Arctic Indigenous Peoples languages and revitalization map

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Dataset containing (5) GIS shapefiles which can be used to visualize a circumpolar overview map of geographical language speaker areas for Arctic Indigenous Peoples languages with additional attribute information about the languages. The language speaker areas show generally the maximum continuous areas where the Indigenous Peoples who spoke those languages lived in a historical context. The exact time range is defined specifically per region.

Data from the languages and dialects shapefile was used to make language family and language family branch shapefiles. There is also a separate shapefile with some examples of innovative language revitalization in the region. There is a supporting shapefile of Arctic places to assist when visualizing the data.

The 5 shapefiles can be used together or separately. All shapefiles are intended to be used as open resources for education and research.

The shapefile for Languages and Dialects (Arctic_In_Lang_Dialect_V1-1_2024-Final.zip) is an updated version 2 from August 30, 2024.
Fixes in this version 1.1:
1. Language polygon for "Chilcotin"/"Tsilhqút'ín" included
2. 3 empty remnant attribute entries removed

Main map sources already in GIS format:

Krauss, M., Gary H., Jim K., and Colin T. W. (2011). Indigenous Peoples and Languages of Alaska. Fairbanks and Anchorage: Alaska Native Language Center and UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research. Online: https://www.uaf.edu/anla/collections/map/

Rantanen, T., Vesakoski, O., Ylikoski, J., & Tolvanen, H. (2021). Geographical database of the Uralic languages (v1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4784188

Oqaasileriffik - The Language Secretariat of Greenland (2022). Greenland place name register, authorized by the Greenland Place Name Committee. [unpublished data set]

Sablin, I., & Savelyeva, M. (2011). Mapping Indigenous Siberia: Spatial Changes and Ethnic Realities, 1900–2010. Settler Colonial Studies. Volume 1, 2011 - Issue 1: A Global Phenomenon, 77-110. https://doi.org/10.1080/2201473X.2011.10648802 [unpublished data set]

Main map sources digitized into GIS format during project:

Krauss, M. (1982). Native Peoples and Languages of Alaska (revision of 1974 version). Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Rice, K., & De Reuse, W. (2017). The Athabaskan (Dene) Language Family. In A. Aikhenvald & R. Dixon (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Typology (pp. 707-746). Cambridge University Press.

Dorais, L.-J. (2010). The language of the Inuit : syntax, semantics, and society in the Arctic (Vol. 58, pp. XII, 396). McGill-Queen's University Press.

First Peoples' Cultural Council (2022). First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia. Retrieved December 19, 2022 from https://maps.fpcc.ca/

Full bibliography included in 00_README documentation, and also from the following webpage: https://arctic-indigenous-languages-uito.hub.arcgis.com/pages/bibliography

The Arctic Indigenous languages and revitalization: an online educational resource project definition for Indigenous was guided by a factsheet produced by the UN Permanent Forum onIndigenous Issues, as well as by national regulatory definitions of the 8 Arctic States, and membership of one of the Arctic Council Permanent Participant organizations. The map scope extends from the North Pole to the 50th parallel, in order to display all languages spoken by members of the Permanent Participant organizations. The aim of the project was to broadly include as many languages as possible within this scope. No languages were excluded intentionally. If you discover that a language is missing which fits within the scope, please contact us.

The language speaker areas dataset and web map broadly demonstrate Arctic Indigenous languages that are actively spoken today as well as languages which are not actively transmitted to children, or which are considered sleeping. The language speaker areas show generally the maximum continuous areas where the Indigenous Peoples who spoke those languages lived in a historical context. The exact time range is defined specifically per region. The language speaker areas do not reflect modern-day fluency or migrations. The language area boundaries should not be considered to show the definitive homelands of these Peoples.

The borders between the languages are illustrative and may not be entirely precise. The project team recognizes that there is often overlap between languages or multilingualism, as well as areas that were not regularly used or visited around the time shown on the map, but these issues were not possible to investigate within the scope of the project. Languages are listed in their Indigenous self-names, in English, and in Russian. When possible regional dialects within some languages have also been included.

The language revitalization examples dataset and web map are intended to give an idea of the breadth of the work and variety of tools developed for language revitalization in the Arctic and Subarctic. This dataset should not be considered an exhaustive list of all work on language revitalization in the region. The point locations for revitalization examples are symbolic and may not correspond with the exact location of the initiatives.