Surviving Sounds of Haida is a documentary by Fred Otilius Olsen, JR. This project is near and dear to his heart. As a native Alaskan, he feels the importance of preserving the Haida language. There are only several people left who can speak it and they are over 75 years old. Alaska is in the spotlight these past two months, so the timing of the completed documentary couldn't be better. It gives us a completely different side of Alaska than the Wasillaesque point of view we've been seeing. Watch Fred's documentary. It's an 8 minute labor of love. Also check out Fred's New York Nitty Gritty website. A wry and insightful pictorial of New York.
For more information, the Haida language has it's own website.
I found it ironic that there was a translation of this line on their website:
Díi git dahlgiyáagang -- My daughter is pregnant
Adáahl dláng hl kíngsaang
(I’ll see all of you tomorrow)
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