Fresh funding aims to revitalize Indigenous oral history

Associated Press (AP) — A major effort is getting underway at several universities, tribal museums and libraries to digitize the oral histories of thousands of Native Americans. The recordings were collected a half century ago as part of a project initiated by the late philanthropist Doris Duke. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has awarded more than $1.6 million to help with the translation and transcription of the recordings so they can be accessible to Native communities, students and the wider public. Plans also call for expanding the collections with contemporary voices. The recordings come from a pivotal time in U.S. history when the civil rights movement spurred greater visibility of minority populations, including Native Americans.