The Biden-Harris administration has unveiled a 10-year National Plan on Native Language Revitalization at the 2024 White House Tribal Nations Summit. This initiative, developed by the Departments of the Interior, Education, and Health and Human Services (HHS), aims to address the loss of Native languages across the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaiʻi.
This plan is part of ongoing efforts to rectify past government actions that sought to assimilate Indigenous peoples and eliminate their languages. President Biden acknowledged these historical wrongs in his October 2024 apology to Native communities.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland emphasized the cultural significance of Indigenous languages, stating: “Indigenous languages are central to our cultures, our life ways, and who we are as people. They connect us to our ancestors, to our homelands, and to our place in the world.” She highlighted that this plan reflects a commitment from the administration to restore what has been lost.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona added: “I always say: multilingualism is a superpower—and that includes Native American languages... when young people reclaim their native languages, they reconnect deeply with who they are and where they come from.” He expressed hope that this plan would mark a beginning for federal remediation efforts.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra noted: “We use language to write history, share knowledge, map the future, and pass down traditions.” He underscored HHS's role in supporting community resilience through language revitalization.
Historically underfunded initiatives will see significant investment under this new plan. The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), which supports American Indian and Alaska Native students but lacked dedicated funding for language revitalization until 2017, will benefit from proposed investments totaling $16.7 billion for programs targeting federally recognized Tribes and Native Hawaiian communities.
The comprehensive strategy includes expanding access to immersion environments by supporting educational programs like language nests for young children and K-12 immersion schools. Community-led efforts will be bolstered through mentor-apprentice programs pairing fluent speakers with learners. Additionally, restructuring federal fund allocation aims to support Tribal sovereignty through flexible models directing resources directly to Tribes.
To sustain these efforts long-term, plans include recruiting 10,000 Native language teachers and establishing a $100 million innovation fund for curriculum development. A cooperative agreement between the Interior Department and the National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education was also announced.
The White House Tribal Nations Summit serves as a platform for discussions between federal leaders and representatives from 574 federally recognized Tribes about strengthening nation-to-nation relationships.
