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Story Topic: Language

Interview Language(s)

Dene Kede

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Miriame Giroux

Dene Kede encompasses the language, culture and the way in which five Dene nations view the world. In K to 6, themes are used to reinforce and teach the four concepts central to Dene perspective: the Spiritual World, the Land, the Self and the People, while grades 7 to 9 employ a modular approach. The […]

Dene Kede encompasses the language, culture and the way in which five Dene nations view the world. In K to 6, themes are used to reinforce and teach the four concepts central to Dene perspective: the Spiritual World, the Land, the Self and the People, while grades 7 to 9 employ a modular approach. The purpose of this curriculum is to present children with the experiences, knowledge, skills and attitudes which will guide them toward becoming capable citizens.  https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/education-et-programmes-detude-de-la-maternelle-la-12e-annee/aboriginal-languages

Spirit Lines Educational Tool Kit

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Richard Stecenko

Spirit Lines is an educational tool kit developed jointly between the Manitoba Museum and First Nations communities in Northern Manitoba. It consists of three photo books, two text books, and a recording of 20 oral histories. The toolkit has been used in all classes from Kindergarten to Grade XII. Also, it has been used at […]

Spirit Lines is an educational tool kit developed jointly between the Manitoba Museum and First Nations communities in Northern Manitoba. It consists of three photo books, two text books, and a recording of 20 oral histories. The toolkit has been used in all classes from Kindergarten to Grade XII. Also, it has been used at community events. David describes the amazement of people hearing stories told by their parents and grandparents.  https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/manitoba-museum-reaches-out-to-northern-communities/

Know Who You Are – Traditional Knowledge Holder Darlene Cardinal

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Frannie and Kisa Rogers

Traditional Knowledge Holder uses her experience in the classrooms of the Grande Prairie Public School system with an aim to help students know who they are and where they belong. This Traditional Knowledge Holder teaches directly in the public school system classrooms of Grande Prairie. She works to share cultural teachings to students and to […]

Traditional Knowledge Holder uses her experience in the classrooms of the Grande Prairie Public School system with an aim to help students know who they are and where they belong. This Traditional Knowledge Holder teaches directly in the public school system classrooms of Grande Prairie. She works to share cultural teachings to students and to bring a cultural perspective to support the helpers in assigning meaning to what is happening in a child’s world both in and out of the classroom. Advocacy of children and the culture and the role culture must play in their lives both in and out of the classroom is an urgent piece of her work at all times.

Social Media as a Language Teaching Tool

Posted on by Heather O'Watch

Solomon Ratt uses Facebook to engage students and community members in learning Cree.

Solomon Ratt, Cree Language Professor at First Nations University of Canada, discusses how his Cree Language Facebook group has helped students and community members learn Cree. A few years ago, Solomon began engaging his Cree language student’s, outside of regular class time, by creating Cree language videos for them to learn and practice. He uploads Cree language videos to the Facebook group, and now the group has grown from students to community members, and eventually to global learners. A community formed within the Facebook group and now more people than ever are logging on and engaging in learning Cree. Solomon hopes that alongside technological developments the Cree language will be revitalized and reclaimed.

Banuts’ukuih: Indigenous-led Experiential Learning at the University of Northern British Columbia

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Kiara McLean

The Banuts’ukuih (meaning, canoe coming to shore in Lheidli) project is an example of the experiential learning opportunities led by Indigenous instructors in partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia. Other experiential courses have involved creating a pit house, decolonization through land stewardship, and moose-hide tanning. These courses offer Indigenous and non-Indigenous post secondary […]

The Banuts’ukuih (meaning, canoe coming to shore in Lheidli) project is an example of the experiential learning opportunities led by Indigenous instructors in partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia. Other experiential courses have involved creating a pit house, decolonization through land stewardship, and moose-hide tanning. These courses offer Indigenous and non-Indigenous post secondary students the opportunity to learn about Indigenous cultures through participation in cultural activities – such as carving a cottonwood canoe. In addition, these courses allow for the transmission of oral traditions – such as the Lheidli T’enneh story of ‘Astas and the Salmon. https://www.unbc.ca/experiential-learning

Chief Whitecap School – An Alliance with Saskatoon Public Schools

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Timothy Merasty

The Principal and Counsellor from Chief Whitecap School and the Superintendent from Saskatoon Public Schools discuss the importance of the alliance that brought about the school.

