Volume VI Special Issue VI September 2026

Name of Author : Pranavi

Title of the paper : From Forced Assimilation to Digital Reclamation: Social Media, Language Revival and Cultural Resilience among Indigenous Ojibwe Youth

Abstract: The legacy of colonial assimilation policies, including residential schools and language suppression programmes, has profoundly disrupted Indigenous language transmission, cultural practices, and identity formation across Native communities in North America. These policies contributed to the marginalisation of Indigenous knowledge systems and weakened intergenerational pathways of cultural continuity. Despite these historical disruptions, Indigenous communities continue to develop innovative strategies to sustain and revitalise their cultural heritage. While existing scholarship has extensively documented the consequences of language loss and cultural erosion, less attention has been given to the ways Indigenous youth employ digital technologies to support cultural renewal. Grounded in Indigenous resilience theory and Vizenors concept of survivance, this qualitative study examines how Ojibwe youth use social media platforms to facilitate language revitalisation, cultural learning, and identity formation. The findings reveal that social media has emerged as an important space for cultural reclamation, enabling young people to engage with ancestral languages, share traditional knowledge, and strengthen community connections. The evidence demonstrates that digital practices challenge narratives of Indigenous decline by creating new opportunities for cultural transmission, visibility, and self representation. The paper argues that social media can function as a contemporary site of Indigenous resurgence that supports cultural continuity and self determination. The study contributes to ongoing discussions on language revitalisation, digital media, and Indigenous futures by highlighting the role of youth led digital engagement in sustaining Indigenous cultures in the twenty first century.

Keywords : Indigenous Digital Resurgence; Ojibwe Language Revitalisation; Youth Cultural Reclamation; Digital Survivance; Indigenous Self Determination

DOI :

Page Number : 180-190