Lance Twitchell facts for kids
Lance X̱ʼunei Twitchell, born in 1975, is an American expert in languages, a poet, and someone who helps bring old languages back to life. He works as a professor of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast. He has also written for the popular children's show "Molly of Denali".
In 2018, Lance Twitchell became a permanent professor at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. He studied Hawaiian and other native languages, earning his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He also has degrees in creative writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and English from the University of Minnesota. He helps lead the Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council, which works to protect and promote Alaska's native languages.
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Early Life and Heritage
Lance Twitchell is a member of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. His family background includes Tlingit, Haida, Yup'ik, and Sámi cultures. This rich heritage connects him to many different Indigenous groups.
Achievements and Creative Works
Awards and Recognition
Lance Twitchell has received several important awards for his work:
- In 2013, he was named one of Alaska's "Top Forty Under 40" by the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
- The Sealaska Heritage Institute gave him the Judson L. Brown Leadership Award in 2016.
- In 2017, he received the Contributions to Literacy in Alaska (CLIA) Award from the Alaska Center for the Book.
- The First Alaskan Institute honored him with the Young Native Leader Award in 2020.
- In 2025, he won an Emmy award for his writing on an episode of “Molly of Denali.” This award was for Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program.
Poems and Stories
Lance Twitchell is also a talented poet. Some of his poems were published in the Yellow Medicine Review in 2009. These include "Nanook Sweats" and "Ode to Tlingit." In 2016, he co-authored "Shaawatkʼeʼs Birth," which was filmed by Alaska Quarterly Review.
Books for Language Learning
He has written several books to help people learn the Tlingit language:
- Haa Wsineix̲ Haa Yoo X̲'atángi (Our language Saved Us): A Guidebook for Learning the Tlingit Language
- Beginning Tlingit Workbook (2017)
- Tlingit Reference Guide: Verbs, Grammar, Location & Direction, Concepts (2020)
Contributions to Other Works
Lance Twitchell also contributed to the chapter Tlingit use of marine space: putting up fish with Caskey Russell.
