Tag Archives: Language

Module 4 Post 2: Indigenous youth are clear about what they want and need

My work in finding authentic ways to Indigenize post-secondary curriculums requires listening and learning directly from Indigenous youth.

How can we possibly Indigenize post-secondary curriculums without listening to Indigenous youth? What do they want from their educational experiences? Susan Dion from York University spoke with various Indigenous youth and discovered that they are clear about what they want and need from education. These include lessons that address: “Indigenous humanity and diversity, the history of colonialism, local history and contemporary culture, Indigenous knowledge, languages, and worldviews” (Dion, 2016, p 471). They don’t want Canada’s story to be their story. They don’t want destruction of their culture nor the disappearance of their language. They strongly want to survive as Indigenous people and they refuse to assimilate.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cars.12128

Reference:

Dion, S.D. (2016). Mediating the space between: Voices of Indigenous youth and voices of educators in service of reconciliation. Canadian Sociological Association. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cars.12128

MODULE 2-ENTRY 1: How language shapes the way we think

There are 7000 languages spoken around the world, but the tragic thing is that we are losing so much of this linguistic diversity. All the languages differ from one another in all kinds of ways such as vocabularies, intonations, structures, etc.  Does the language we speak shaper the way we think? There was an example of an experiment from an aboriginal community in Australia. People in the aboriginal community live in Pompuraaw at Cape York has a dramatically different way of thinking about time and direction since they don’t have the expression “left” and “right”. In this Ted talk, the speaker “Lera Boroditsky” presents several examples of how languages shapes the way we think and the importance of language that creates and thinking differently. This video clip lead me to think about the importance of preserving endangered indigenous language in order to revitalize indigenous culture as well as their language.

 

TED. (2018, May 2).How language shapes the way we think | Lera Boroditsky. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved June 18,2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKK7wGAYP6k&ab_channel=TEDTED

MODULE 2 – Entry 4: FINDING MEANINGFUL RESOURCES

Early Years Indigenous Cultural Safety Resource Guide.  BC Ministry of Children and Family Development:

I feel, the earlier we can help support our Indigenous students the better their chances will be for success in every aspect of their lives. The purpose of this guide is to help educators who work with younger Indigenous children, families, and communities find appropriate and meaningful resources that will increase their ability to provide culturally safe and respectful care.

Where can I learn more about Indigenous people in Canada?:

This site includes resources for children of all ages.  It lists Indigenous themed picture books, comic books, reading books, video games, colouring pages, fun booklets, online crossword, interactive games, “Did You Know Q & A” and a bead amaze art activity.  If you click on “Explore the Indigenous Culture” it leads to more topics for children to go through, like the following: Indigenous History, Totem Pole info, Indigenous Resources, Fun Facts (Food, Language, Sports, Dance), First Nations (People, Books, Crafts).  CBC Kids’ Indigenous resources display items and activities that would expose the younger generation to the beautiful culture of the Indigenous peoples in fun, simple creative ways that would capture many children’s hearts and minds in an engaging and informative manner.

The BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS)-Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care:

This particular site looks into helping Indigenous communities  develop high quality, culturally grounded, spiritually enriching, community child care services that are based in the child’s culture, language and history.  There is a team of dedicated people who help provide leadership, training, resources, and services to support Indigenous early learning and child care. They honour the memory and dedication of those that came before us and have joined them in this journey to support Indigenous early learning child care. There are amazing links to projects and videos linked to the BCACCS, for example the “The Documentation Project,” various workshops, curriculum kits and services like including hosting two preschool programs that provide quality demonstration and learning sites, outreach, networking, research, resources, and training to support early childhood educators and the Indigenous children and families they serve.

Public Domain Photo, taken by the University of Saskatchewan

References:

BC Ministry of Children and Family Development.(2018). The BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS)-Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care.[Site]. Retrieved May 29, 2021 https://www.acc-society.bc.ca/about/

Canada Media Fund. (2021). Where can I learn more about Indigenous people in Canada? [Site]. Retrieved May 29, 2021,https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/where-can-i-learn-more-about-indigenous-people-in-canada

Province of British Columbia. (March 2021). Early Years Indigenous Cultural Safety Resource Guide.  BC Ministry of Children and Family Development.[Site]. Retrieved May 29, 2021,https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/family-and-social-supports/child-care/ics_resource_guide.pdf

M1, Entry 5: Indigenous Language Revitalization

Module 1: The Global and the Local in Indigenous Knowledge

Entry 5: Indigenous Language Revitalization

This TED talk discusses the importance of language to culture and identity. Watch to find out what is currently being done in Canada to support the revitalization of Indigenous languages and what still needs to be done to meet the goals of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

Morcom, L. (2019). A history of Indigenous languages – and how to revitalize them. [TED, 14 mins.] https://www.ted.com/talks/lindsay_morcom_a_history_of_indigenous_languages_and_how_to_revitalize_them#t-826657

Using technology to save language

Module 1 – Entry 3

Using technology to save languages

There are many Indigenous languages that are at risk of going extinct. The arrival of the Internet has made it possible to document and save some of these languages from going extinct. In her essay, “An Example of Excellence – Chickasaw Language Revitalization through Technology” Traci Morris (2017) talks about how technology is playing an important role in saving the Chickasaw language. She brings up some interesting ideas about how “technology holds great promise in stabilizing tribal languages, which are in danger of extinction, allowing connections between remote peoples and between young and old.” She draws attention to young people’s desire to be connected using technology that can be leveraged to save traditional languages. Connecting people using social media such as Facebook can provide opportunities to connect people that can speak the language and people that want to learn the language. Furthermore, she has found “the number of Tribal language apps in the iTunes and Android stores is constantly growing.” Morris does acknowledge that technology cannot replace in-person learning.

Therefore, this essay by Morris is a good example of how technology can save a culture through language preservation before it is lost forever.

Reference

Morris, T. L. (2017). An Example of Excellence: Chickasaw Language Revitalization through Technology. In Indigenous people and mobile technologies (pp. 293–304). essay, Routledge.

Promoting Language by Offering Indigenous Language Degree

Module 1 – Entry 1

UBCO Indigenous Language Degree – Global News Video Coverage

I found this Global news story while looking for ways that indigenous languages are being preserved. Jeanette Armstrong is a professor at UBCO offering a new degree program that focuses on indigenous language preservation. Since UBCO is located in the Okanagan, there is a focus on the traditions, cultures, and languages of the Okanagan people. I think this is a great example of how to utilize place (Okanagan) to promote the preservation of a culture that was at risk of being lost. This short video clip is a great starting point to launch an investigation into the Okanagan people.

Squamish Language – How-to Videos

Located on the same Global news page is an interesting story about Aaron Williams, a Squamish language project specialist that was hired to create bilingual signs that displayed both English and Squamish language on road sign leading up to the 2010 Olympics. What I find interesting about the story is how technology (YouTube) is being used to create public interest in a language that not many people know how to use. The Squamish language is seen on public highways and now Arron is using YouTube to create how-to videos to help people pronounce what they are seeing on the signs. I think this a great example of how indigenous languages can be saved using technology.

Recognizing Indigenous influences on a Sea to Sky Corridor Adventure - SLCC Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre

I found both of these articles interesting because I am interested in looking at how technology can be used in a culturally respectful manner that will benefit the maximum number of stakeholders. Using examples such as these two stories could help me discover new ways of incorporating technology in my own classroom and be culturally sensitive.

Reference

Little, S, & Aylesworth, L. (2021, April 30). Squamish First Nation member creates ‘how-to’ videos on pronouncing Indigenous names. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/7825465/squamish-language-signs/