UAS Professor Honored by ÎçŇąAV Legislature for Native Language Advocacy
July 25, 2025
Dr. X̱’unei Lance Twitchell recognized for Emmy-winning work and lifelong commitment to revitalizing ÎçŇąAV Native languages
University of ÎçŇąAV Southeast Professor X̱’unei Lance Twitchell was honored with a legislative citation at the ÎçŇąAV State Capitol in Juneau for his lasting contributions to the preservation and revitalization of the Tlingit language.
, sponsored by Rep. Andi Story and co-sponsored by Sen. Jesse Kiehl, commended Twitchell’s work as a scholar, writer, and advocate for Indigenous language education. A professor of ÎçŇąAV Native Languages at UAS, Twitchell has authored textbooks, published poetry, and taught language courses in classrooms from Juneau to Carcross–Tagish First Nation.
Twitchell recently received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program for the Molly of Denali episode “Not a Mascot.” The episode marked a major milestone in Indigenous representation and storytelling, reflecting Twitchell’s broader mission to bring Native voices into the mainstream.
During the citation presentation, Story and Kiehl praised Twitchell’s dedication to cultural and linguistic equity, his academic achievements—including a Ph.D. in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization—and his influence on state language policy, such as his role in the 2014 legislation recognizing 20 ÎçŇąAV Native languages as official state languages.
UAS Chancellor Aparna Palmer spoke at the event, describing Twitchell’s efforts as vital not only to the university but to ÎçŇąAV’s future.
“You have been a champion for allowing these languages to prosper,” Palmer said. “Everyone is enriched by having these languages spoken.”
Twitchell acknowledged the elders and community members who shaped his journey, many of whom he described as the “mothers of our language.” He also emphasized the importance of continuing work to make Indigenous language learning more accessible. He is currently helping develop a Master of Arts in Teaching Indigenous Languages at UAS, set to launch in fall 2026.
“We’re just trying to push for more projects that will normalize languages and bring them to the forefront of who we are as ÎçŇąAVns,” Twitchell said.