Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Obstacles and Opportunities for Revitalizing Indigenous Languages
Revitalizing Indigenous Languages
Obstacles and Opportunities for Language Revitalization
1. Some Rare and Radical Ideas for Keeping Indigenous Languages Alive by Richard Littlebear
2. Running the Gauntlet of an Indigenous Language Program by Steve Greymorning
Thursday, 12 November 2015
how-technology-saving-indigenous-languages
Great promotion for languages.
Only language speakers using their language can save a language.
We need to speak language so all generations and especially the next generations will hear, learn and use the language.
Great promotion for languages.
Only language speakers using their language can save a language.
We need to speak language so all generations and especially the next generations will hear, learn and use the language.
Sunday, 8 November 2015
The Akwesasne Freedom School, J.L. Metallic
This excerp "The Akwesasne Freedom School" was written and shared by J.L. Metallic
"The Akwesasne Freedom School is now an independent elementary school that offers instruction from pre-kindergarten to grade eight. Recently, a grade nine level was added to the school (Sargent 2007).
However, unlike other immersion programs that use languages other than English, but follow the same teaching methods and curriculum found in mainstream schools – the Freedom School is founded on an entirely Mohawk way of thinking and learning (Harvard, 2005). Its curriculum and teaching methods are based on the Mohawk “Thanksgiving Address,” which teaches gratitude for the earth and everything upon it. Students study reading, writing, math, science, history, and geography, through their Mohawk language and culture (Akwesasne Freedom School, 1995).
The school is open year-round, operating for six weeks on and then two weeks off, based on the Mohawk Ceremonial Year, comprised of fifteen Longhouse ceremonies that students attend as a vital part of their education (Sargent, 2005, Harvard, 2005). In short, the school combines solid academics with a strong foundation in Mohawk language and culture. "
"The Akwesasne Freedom School is now an independent elementary school that offers instruction from pre-kindergarten to grade eight. Recently, a grade nine level was added to the school (Sargent 2007).
However, unlike other immersion programs that use languages other than English, but follow the same teaching methods and curriculum found in mainstream schools – the Freedom School is founded on an entirely Mohawk way of thinking and learning (Harvard, 2005). Its curriculum and teaching methods are based on the Mohawk “Thanksgiving Address,” which teaches gratitude for the earth and everything upon it. Students study reading, writing, math, science, history, and geography, through their Mohawk language and culture (Akwesasne Freedom School, 1995).
The school is open year-round, operating for six weeks on and then two weeks off, based on the Mohawk Ceremonial Year, comprised of fifteen Longhouse ceremonies that students attend as a vital part of their education (Sargent, 2005, Harvard, 2005). In short, the school combines solid academics with a strong foundation in Mohawk language and culture. "
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Language Nest, Kahnawake
Each week two groups of mothers and their babies go to a small building in Kahnawake to be immersed in the Mohawk Language Nest with their children. Each group of eight mums attends two days per week with their babies and then on the Friday a two hour language tutoring session is provided for the mums as beginner, intermediate/advanced language learners. The mothers language proficiency is assessed using Oral Language Indicator evaluation and mothers are encouraged to keep a language journal. Mothers pay a small fee to attend and commit to a minimum of 6 months.
Just before 10 am the mothers, some grandmothers and aunties arrive and settle in with the children. The language nest is run by a facilitator working with an elder so all sessions are in Mohawk. The days always begin and end with thanks giving in a circle, followed by songs, stories, and a range of activities based on seasonal topics about health, foods, medicines, yards and gardens.
One the first day the mums then move to the adjacent kitchen/dining room for a two hour formal language lesson about the current topic, while two trained childcare workers run sessions for the children in the lounge area. The children are free to move between the rooms. Lunch is shared and then activity sessions continue until 3 pm.
The second day is 'cooking day' when the mums join in preparation, cooking, eating (and cleaning up). All sessions are in language and they are continually learning about healthy eating as well as language used in the kitchen and conversatons along the way. After a shared lunch there is another activity before closing.
Cara the LanguageNest coordinator, is one of the founding members of the Nest, and a mum curently attending the sessions. She said "The language nest is amazing, its our family. It not only vital for language learning it also strenghtens bonds between mothers and their children and other families. It also provides mothers support for breastfeeding, practical advice and skills for healthy living, cultural knowledge and bereavement support."
"Through the adult immersion classes and the Language Nest we now have second language adults who are raising their children as first language speakers. " This is truly language revitalization. There is a wait list for registrations and despite the demand and success of the program funding remains uncertain each year.
When I asked Cara what she would recommend to other language groups revitalizing their languages she had the same two key suggestions that other Korkahnawake staff had discussed:
☆ Look at and prioritize the resource pool of current speakers where/how they can be used most effectively
☆ Focus on building adult speakers first, through immersion. Provide day care or language nests to enable all to attend. Then focus on children in day care, kindergarten and schools as they grow.
