The comanche language and cultural preservation committee will plan an integrated comanche language and culture archive designed around visiting (kahnimia), where language circulates through…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Comanche Language Cultural Preservation Committee $399,992 on September 1, 2026, under the National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) to plan an integrated Comanche language and culture archive designed around visiting (kahnimia), where language circulates through presence and participation rather than passive retrieval.

Planning activities include collection survey, technical architecture design integrating Mukurtu4 with interactive learning components, community governance framework development grounded in the Four R's (relationship, responsibility, reciprocity, redistribution), component testing with community learners, and production of an implementation roadmap and planning documentation guide for replication by other community language archives. Primary beneficiaries are Comanche community members including language learners, families, educators, and community members who will use the integrated archive. Secondary beneficiaries include practitioners at other Native American language and culture archives who will adapt the documented planning process and design principles, and the broader network of Mukurtu-based Native American language archives facing similar integration and governance challenges.

The project runs through August 31, 2028, with place of performance in Lawton, Oklahoma. The assistance type is a project grant.

The comanche language and cultural preservation committee will plan an integrated comanche language and culture archive designed around visiting (kahnimia), where language circulates through presence and participation rather than passive retrieval. Planning includes collection survey, technical architecture design integrating MUKURTU4 with interactive learning components, community governance framework development grounded in the four r's (relationship, responsibility, reciprocity, redistribution), component testing with community learners, and production of an implementation roadmap and planning documentation guide for replication by other community language archives. The primary beneficiaries of the planning project are comanche community members: language learners, families, educators, and community members who will ultimately use the integrated archive. The secondary beneficiaries are practitioners at other native american language and culture archives who face similar design questions and will be able to adapt the documented planning process, design principles, and tested components produced by this project. The project will also benefit the growing network of mukurtu-based native american language archives, which face similar integration and governance challenges and will be able to draw on the planning documentation guide as a replicable model.