Language

Kooyooe Tukadu Numu Yadooana
(Pyramid Lake Language Program)

The Kooyooe Tukadu Band of Northern Paiute (Pyramid Lake) purpose is to increase native language fluency among all members. The Paiute language is a dialect of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Language has always been important to our Paiute people, therefore, a movement to preserve, document, and revive the Paiute language is ongoing. The Language Program offers community language classes, in-school language instruction, a summer day camp programs for our youth and language meetings with our fluent speakers. There is language books, curriculum development, online venues and recordings where community members can utilize and learn at their own pace. We are currently working on a language software program called ILDA. The Indigenous Language Digital Archive will become a smartphone application containing a dictionary of Paiute words and audio.