In partnership between Whitecap Dakota First Nation and Saskatoon Public Schools, Chief Whitecap School embodies the vision of provincially mandated curriculum taught in a good way and in alignment with Dakota First Nations culture, language, and traditions. With funding from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Chief Whitecap School is the designated school for Whitecap Dakota First Nation students in Grade 5-8. The funding helps to reduce the education and graduation gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students which has given opportunities for continued Dakota cultural learning and language acquisition. This partnership is committed to reconciliation as it works towards the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. The success of the school is determined within the relationships of the partners, teachers, students, and community.

Contemporary Indigenous Art at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park Gallery

Posted on by Timothy Merasty

Felicia Gay is the Gallery Curator at Wanuskewin Heritage Park and she discusses contemporary Indigenous art, arts programming, and curatorship within the interpretive center.

The Wanuskewin Gallery focuses on contemporary Indigenous art with content accessible to people five years old and older. As an interpretive center, Wanuskewin interprets the culture of the people on the northern plains through archeology, ethnography, traditional ceremony, and food. Felicia Gay believes that Indigenous education involves Indigenous history and contemporary worldviews. The stories and narratives of Indigenous people need to be disseminated to the wider public in order for Indigenous people to be better understood. The objective of the gallery is to relay the Indigenous worldview through contemporary narratives inclusive of history, post-colonialism, and Indigenous superheroes – trickster, etc. Though Indigenous visual culture has focused on traditional art, the gallery introduces people to contemporary Indigenous art created by people in Saskatchewan, with a large number of artists coming from Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP)

Posted on by Heather O'Watch

SUNTEP is a teacher education program that focuses on Métis education and student success.

Janice Thompson is the Program Head for the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP). SUNTEP is a four-year, fully accredited Bachelor of Education program offered by the Gabriel Dumont Institute in cooperation with the Ministry of Advanced Education, the University of Regina, and the University of Saskatchewan. Prospective students can find campuses located in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Regina. The education program is designed around Métis education, cultural revitalization, and language reclamation. The program’s foundations are centered around relationships, academic and personal supports, and land-based learning. Currently, SUNTEP is the only post-secondary academic program in the country that offers Michif as an approved language credit. Thompson believes that, like First Nations education, Métis education needs to be mandated by the province so that Métis history, identity, language, and culture are no longer an after-thought. Equality in education means that our education system must be inclusive of all Indigenous groups, Inuit, Métis, and First Nations, and be mandated by our provincial government.

Land-Based Programs Offered by the Treaty Education Alliance

Posted on by Yvonne Benjoe

Lori Whiteman, Executive Director of the Treaty Education Alliance, describes their land-based programs and services.

The Treaty Education Alliance (TEA) offers educational programs and services for schools and communities. With funding from INAC they are able to serve K-12 schools using an inherent and Treaty Rights-Based Approach. The Alliance aims to increase student retention, numeracy, literacy, and community engagement. The Learning the Land program builds land-based learning capacity for teachers while working alongside language keepers and local Knowledge Keepers. The Alliance also partners with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Outbound Canada for their programs. To learn more about their programs please review their resources below.

Check out Learning the Land website for educational initiatives undertaken to exercise the inherent and treaty rights to education.

In partnership with Outward Bound Canada, the Treaty Education Alliance offers Field Leader Training as professional development opportunities for teachers and affiliated schools. Check out this video!

nêhiyawak Summer Language Experience

Posted on by Heather O'Watch

Founder, Belinda Daniels discusses the nêhiyawak Summer Language Experience that takes place annually in Saskatchewan as a week-long immersive Cree language course.

The nêhiyawak Summer Language Experience was formed in early 2005 in efforts to revitalize the Cree language with an intensive summer language course open to anyone willing to learn Cree. With applications growing every year for the summer experience, wait lists have been added to ensure participants can look forward to the experience with a one-week immersion course that is land-based. Belinda Daniels shares her efforts to bring language and land together in education through the nêhiyawak Summer Language Experience’s success.