Indigenize Toys

Indigenize Toys

Indigenize Toys

Community-led Indigenous language learning through playful tech: toys and workshops that revive culture, one word at a time.

Nanaimo, BC, Canada

CAN

Not registered as any organization

Across Turtle Island and globally, Indigenous languages are disappearing—many without youth speakers. While policy and curriculum reform are critical, there remains a deep gap in culturally-rooted, tech-based tools that center joy, curiosity, and Indigenous ownership. Indigenous youth are still playing with English-speaking toys, absorbing worldviews not their own. These toys are not neutral—they reflect colonial norms. At the same time, communities struggle to access immersive, everyday resources that reflect their languages and values. This solution addresses the lack of accessible, culturally grounded, and replicable tools for early language revitalization. It also tackles a secondary challenge: limited opportunities for Indigenous community members to build skills in technology, fabrication, and educational design. By transforming off-the-shelf toys into language-learning tools—and pairing them with hands-on community workshops—we empower people to lead revitalization from within. We don’t just create toys; we share knowledge, build capacity, and invite play as pedagogy. This project fills the gap between policy and practice. It centers the idea that Indigenous language futures must be built with Indigenous hands—playfully, powerfully, and together.

Indigenize Toys transforms mass-produced, English-speaking toys into fun, interactive tools that speak Indigenous languages. Using simple, open-source microcontrollers like the ESP32 and Arduino, we reprogram each toy with culturally grounded audio—phrases, songs, and stories developed in collaboration with language speakers and Elders. This innovative approach sparks curiosity and joy in young learners. Instead of passive play, children interact with toys that speak their ancestral language—inviting them to hear, repeat, and explore their identity through play. But it doesn’t stop there. Our solution includes hands-on community workshops where youth, families, and language champions learn how to modify toys themselves. These workshops combine basic electronics, soldering, and coding with storytelling and language immersion. Participants leave not only with a custom-made toy—but with the skills to make more, teach others, and carry the work forward in their own communities. This model is designed to scale through mobile makerspaces, open-source instructions, and partnerships with schools and language programs. It’s more than a product—it’s a movement that reconnects technology with culture and places Indigenous language revitalization in the hands of those who will shape its future.

This solution serves Indigenous children—early language learners, youth, and especially kids—who are often disconnected from their ancestral languages due to colonization and the dominance of English-speaking media. These children deserve more than textbooks; they deserve playful, hands-on ways to learn and live their languages. By repurposing English-speaking toys to speak Indigenous languages, we will transform everyday objects into powerful tools of cultural resurgence. Each toy becomes a bridge—introducing children to greetings, songs, and stories in their own languages. But this project is more than language learning. It’s about showing kids that they can hack, reclaim, and indigenize the technology and tools around them. Through this approach, young learners build confidence not just in their language, but in their ability to engage with tech creatively. They’re not just playing—they’re reclaiming space, rewriting narratives, and sparking curiosity about coding, electronics, and innovation. This empowers Indigenous children to see themselves as makers, not just users, and helps nurture a generation that is rooted in identity and bold in imagination.