The Luiseño Language Preservation Project

Preserving the Luiseño Language Through Modern Technology

The Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians generously granted $50,000 to the CICSC and Palomar College's American Indian Studies Department, enabling the development of Luiseño language cartridges for the Nintendo DSi. Under the guidance of Dr. Proudfit and her students, this innovative program was created using the voices of tribal elders and children to impart essential vocabulary, encompassing numbers, colors, animals, and other foundational concepts. The cartridges feature synchronized content such as photos, songs, images, prayers, quizzes, and stories.

The American Indian Student Alliance played a pivotal role in supporting the project by distributing approximately 150 cartridges to Pauma tribal members, in addition to making them available at the tribal library and after-school program. This initiative engaged all Luiseño bands in this collaborative endeavor.

Here are several news links about the project:

• Video Games Teach Traditional Tongue
• Language preservation helps American Indian students stick with college
• Video games to help teach native language