His grandmother was forbidden to speak Lingít in school. Now, school is helping him reclaim it. - Alaska Beacon

His grandmother was forbidden to speak Lingít in school. Now, school is helping him reclaim it.

Eechdaa Dave Ketah, originally from Ketchikan, is a teacher and artist in Portland, Oregon. He's taking Lingít language classes at the University of Alaska Southeast. “Having the opportunity to learn the language has been so powerful in my journey,” he says. (Photo provided by Eechdaa Dave Ketah)

The class assignment was to write a letter to anyone they wanted. In Lingít. Eechdaa Dave Ketah chose his late grandmother, the person who spoke Lingít to him when he was growing up in Ketchikan. “And I was telling her that it’s hard learning the language at this point in my life, and one thing … Continue reading His grandmother was forbidden to speak Lingít in school. Now, school is helping him reclaim it.