Just before 10 am the mothers, some grandmothers and aunties arrive and settle in with the children. The language nest is run by a facilitator working with an elder so all sessions are in Mohawk. The days always begin and end with thanks giving in a circle, followed by songs, stories, and a range of activities based on seasonal topics about health, foods, medicines, yards and gardens.
One the first day the mums then move to the adjacent kitchen/dining room for a two hour formal language lesson about the current topic, while two trained childcare workers run sessions for the children in the lounge area. The children are free to move between the rooms. Lunch is shared and then activity sessions continue until 3 pm.
The second day is 'cooking day' when the mums join in preparation, cooking, eating (and cleaning up). All sessions are in language and they are continually learning about healthy eating as well as language used in the kitchen and conversatons along the way. After a shared lunch there is another activity before closing.
Cara the LanguageNest coordinator, is one of the founding members of the Nest, and a mum curently attending the sessions. She said "The language nest is amazing, its our family. It not only vital for language learning it also strenghtens bonds between mothers and their children and other families. It also provides mothers support for breastfeeding, practical advice and skills for healthy living, cultural knowledge and bereavement support."
"Through the adult immersion classes and the Language Nest we now have second language adults who are raising their children as first language speakers. " This is truly language revitalization. There is a wait list for registrations and despite the demand and success of the program funding remains uncertain each year.
When I asked Cara what she would recommend to other language groups revitalizing their languages she had the same two key suggestions that other Korkahnawake staff had discussed:
☆ Look at and prioritize the resource pool of current speakers where/how they can be used most effectively
☆ Focus on building adult speakers first, through immersion. Provide day care or language nests to enable all to attend. Then focus on children in day care, kindergarten and schools as they grow.
Thursday, 5 November 2015
Australian history
why-our-kids-should-learn-Aboriginal-history
Australia’s ‘Ancient History’
The archaeological history of the First Australians is a truly remarkable story. At a time when Europe was still the domain of Neanderthals, the earliest Aboriginal societies were establishing complex religions, burying their dead with elaborate rituals, engaging in long-distance trade, making jewellery, and producing magnificent works of art. Over the ensuing millennia these societies witnessed huge changes, including the mass extinction of the megafauna and the intense desertification of Australia during the last great Ice Age. They changed and adapted and rose to these significant challenges. They made social and economic choices, developed sustainable ways of living, undertook significant engineering feats and created one of the most unique ‘civilisations’ in the world.
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Australia’s ‘Ancient History’
The archaeological history of the First Australians is a truly remarkable story. At a time when Europe was still the domain of Neanderthals, the earliest Aboriginal societies were establishing complex religions, burying their dead with elaborate rituals, engaging in long-distance trade, making jewellery, and producing magnificent works of art. Over the ensuing millennia these societies witnessed huge changes, including the mass extinction of the megafauna and the intense desertification of Australia during the last great Ice Age. They changed and adapted and rose to these significant challenges. They made social and economic choices, developed sustainable ways of living, undertook significant engineering feats and created one of the most unique ‘civilisations’ in the world.
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Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Mohawk online
online-course-preserves-mohawk
Article by Heather Travis, Western News (Thu, Oct 08, 2009)
David Kanatawakhon-Maracle believes the preservation of language is equal to the preservation of a culture. As a teacher of the Mohawk language at The University of Western Ontario, he is doing his part to keep his language and culture alive.
Kanatawakhon-Maracle teaches in the Department of Anthropology and for the first time in 16 years, he is teaching First Nations 2104, Introduction to the Mohawk Language, as an online distance studies course.
Article by Heather Travis, Western News (Thu, Oct 08, 2009)
David Kanatawakhon-Maracle believes the preservation of language is equal to the preservation of a culture. As a teacher of the Mohawk language at The University of Western Ontario, he is doing his part to keep his language and culture alive.
Kanatawakhon-Maracle teaches in the Department of Anthropology and for the first time in 16 years, he is teaching First Nations 2104, Introduction to the Mohawk Language, as an online distance studies course.
Language revitalization
Trina is the long time Curriculum Resource Coordinator and Cultural Liaison officer at Korkahnawake and is committed to upholding holistic Mohawk ways of knowing and being and supporting the development of culturally responsive curriculum resources.
She discussed two key points for successful language revitalization:
Provide learners with culturally based language experiences and daily opportunities to practise using language in context. When learning is based on culture the language comes alive and when learners are involved in determining curriculum content they are more likely to retain the knowledge.
