Lance Twitchell

X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell (born 1975) is an American Tlingit scholar, poet, and language revitalization advocate. He works as an associate professor of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast.

Education and career

Twitchwell earned a Ph.D. in Hawaiian and indigenous language and culture revitalization from the Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a B.A. in English with a minor in American Indian studies from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He was granted tenure in the Department of Humanities, School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Alaska Southeast in 2018.

Twitchwell serves on the Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council, appointed by the governor. He also teaches Tlingit language courses at UAS, which began offering them for free in 2022.

Twitchwell wrote three episodes of the PBS cartoon Molly of Denali, which aired in 2021 and 2022.

Personal life

Twitchell is a citizen of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and is of Tlingit, Haida, Yup'ik, and Sámi descent. He is one of fewer than 400 proficient speakers of the Tlingit (Língit) language in the United States.

Awards and work

Awards

Poems

Books

Chapters

References

  1. ↑ Hopper, Frank. "'Our Language Is Like Medicine': Tlingit Immersion School to Provide a Path to Revitalization". Indian Country Today. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "UAS Celebrates 2018 Faculty Promotions and Tenure". University of Alaska Southeast. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  3. ↑ "ANLPAC Report". Alaska Dept of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ Stremple, Claire (June 23, 2022). "Starting this fall, UAS will offer Alaska Native language courses for free". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ "X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell | First Nations Development Institute". www.firstnations.org. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Keeping Alaska Native Languages Alive: Interview with Dr. X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell". Harvard International Review. April 10, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  7. ↑ "'We are past the point of crisis'". Indian Country Today. April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  8. ↑ Moseley, Christopher; Nicolas, Alexandre (2010), Atlas of the world's languages in danger (3. ed., entirely rev., enlarged and updated ed.), Paris: UNESCO Publishing, ISBN 978-92-3-104096-2
  9. ↑ "2013 Top Forty Under 40 Announced". Alaska Journal. February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  10. ↑ Dunham, Mike (September 8, 2016). "Tlingit linguist Lance Twitchell receives Judson L. Brown award". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  11. ↑ "CLIA Awards List – Alaska Center for the Book". Alaska Center for the Book. October 13, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Twitchell earns prestigious award". KINY radio. Frontier Media. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  13. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (March 16, 2025). "Childrenʼs and Family Emmy Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Author Index T". Alaska Quarterly Review. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  15. ↑ Twitchell, Lance A (2016). Haa Wsineix̲ Haa Yoo X̲'atángi = Our language saved us: a guidebook for learning the Tlingit language. Juneau, Alaska: Goldbelt Heritage Institute. ISBN 978-0-692-55340-4. OCLC 952438753.
  16. ↑ Twitchell, Lance (2017). Lingít Yoo X̲'atángi = beginning Tlingit workbook (first ed.). Juneau, Alaska: Sealaska Heritage Institute. ISBN 978-1-946019-01-1. OCLC 1004520990.
  17. ↑ Allen, Bankes, Ravna (2019). The rights of indigenous people in marine areas. Oxford. ISBN 9781509928644.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)