From Script to Screen: Navigating the Unicode Standard in support of Haíɫzaqvḷa language reclamation

Abstract

This article outlines a collaborative effort to successfully publish three longstanding and essential characters for Haíɫzaqvḷa, a Wakashan language spoken in British Columbia, Canada, in the Unicode Standard. In this contribution, we discuss the wider context of a deepening collaboration which led to these characters being successfully encoded, building on the foundational work of the Heiltsuk Language & Culture Partnership. Through this developing partnership, N̓a̓ṇ́ga̓inúx̌v (Robyn Humchitt) of Haíɫzaqvḷa Revitalization and Kevin King of Typotheque worked together in the spirit of respectful collaboration to ensure adequate support for Haíɫzaqvḷa in the Unicode Standard. Thanks to this goal-oriented effort, and the responsiveness of the Unicode committee, the entire Haíɫzaqv orthography is available for digital text exchange on any device in the world, enabling the community to engage in digital language use without barrier. Free and unfettered language mobilization is central to Indigenous linguistic sovereignty and language reclamation initiatives, as articulated by Haíɫzaqvḷa Revitalization.