Alex Smith

Oki niisto annakao'ka Iinisskimakii. Nimohto'too Apatohsipiikani. Nohkowa aanistawa Sakoinaamaahkaa. My name is Alex Smith, I am from Piikani here in Alberta. I have a son, his name is Leo.

I began my Blackfoot language revitalization journey in 2018 when I enrolled in CILLDI and started working toward my Community Linguist Certificate. Those classes introduced me to the linguistic side of Blackfoot and deepened my appreciation for the language. I especially love Blackfoot grammar—doing morpheme analysis and engaging with the structure of the language is something I truly enjoy.

I continued my education at Iniskim, where I completed my BA with a minor in Linguistics in 2022. In October, I finished my MA in Indigenous Studies. My thesis, Curating a Corpus of Blackfoot Narrative Texts, focused on supporting and strengthening access to Blackfoot stories and language resources.

During my MA, I worked as a Graduate Assistant, assisting in the Blackfoot language courses—an experience that led into my current role continuing to support with Blackfoot classes. I am also working with the A’tsimaani group to help organize this conference. I’m grateful to be part of this work and community. Welcome to the conference—I hope you enjoy it!