honor that momentum — and to ask: how do we carry it forward together? We believe that reclaiming language is not only an act of cultural preservation. It is an act of love, sovereignty, and hope for the generations to come. Where to Stay We've reserved a room block at Homewood Suites by Hilton Albuquerque Uptown, an all-suite hotel with full kitchens, free breakfast, and Wi-Fi. Book at our group rate here Group rate: $119 plus tax, per room, per night Available: Sunday, November 8 through checkout Wednesday, November 11 Booking deadline: Sunday, October 25, 2026 Rooms are limited. please reserve early. Event Details Hosted by the Keres Children's Learning Center– Indigenous Montessori Institute & More details on schedule, sessions, coming soon.