Be honest with adult learners about the number of hours required to reach various proficiency levels and that in learning their language a number of emotional, psychological and identity issues may arise that will impact on their learning. Help learners develop a plan to work through these issues and to set personal and group goals for the language class, which will provide more than one way to be successful in their language learning process. Use ACTFL Speaking standards to guide language development and OPI for assessment.http://www.actfl.org/
She discussed two key points for successful language revitalization:
Provide learners with culturally based language experiences and daily opportunities to practise using language in context. When learning is based on culture the language comes alive and when learners are involved in determining curriculum content they are more likely to retain the knowledge.
Be honest with adult learners about the number of hours required to reach various proficiency levels and that in learning their language a number of emotional, psychological and identity issues may arise that will impact on their learning. Help learners develop a plan to work through these issues and to set personal and group goals for the language class, which will provide more than one way to be successful in their language learning process. Use ACTFL Speaking standards to guide language development and OPI for assessment.http://www.actfl.org/
Monday, 2 November 2015
kukukwes News Website
kukukwes
Maureen Googoo is an award winning journalist and is the owner/editor of Kukukwes.com a news website dedicated to coverage of Aboriginal issues in Atlantic Canada.
Follow kukukwes on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/Kukukwes/
Maureen Googoo is an award winning journalist and is the owner/editor of Kukukwes.com a news website dedicated to coverage of Aboriginal issues in Atlantic Canada.
Follow kukukwes on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/Kukukwes/
Mohawk Puppetry - combining language and arts
Being the director, coordinator and puppeteer of the Mohawk puppet show has enabled Marion, a very creative, talented and energetic young woman to combine her love of the arts and language revitalization.
A very small staff and community puppeteers produce five video shows a year of the animated puppet show Tota tanon Ohkwa:ri, which are told in the Mohawk language, stories of a grandmother and grandchild. The content and scripts are created with elders and cover a range of topics -traditional stories and teachings, health messages and everyday topics.
Marion said "the arts makes learning language fun, its a great way to engage youth and to get elders and youth working together ". She loves producing the show and said she has learnt so much working with elders over the years. The messages from elders continually reinforce the teachings "that we should not put ourselves above the life sustainers (the plants and animals), by giving thanks we restore the balance, something has died so our life can be sustained."
A very small staff and community puppeteers produce five video shows a year of the animated puppet show Tota tanon Ohkwa:ri, which are told in the Mohawk language, stories of a grandmother and grandchild. The content and scripts are created with elders and cover a range of topics -traditional stories and teachings, health messages and everyday topics.
In addition to the 60 episodes on file, and the current show being developed the team have been doing live shows this year with different schools, on the topics of diabetes and next show is about resisting peer pressure.
In the past most scripts have been written in English, so to overcome translation problems, Marion is working on the idea of audio recording elders creating the script in language. Then the puppeteers will learn the script from the audio and in this way Mohawk world view, ways of thinking and talking will be preserved. Marion said "the arts makes learning language fun, its a great way to engage youth and to get elders and youth working together ". She loves producing the show and said she has learnt so much working with elders over the years. The messages from elders continually reinforce the teachings "that we should not put ourselves above the life sustainers (the plants and animals), by giving thanks we restore the balance, something has died so our life can be sustained."
Kanien’kehá:ka Language and Cultural Center, Mohawk Territory.
Korkahnawake
The Language and Cultural Center was created in 1978 to preserve and enrich the language and culture of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) of Kahnawà:ke. The center is located in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke south of Montreal, Canada.
The Korkahnawake centre provides a focus for language and culture in the community and a dedicated team provide and support a wide range of programs and initiatives such as:
Exhibition and museum, library, photo archive;
Adult language immersion - a two year full time course, curriculum resource coordinator, beginner language classes, annual language gathering and workshops sharing best practise, dictionary production, language nest;
Elders’ Leo and Joe’s All Kanien’kéha Language Radio Talk Show, KORLCC’s Radio Talk Show, Kahnawake K103.7 FM, animated puppet show that is filmed and broadcast; Community art exhibitions, annual variety show, guest speakers in schools, film festival, April cultural awareness month.
I had a very enlightening day with some of the team at Korkahnawake and will post more details of some initiatives.
The Language and Cultural Center was created in 1978 to preserve and enrich the language and culture of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) of Kahnawà:ke. The center is located in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke south of Montreal, Canada.
Exhibition and museum, library, photo archive;
Adult language immersion - a two year full time course, curriculum resource coordinator, beginner language classes, annual language gathering and workshops sharing best practise, dictionary production, language nest;
Elders’ Leo and Joe’s All Kanien’kéha Language Radio Talk Show, KORLCC’s Radio Talk Show, Kahnawake K103.7 FM, animated puppet show that is filmed and broadcast; Community art exhibitions, annual variety show, guest speakers in schools, film festival, April cultural awareness month.
I had a very enlightening day with some of the team at Korkahnawake and will post more details of some initiatives.
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