Share a Kasem expression: one clear way to contribute

If you speak Kasem, there is now one clear thing you can do today: share an everyday expression — a greeting, a blessing, an idiom or a saying — with what it means, when it is said and who you learned it from. A Kasem-speaking reviewer checks it, and you can see exactly where it stands.

A clearer front door

The front page of indigenworld.com now says, before anything else, the two things you can do today: look up a Kasem word in the public dictionary, or share a Kasem expression for review.

Just below, the two paths sit side by side. Learn Kasem is for learners and families: search the dictionary, read meanings and context, listen where a recording exists, and save words for your next visit. No account needed. Contribute Kasem is for Kasem speakers. It says what the task is, how long it takes and what it needs from you — a free Google sign-in and about five minutes — before you click anything.

Schools, researchers and partners still have their own routes on the Get Involved page.

A campaign page that shows the whole task

The new Contribute page is the home of the Everyday Kasem expressions campaign. It sets out what to send, what not to send, what happens after you send it, and the questions people usually ask before they start. The Share an expression button goes straight to the form.

One expression, five things

That is the whole task. The form in TribeStudio asks for exactly these, one section at a time, and keeps your draft if you step away:

1. The expression, in Kasem. Write it the way you say it. If you are unsure of the spelling, write it your way — the reviewer can suggest one. The Kasem letters are one tap away.
2. What it means. The meaning in English, not word for word. You can add a word-for-word reading too, which helps with idioms.
3. When it is used. Who says it, to whom, and on what occasion, and the dialect.
4. Who you learned it from. Yourself, a family member, an elder, someone in your community, a book or a recording. Name the speaker only if they agree to be named.
5. Consent. Confirm that the person you learned it from agreed to share it, and that it is nothing sacred or private. Then choose whether it may be published after review.

What happens after you send it

Every expression is read by a Kasem-speaking reviewer before anyone else can see it. Under Your expressions in TribeStudio, each one shows where it stands:

• Waiting for review — it has arrived. Only you and the review team can see it.
• With a specialist reviewer — it has gone to an elder, a teacher or a rights reviewer for a second look.
• Approved, then Published — it is public, credited to you. If you chose review only, it is approved and kept for the archive instead.
• Not accepted — the reviewer's reason appears beside it, and Correct and send again puts it back in the form for you to fix.

You are notified in TribeStudio when a reviewer decides. You can withdraw an expression at any time, even after it is published; withdrawing takes it off public pages.

Expressions stay expressions

An expression is more than its words. Until now, expressions that passed review were stored as if they were dictionary words: the whole phrase became a headword, was numbered beside real words that share its spelling, and was counted as a "word" in a contributor's record. The situation it is said in — the part that makes it usable — had nowhere to go.

Approved expressions now have a home of their own. Each is published whole, with its meaning, the situation it is used in and where it came from, and credited to the person who shared it. It is never split into dictionary words. The same now applies to expressions translated by invited contributors. The dictionary keeps single words; expressions keep their context.

Honest campaign pages

We have also cleaned up TribeStudio's campaign pages. The Opportunities page used to show a progress bar and a prize pool on every campaign. Those figures were placeholders, not real targets or prizes, and they have been removed. A campaign now shows only what it actually defines, and says plainly when no rewards are announced.

The TribeStudio dashboard no longer offers levels and badges for points. It starts with the two tasks you can do — share an expression, or add a single word — and shows how many of your contributions reviewers have accepted.

For reviewers

Expressions arrive on the same Review Desk as everything else, labelled as expressions. Each card shows all five parts: the Kasem, the meaning, when it is used, who it came from, and the exact statements the contributor confirmed. Approve it, or reject it with a reason the contributor can act on — they will see your words and can send a correction. Publish expression puts an approved expression on the website.

Good to know

• Why sign in? Your account is how you see the review status, read the reviewer's answer and withdraw an expression if you change your mind.
• AI use is opt-in. A separate, optional box lets you allow an expression to be used for Kasem language tools and AI research. It is off unless you tick it, and it changes nothing about the review.
• The speaker's name is optional. If you give one, it is shown with the published expression, so add it only if the person agreed.

Try it

Open indigenworld.com/contribute, read the task, and share your first expression. It takes about five minutes, and you will see its status as soon as you send it.