About Us

Hipéexnu’ is a newly founded 501 (c) 3 non-profit since August of 2018;

with the professional guidance of Hopa Mountain of Bozeman, Montana.

We were then approved in September of 2018 by the Secretary of the State of Idaho.

WHY ARE WE NEEDED:

- Native/ Indigenous language and culture programs would not have to exist if it were not for Genocidal Colonization.

- Out of thousands of Niimiipuu dialects there remains only a couple fluent elder

speakers. There is no elder, adult, or youth that can continuously and effortlessly

speak any Niimiipuu dialect.

- There is no place on this earth that one can go and be "totally" immersed in the

Niimiipuu language and culture. Through time, hipéexnu' will make our classes more

immersive by adding more hours to the preschoolers and toddlers; while investing in

youth Learnee's to be the vessels to keep the language alive.

- According to Fishmans 1991, Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS), This

dialect would fall at a Level 8 - "the only remaining speakers are of grandparental age."

- According to the EGIDS of 2010 - this dialect is at a Level 8a - "the normal cycle of

intergenerational transmission has been broken. There may be younger adults who know the

language, at least somewhat, but they do not regularly speak it with their peers and are not

fully proficient."

How We Want to Keep Holding-On

- Clean and safe environments.

- Focus, consistency, & controlling class environment by having a small student to teacher ratio.

- Infancy to toddlers are sponges; so they will be a priority and will receive many hours a week learning the language.

- Hipéexnu’ will seek out Youth (Learnees) who are committed to the culture and language. Youth will observe language sessions and will have a strong desire to

revitalize the Niimíipuu dialect!

- Youth will learn and observe from the Lead Language Instructor.

- The Learnees are youth that have a strong desire to learn the language but

are not sure if they want to be teachers. Being a speaker in the community is

important too.

- Each year, Hipéexnu' wants to add more hours of language and culture projects for

the youth here on the Nez Perce reservation.

We are NOT Language Researchers. We live on the reservation.

We are Indigenous Language Revitalizers!

Tipi or Teepee

Longhouse for Horace Axtell

Bear's Paw

Chinook, Montana

Nez Perce

Horace Axtell

Montana

Bears Paw War Memorial of 1877

Family

Bears Paw Memorial - Horace Axtell Family

Old House

Young Lookingglass homesite

Clearwater Progress

tim’néepe – Heart of the Monster – picture courtesy of Clearwater Paper of Kamiah Idaho

Nez Perce Boys

Out digging roots with mom.

Nez Perce Boy

Artwork by Nez Perce Artist John Seven, grandson of Horace Axtell

Nez Perce or Clearwater

tim’néepe – Heart of the Monster

Lewis-Clark

Lewis-Clark Valley

Chief Joseph

heté’ewnim wéetes - At Precious Lands - Horace, wife, and grandchildren.

Chief or Warbonnet

Horace in mens' warbonnet

Special place

Horace's

Pilot Knob

Columbia River

x̣uyéełp – N’Chiwana – Columbia River

grandchildren

Horace Axtell gravesite

Spalding Park

Horace and Andrea Axtell

Honor Ancestors

Wallowa Oregon

wal’áawa – Wallowa

hipéexnu’

kíi’u núun wisíix. inc.

Culture - Language - Youth

About Us

WHY ARE WE NEEDED:

- Native/ Indigenous language and culture programs would not have to exist if it were not for Genocidal Colonization.

- Out of thousands of Niimiipuu dialects there remains only a couple fluent elder

speakers. There is no elder, adult, or youth that can continuously and effortlessly

speak any Niimiipuu dialect.

- There is no place on this earth that one can go and be "totally" immersed in the

Niimiipuu language and culture. Through time, hipéexnu' will make our classes more

immersive by adding more hours to the preschoolers and toddlers; while investing in

youth Learnee's to be the vessels to keep the language alive.

- According to Fishmans 1991, Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS), This

dialect would fall at a Level 8 - "the only remaining speakers are of grandparental age."

- According to the EGIDS of 2010 - this dialect is at a Level 8a - "the normal cycle of

intergenerational transmission has been broken. There may be younger adults who know the

language, at least somewhat, but they do not regularly speak it with their peers and are not

fully proficient."

- Clean and safe environments.

- Focus, consistency, & controlling class environment by having a small student to teacher ratio.

- Infancy to toddlers are sponges; so they will be a priority and will receive many hours a week learning the language.

- Hipéexnu’ will seek out Youth (Learnees) who are committed to the culture and language. Youth will observe language sessions and will have a strong desire to

revitalize the Niimíipuu dialect!

- Youth will learn and observe from the Lead Language Instructor.

- The Learnees are youth that have a strong desire to learn the language but

are not sure if they want to be teachers. Being a speaker in the community is

important too.

- Each year, Hipéexnu' wants to add more hours of language and culture projects for

the youth here on the Nez Perce reservation.

We are NOT Language Researchers. We live on the reservation.

We are Indigenous Language Revitalizers!

About Us

​

WHY ARE WE NEEDED:

​

- Native/ Indigenous language and culture programs would not have to exist if it were not for Genocidal Colonization.

​

- Out of thousands of Niimiipuu dialects there remains only a couple fluent elder

speakers. There is no elder, adult, or youth that can continuously and effortlessly

speak any Niimiipuu dialect.

- There is no place on this earth that one can go and be "totally" immersed in the

Niimiipuu language and culture. Through time, hipéexnu' will make our classes more

immersive by adding more hours to the preschoolers and toddlers; while investing in

youth Learnee's to be the vessels to keep the language alive.

- According to Fishmans 1991, Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS), This

dialect would fall at a Level 8 - "the only remaining speakers are of grandparental age."

- According to the EGIDS of 2010 - this dialect is at a Level 8a - "the normal cycle of

intergenerational transmission has been broken. There may be younger adults who know the

language, at least somewhat, but they do not regularly speak it with their peers and are not

fully proficient."

​​

- Clean and safe environments.

- Focus, consistency, & controlling class environment by having a small student to teacher ratio.

- Infancy to toddlers are sponges; so they will be a priority and will receive many hours a week learning the language.

- Hipéexnu’ will seek out Youth (Learnees) who are committed to the culture and language. Youth will observe language sessions and will have a strong desire to

revitalize the Niimíipuu dialect!

- Youth will learn and observe from the Lead Language Instructor.

- The Learnees are youth that have a strong desire to learn the language but

are not sure if they want to be teachers. Being a speaker in the community is

important too.

- Each year, Hipéexnu' wants to add more hours of language and culture projects for

the youth here on the Nez Perce reservation.

​

We are NOT Language Researchers. We live on the reservation.

We are Indigenous Language Revitalizers!