Kim’s art ‘speak’ native tongue

“Naqeli – Fall Season” (detail) by Ted Kim.

ANCHORAGE, AK (AAPDN) – On exhibit, from the Anchorage Museum’s Dena’ina language book, “Nkenaghch’: Good Words to Never Forget” are illustrations by local-based artist Ted Kim, who is known for his intricate, textured drawings.

Spoken in Southcentral Alaska for at least the past 1,000 years, Dena’ina, like all Alaska Indigenous languages, was communicated orally until an alphabet was developed in the 1970s. Since then, many Dena’ina elders from the four Dena’ina dialects have worked closely with linguists to record the language for the future.

The goal is to see their language spoken again by both Dena’ina peoples as well as people who have moved into their homeland over the past century.

For more on the happenings at the Anchorage Museum, see: www.anchoragemuseum.org