MB Government Website

I started my interroagation of global and local networks at the Manitoba Government Education website:   http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/abedu/. It is a component of the Education and Literacy Department.

This site looks at the Manitoba strategies and frameworks for aboriginal education and language preservation.

It has a number of important links, including Kindergarten to Grade 12 Aboriginal Languages and Cultures: Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes.

In this document, one of the elders states: ““Language is power to understand culture.”  I never quite thought of language that way – as a gateway to culture – but it really is the fundamental cornerstone in understanding any culture. Therefore, preserving language of indigenous people becomes the cornor stone of understanding culture.

The site has a number of informational links including:

Bridging Two Worlds: Aboriginal Education and Employment Action Plan 2008-2011 – Education Action Plan

Integrating Aboriginal Perspectives into Curricula – for curriculum developers

Manitoba Kindergarten to Grade 4 Aboriginal Languages and Cultures: Bibliography of Recommended Picture Books/Novels with Suggested Uses: A Reference for Selecting Learning Resources ( 194 KB)

The Way We Speak: An Annotated Bibliography of Aboriginal Language Resources in Manitoba ( 218 KB) – an extensive bilbliography of available resources

Aboriginal Language Instruction in Manitoba – May 2001 ( 64 KB) – a study looking at the availability of aboriginal languages in the Manitoba school systems.