What is the name of your organization?
College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN)
What is the name of your solution?
Onvkuce: Voice Database
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Revitalizing the Mvskoke language through an oral recording database powered by AI speech technology
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Okmulgee, OK 74447, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Other, including part of a larger organization (please explain below)
If you selected Other, please explain here.
The College of the Muscogee Nation is the institution of higher education for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, a federally recognized tribe.
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What specific problem are you solving?
The Mvskoke language faces critical endangerment, with less than five percent of the entire Muscogee population (over 100,000 members) being fluent speakers. Fewer than 500 tribal members can speak their ancestral language fluently, with only about 200 remaining first-language speakers. In recent years, despite growing interest among tribal members in learning the language, the decline continues due to the lack of an Indigenous-led curriculum and resources.
This language crisis extends beyond the Muscogee Nation to most of the 575 federally recognized tribes in the United States, many of which have smaller populations and fewer fluent speakers. According to UNESCO, approximately 40% of the world's estimated 7,000 languages are at risk of disappearing, with Indigenous languages particularly vulnerable. Our solution could assist other tribes in language revitalization, providing a model for Indigenous-led approaches to preserve and teach endangered languages throughout Native communities across North America.
What is your solution?
The Onvkuce (oh-nuh-go-jee) voice database is a specialized searchable interface that serves as a comprehensive repository for Mvskoke language recordings. This digital platform functions as a centralized library where educators and language learners can access authentic audio resources of the language.
The interface allows users to search recordings using specific Mvskoke words or phrases. The system is powered by AI speech recognition technology that processes and indexes Mvskoke language recordings. This will allow searchable entries from spoken language with relevant audio segments. When a user enters a Mvskoke word or phrase, the system identifies recordings containing that term and provides access to hear the word in its original context. This helps learners understand proper pronunciation, usage, and cultural context simultaneously.
Our solution leverages state-of-the-art technology with speech recognition algorithms adapted for the Mvskoke language. Natural language processing will identify word boundaries and relationships using AI-powered search functionality for efficient content retrieval and cloud-based storage for accessibility and scalability.
By making these recordings searchable and accessible, we significantly enhance educators' ability to incorporate authentic language examples into their teaching, increasing students' exposure to hearing the Mvskoke language as spoken by fluent speakers.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's language educators and learners, who are currently underserved in the area of digital language resources. Currently there is no centralized database of Mvskoke language recordings, despite decades of preservation work producing many hours of audio recordings and rich language documentation. With fewer than 200 first-language speakers, there is an urgent need to fully support our language educators.
Right now, Mvskoke language teachers face challenges finding and accessing language documentation resources. Our solution will include a user-friendly interface that will make authentic language recordings much easier to access. Teachers and learners will be able to find words, phrases, and example sentences, accompanied by audio clips. The database will also provide downloadable audio for classroom instruction, helping to bridge the gap between academic documentation and practical teaching.
For teachers, this means less time searching for resources and more time teaching effectively. For students, it means increased exposure to authentic language and proper pronunciation. For the Muscogee Nation, it represents a critical tool in preserving their linguistic heritage at a time when every remaining speaker is invaluable. This solution helps our community lead language revitalization efforts through technology designed specifically for our needs.
