What would make an elder Indigenous leader feel comfortable while sitting in a state-of-the-art recording studio to share their memories with generations to come?

That was the leading concern for Kiana Tom, who is Din茅, as she helped develop the Apple Studio at Fort Lewis College. Tom, Sociology and Human Services, 鈥�25, served as the inaugural Apple Studio Fellow and helped bring the space to life鈥攏ot just with technology, but with intention.

The studio, located in the Center for Indigenous Research, Culture, and Language (CIRCL), is part of the college鈥檚 broader reconciliation efforts.

Funded through a grant from Apple secured by the 麻豆免费高清无砖码区Foundation, the studio is designed for Indigenous language revitalization and oral storytelling. What sets it apart is its care for cultural protocol and community trust: stories recorded in the studio remain the property of the speakers and are never archived without explicit permission.

Tom chose the wall colors herself鈥攔ed like the soil of her Navajo homelands, and green like the juniper trees she grew up around. She added a love seat for family members, soft lighting, and even a child鈥檚 play area just outside the door, knowing that many elders arrive with both caregivers and grandchildren.

鈥淚 wanted them to feel at home, like they were somewhere safe to share their knowledge,鈥� Tom said. 鈥淲e designed every part of this space with our communities in mind.鈥�

Inside the studio, Apple equipment鈥攆rom field mics to iPads鈥攕upports high-quality recording. But the heart of the space is the relationship-building that happens before any recording begins.

Faculty coordinator Deanne Grant and student interns developed usage guidelines to protect speaker autonomy. Community members are encouraged to reflect on what they want to share and how they want it distributed. After recording, they receive the files in the format of their choosing鈥攚hether that鈥檚 a USB drive, email link, or physical copy. 麻豆免费高清无砖码区does not keep backups.

In May, Grant hosted 10 native language teachers from different communities to discuss the protocols needed for teaching Native languages, especially for the studio.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not archiving, we鈥檙e not extracting鈥攚e鈥檙e listening,鈥� said Grant. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e honoring people鈥檚 decisions about how their knowledge is shared.鈥�

This approach reflects the studio鈥檚 purpose as a tool of healing and resistance. For generations, U.S. Indian boarding schools sought to erase Native languages. The Apple Studio aims to do the opposite鈥攁mplifying Indigenous voices through respectful, community-led language revitalization.

Current Apple Studio Fellow Britt Herman, a junior in Native American & Indigenous Studies, is continuing Tom鈥檚 work by supporting community members in using the studio and recording their stories. A member of the Mvskoke Nation, Herman is excited to bring 10 years of recording and editing experience to this role.

As the studio grows, its goal remains simple: create space for Native languages and voices to thrive.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a place where stories can be shared without fear, knowledge can be preserved with respect, and communities can choose how their voices move forward,鈥� said Melissa Mount, CEO of the 麻豆免费高清无砖码区Foundation.