mohawk first nations language revitalization in canada
DESCRIPTION
Mohawk First Nations Language Revitalization in Canada. Presented by Samantha Demeyer , Corinne Hamill, Kayla Mcelwee , Deborah Obregon, Celeste Padilla. Cultural demographics. Mohawk nation encompasses 8 communities across Canada and the United States - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
MOHAWK FIRST NATIONS LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION IN CANADA
PRESENTED BY SAMANTHA DEMEYER, CORINNE HAMILL, KAYLA MCELWEE,
DEBORAH OBREGON, CELESTE PADILLA
CULTURAL DEMOGRAPHICS
Mohawk nation encompasses 8 communities across Canada and the United States
Mohawk part of Iroquois language family
Focus of our research is on Kahnawake, 20 min away from urban center of Montreal, Quebec
Mohawk Nation population 16, 200, Population in Kahnawake 7,300
Montreal Population approximately 3, 800, 000
LANGUAGE DEMOGRAPHICS
Language Majority Groups: English and French
Language Minority Groups: Iroquois and Algonquian Language Families
Linguistic position of Kahnawake children upon entering immersion schools 1950s: most children spoke exclusively
English
1970s: there was a push to begin teaching Mohawk at a younger age before school
Present: many children enter school with knowledge of Mohawk language
“ It is not uncommon in Kahnawake to hear people conversing with their grandchildren in Mohawk, then switching to English to speak to their own children”
Hoover, Michael. "The Revival of the Mohawk Language in Kahnawake." Brandonu. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2013.
MOHAWK INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES WITH CANADA'S REVITALIZATION PROGRAM
Kindergarden-6th grade: only Mohawk
7&8: 50% Mohawk and 50% English
High School: 40% Mohawk and 60% English
Students have are required to take one semester of Mohawk and one semester of Native Studies that is taught only Mohawk.
Goal: to transmit the language and culture so they can continue the cultural way of life.
Kahnawake during the 1970's only 15 minutes of Mohawk was taught in elementary schools
Bill 101 enacted many Mohawk books, pictures, resources become available to public.
The public came together and created a program to teach Mohawk in school.
Created a bond between the community
Mohawk Instructional Practices with Canada's Revitalization Program
LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND CULTURAL GOALS
Example: Akwenasene Freedom School (preK-8 immersion)
preK-6 in Mohawk, English introduced in 7th grade
50:50 English and Mohawk helping with transition to public school
Preservation of culture (stories, skills, art, history, way of life)
Strengthen Mohawk Nation
Raise up leaders by teaching the whole person
Language learned by speaking then writing & reading
POLICY ISSUES FROM 17TH CENTURY TO 1970
o Beginning in the mid-17th Century
The Indian Residential Schools (IRS) educational system saw First Nations children taken to boarding schools to be “civilized,” educated, and converted to Christianity.
o In the 1970’s, a sharp policy shift from segregation toward integration increased the role of provinces and territories in the education of First Nations children.
60% of First Nations students were attending provincial or territorial public schools.
Little accommodation was made for the educational needs of First Nations students, including respect for their languages, history and cultures.
POLICY ISSUES FROM 1970 TO 1990
In 1972, the National Indian Brotherhood manifested its vision for its education in a position paper entitled Indian Control of Indian Education.
The document set out an educational philosophy affirming the principles of First Nations local control of education.
Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, the federal government embarked on transferring responsibility for on-reserve elementary and secondary education to First Nations.
Policy Issues: 1990s to Now
1999: Kahnawake Language Law
“We are determined to remind the People of the importance of reviving, restoring, and perpetuating our language.”
Communication, education, ceremony, government, and business
2010: UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Canada originally opposed in 2007
Culture, identity, language, health, and education
2010: McIvor v. Canada
45,000 more people will become entitled to registration
If a part of the community, more likely to retain language, culture, etc.
More than
Mohawk continue to speak their traditional language
(Abler 1996)
Policies Compared to the United States
Educational/Language Policies
Originally derived from the United States
Has resulted in much language loss
Indian Act of 1920
Defines who is an “Indian”
Made attendance compulsory in residential schools
Instruction in English-only
GROUP CONSENSUS
Niawen’kó:wa(thank you very much)
REFERENCE LIST
http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/411/appa/rep/rep03dec11-e.pdf
http://www.kahnawake.com/council/docs/LanguageLaw.pdf
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/mohawk
http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/mohawk.htm
http://www.kahnawakelonghouse.com/index.php?mid=2
<!--[endif]-->http://www.autochtones.gouv.qc.ca/relations_autochtones/profils_nations/mohawks_en.htm
http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/12.2/hoover.pdf
http://www.afn.ca/index.php/en/policy-areas/education
Hoover, Michael. "The Revival of the Mohawk Language in Kahnawake." Brandonu. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2013
And of course: García, Ofelia, and Beardsmore Hugo. Baetens. Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Pub., 2009. Print.