LANGUAGE
16 | NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY FRIDAY, JUNE 21
Language revival
build the students’ identity and who they are as Ojibwe and Cree. There’s opportunities to learn about ceremonies such as smudging, sharing circle, feasts and pipe ceremonies,” he said. “Language and culture go synonymously together. Community members, elders and educators realized that we would have to go much deeper and have more opportunities for young people to be exposed to language.” A curriculum document called 13 Moons on the Turtle’s Back provides a basis for the program, drawing on traditional Indigenous teaching and ecological land-based learning. “It’s a resource guide for the teachers to do planning so that they can infuse Manitoba curriculum with an Indigenous perspective,” Goring said. “You want to plan with a holistic approach, keeping the land, the language and the culture in mind. The resource guide helps the teachers be aware of and use teachings that have been passed down by elders to ensure that the children are receiving those teachings as well.” Vice-principal Brian Rogowsky adds that registration is still open for the upcoming school year. “Our program is offered to anyone across Winnipeg School Division. Within the Winnipeg School Division, if you are more than 1.6 kilometres away from the school, you also receive busing for the language program,” he said. “There are two entry points at kindergarten and Grade 1. If there is someone in Grade 2
that family to see if it would be possible.” For those who live outside the school division, they can have their names added to a waitlist for a spot. Looking ahead, plans are in the works to celebrate the seasonal change through the summer solstice. “We’re celebrating Indigenous identity on a
daily basis here at the school. We also have a new Canadian population at the school, so it’s helping to build bridges across all our cultures,” Rogowsky said. “The hope is that we are building a group of young people that will be able to help revitalize the language and there will be more language speakers in the community of Winnipeg.”
BY JENNIFER MCFEE THE POWER OF LANGUAGE PREVAILS THROUGH WINNIPEG SCHOOL DIVISION’S BILINGUAL CREE AND OJIBWE PROGRAMS. T hese programs are currently wrapping up their third year at Isaac Brock School, drawing students from across the division for kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 instruction in multi-age classrooms. In September, the program will expand by another level, going up to Grade 3 for the 2019-20 school year. Colleen Omand instructs the Cree program, while Alma Bernier teaches the Ojibwe classes. For Bernier, it’s astounding to see how quickly the kids are connecting to the language. She’s been tracking the Ojibwe vocabulary the students have learned throughout the school year. So far, she’s already listed 400 words — and she’s still counting. “They’re really good at reading the double vowel system, and we’re translating into the syllabic. The parents are learning the language as well as the kids. We even had one grandmother say that her grandson answers her in the language now. She’s really pleased with him,” Bernier said. ‘The language is coming back in waves. It’s unbelievable. It’s actually fun, and the kids are having a good time with it too. They are grasping the language quickly.” Principal Chris Goring notes the education extends beyond language instruction. An on- site lodge room is used for daily smudging and other teachings. “There’s also a cultural component to help
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Students are flourishing in the bilingual Cree and Ojibwe language programs at Isaak Brock School. Photo courtesy of Dan LeMoal, Winnipeg School Division.
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