The Fort McDermitt Language Program was created in 2023 to support and maintain Numu Yadooana, the Northern Paiute language, in our community. In most of other communities, Paiute is no longer spoken or has very few people who can speak it, but in McDermitt it is a language of communication that can be heard every day, especially among Elders. Our mission is to teach Paiute to foster a new generation of speakers of the language.

To achieve our goal, we hold a series of programs and activities:

1. We teach Paiute in the McDermitt Combined School four periods a week to Kindergarten and First Grade.

2. We train teachers so they can be endorsed by the State of Nevada as teachers of Native Great Basin Native Languages

3. We teach youth of all ages in the community once a week in collaboration with the Nonprofit Wayaduaga Apegan

4. We hold language immersion activities such as crafts, field trips and other hands-on programs.

5. We digitize historical documents, photos, tapes, and reels to make them more accessible to community members.

We are grateful to our sponsors: the Administration for Native Americans, the Living Languages Grant Program, the Nevada Department of Education, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the Oregon Community Foundation.

The FMPST Language Preservation Department focuses on documenting, archiving, and teaching our native language.

Language Program Director: Dr. Thierry Veyrié
Phone: (775) 532-8216
Email: [email protected]

Language Curriculum Developer: Jody Smart
Phone: (775) 532-8216
Email: [email protected]

Language Activities Coordinator: Cauy Crutcher
Phone: (775) 532-8216
Email: [email protected]

Language & Culture Specialist: Alveeta Brown
Phone: (775) 532-8216
Email:

Tribal Webmaster: Morissa Bitt
Phone: (775) 532-8259 Ext. 1108
Email: [email protected]

Digital Library Assistant: Niyla Willow
Phone: (775) 532-8014
Email: [email protected]