Motorola, in collaboration with the Lenovo Foundation, is launching an app to help preserve Indigenous languages.
Named the Indigenous Collections app, Motorola says it designed the app to “preserve and celebrate the Indigenous language and the cultural heritage it carries.” It is also noted that the app is “designed to support Indigenous language and cultural revitalization by bringing together stories, landmarks, and family knowledge in one accessible platform.”
In alignment with UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032), Motorola and the Lenovo Foundation worked alongside communities and experts to digitize endangered languages and make smartphone technology more accessible.
According to the company, nearly two million words across Indigenous and minority languages have been made available, which Motorola says enables “broader collaboration across academia and industry while amplifying Indigenous voices worldwide.”
This builds on what Motorola started in 2021, when the company became the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to fully support an endangered Amazon Indigenous language (Nheengatu) on a smartphone user interface. Since then, Motorola has brought in languages like Kaingang, Cherokee, Māori, Kangri, Kuvi, Ladin, and most recently, Zapotec.
This time around, Motorola is partnering with the Rainy Lake Ojibwe community to add the Ojibwe language to the new app, working directly with community members rather than relying solely on academic institutions. According to the press release, the Ojibwe language is spoken by 50,000 people across regions of the United States and Canada (with strong communities in Ontario and Manitoba).
“As new generations become increasingly connected through digital platforms, ensuring that their native languages are represented in written and digital form becomes critical,” Motorola said. “Mobile technology provides a powerful platform to make Indigenous languages visible, accessible, and valued not only by those who speak them, but by the broader global community.”
Indigenous Collections is now available in the Google Play Store for free to all Android users. Since the app is publicly available, only publicly shared cultural knowledge will be distributed through the app to preserve sacred knowledge.
Header image credit: Motorola
