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| Shortly after 9/11 Don Thornton read about a new voice technology, Phraselator. It was designed for the US military and funded by DARPA. For a year and a half, he campaigned for the right to use the technology in the fight to save indigenous languages. He was told there was no market for it in Indian Country. Another friend said that it would be no more than a novelty item. Today, we're working with more than 90 tribes in both U.S and Canada. Our supplier, Voxtec, a Maryland based hi-tech company has become a staunch supporter and partner. They even helped us create the proprietary Module Builder Pro language revitalization software for use with Phraselator® LC™. Who created Phraselator® LC™? Using Voxtec's technology, Don Thornton, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma created the revolutionary Phraselator® LC™. The first Indians who programmed it were Don's family members, including his grandmother Lucinda Robbins of Tahlequah OK, a master speaker of the Cherokee language. He also designed the methods of using this technology to help Native teachers and parents bring back the languages to the home. With input from language teachers such as Terry Brockie (Gros Ventre from Montana) and Keon Weaselhead (Kainai Blackfoot from Alberta, Canada), who have been using this tool for more than two years, they created a set of new training methods for Thornton Media's clients to use this tool to help revitalize the Native languages. Our team now travels around Indian Country to help Natives with average computer skills build a strong database of their languages with their elders so tribes can start teaching the language the very same day it's programmed into the tool. Phraselator® LC™ and its accompanying methods is a proud Native American product. Lucinda Robbins's Story Several years ago Don visited his grandma, Lucinda Robbins in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Northeastern University now sits across the street from her house. He walked around the block and saw a sign that read: "Cherokee Institute." Curious, Don walked into the building and bought a Cherokee-English Dictionary written by a professor from the University. When he took the dictionary back to his grandma, she replied with her frailed but angry voice: "That man used to come to my house for three years asking how to say words in Cherokee. Pretty soon it would be lists of phrases. I fixed his lists for three years and all I wanted was a copy of the finished work but never received one." Don flipped through the pages of the entire dictionary looking for her name but Lucinda Robbin's name was nowhere to be found. She was not credited for her work, not only that, she was never paid and did not even receive a copy of the work. This is a clear case of exploitation of cultural property, and unfortunately, not an unusual one. Every community we've visited has similar stories. It was after Don found out about what happened to his grandma that he started searching for technologies out there that can help all tribes revitalize the languages themselves, without the need for outside help. He found the Phraselator® technology and retooled it to become the Phraselator® LC™ - Language Companion so that tribes can now control their own cultural property. Contact us for Press Release Recent Press Topeka Capital Journal, March 5th 2008 Technology helps tribe pass on Native language The London Free Press, Nov 28th 2007 Military device holds key to saving Oneida language NPR - Military Gadget Saving Endangered Languages Scholastic News - Cover Story (Oct 22, 2007) East Oregonian: So we won't be lost FresnoBee: Speak now... or forever hold your peace ABC News: Modern technology being used to save an old Indian Tribal Language News Article from Top Dutch Newspaper Tom Beaver: New Technology Could Save Indian Languages Sioux City Journal - NIEA' 06 Educator of the year using Phraselator to help revitalize her Omaha language
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