As scholar-educators committed to the renewal of Indigenous languages, it is heartbreaking to see how many children can no longer understand the heritage language of their parents. Even more so because this isn¡¯t happening through neglect or indifference to culture or community but by ¨C conscious or unconscious ¨C choice. Parents want their children to have a better economic future than they had, and by speaking the dominant and/or national language at home, they hope their offspring will be regarded by broader society and employers as more educated or sophisticated.

Disrupting intergenerational language transmission in this way in favour of monolingualism ¨C a rarity in most ¨C is the latest manifestation of colonialism in what is now known as the United States. Recent political moves such as Donald Trump¡¯s designating English the official language of the US further sidelines the rich that predates the country¡¯s establishment. But are universities also complicit in this project to oppress Indigenous languages?

It is no secret that literacy in a dominant language such as English has been valorised and prioritised, ahead of Indigenous languages in schools and universities. These institutions have contributed to the erasure and delegitimisation of Indigenous knowledges from education systems . And with the wealth of many public universities derived from the 19th century seizure of Indigenous people¡¯s land, via the , Indigenous students endure the legacy of colonialism every day, particularly when our existence is often disregarded or dismissed and our knowledges invalidated.

Yet we chose to engage with the academy because there was potential for genuine dialogue ¨C we imagined we would be equal collaborators. However, we have been left by the entrenched settler colonial worldview that dominates even those universities that pride themselves on their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and decolonisation.

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Campus spotlight guide: Indigenous voices in higher education

In practice, this has meant a refusal to critique dominant knowledges and ideologies or consider how pressure for linguistic or cultural assimilation from educators is passed on to students, who continue .

The first step to redressing this must be recognition from university leaders and educators of the lasting consequences of colonialism for Indigenous peoples. Then, must be taken to redress these inequities within their academic contexts. Training and pedagogical practice should seek to include the perspectives of marginalised groups by of inequity and inequality.

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The future of the academy should not be built on the silencing of Indigenous voices, but on the . We must respect and recognise Indigenous languages not as artefacts of the past but as .

These languages carry irreplaceable knowledges and offer valuable insights into pressing , such as how to tackle the climate crisis, land degradation and the loss of biodiversity. Furthermore, research shows that outcomes that impact the and .

In alignment with (2022¨C2032), therefore, we call for these living languages to be supported and strengthened as essential foundations for cultural survival, knowledge transmission and global sustainability.

Within the academy, however, the presence of Indigenous knowledges is mostly non-existent. The same holds true in professional associations and conferences, where Indigenous scholars and studies are tokenised.

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While Indigenous people are no longer covertly used for medical , as they were in the late 19th to 20th centuries, a model that might be described as ¡°¡± from Indigenous people continues to exist. In linguistic research, for instance, some feel it is enough to simply document Indigenous speakers ¨C viewing them as a data resource and means of accruing publications and prestige ¨C rather than engage in genuine partnerships with communities. This hierarchical research model, with no participation, trust or accountability, must change.

Academics should reflect on their responsibility for ensuring that Indigenous peoples, knowledges and languages are engaged as partners, not objects to be ¡°researched¡±. They should ask themselves what steps they are taking to ¡°unlearn¡± the assimilatory practices that have harmed the Indigenous peoples where they live and work and what they are doing to .

That is, higher education must move beyond that fail to lead to transformative change because they don¡¯t recognise the hierarchy of differences within the concept of ¡°diversity¡±: the fact that some forms of difference (such as Black, Indigenous, or specially abled peoples) are more socially or institutionally marginalised than others.

This requires acknowledging Indigenous peoples and their languages in relevant contexts, and implementing pedagogies that examine educators¡¯ biases. It also requires safe spaces to engage in critical dialogue with Indigenous language speakers and knowledge holders in order to about Indigenous history and current realities.

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This is a time of political uncertainty, when diversity is not valued. However, Indigenous people will not stop asserting their right to .

By embodying our Indigenous languages ¨C and associated ways of knowing, being and doing ¨C we can become whole again as Indigenous language community scholar-educators. But we can¡¯t do it without solidarity, empathy and action from mainstream society.

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is Kanaka Hawai?i (Native Hawaiian) and?associate professor in the department of language and literacy education and the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies at the University of British Columbia. is Ryukyuan (a Japonic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Pacific Ryukyu Islands) and is teaching assistant professor of Japanese at the University of Denver.