Language Revitalization in Treaty #3 Schools

Language Revitalization
Treaty #3: Strategies for schools to improve
Ojibway language revitalization
Fay Davis-Zoccole

0009024

Dr. Judy Iseke

December 13, 2011

Fay Davis Zoccole 2

Notes about the writer: My name is Fay Davis Zoccole. I am from Lac Seul First

Nation. During the past 12 years, I have been a teacher within the Treaty #3 Area.

Prior to taking this course, Cultivating Native Wellbeing, I was not interested in learning

to speak the language of my people. I believed this to be a language that was not

needed for the modern world. However, about mid-way through this course, I began to

see the importance of relearning the Ojibway language. I also thought about the

communities in the Treaty #3 area and began to recall the strengths of the various

schools where I had the opportunity to learn about our proud Ojibway people. The

knowledge that is included in this paper was written mostly about my experiences. I

hope to not only illuminate what kinds of practices and routines are carried out in the

schools but also offer suggestions of where we can go from here, starting today…

Sandra Indian of Onigaming First Nation said that Ojibway is a “heart language.”

(personal communication, April 2009). This language is life to the Ojibway people. The

term, Ojibway, explains who a people are, and the dialect explains where the speakers

are from. The people call themselves Anishinawbe which means “First people” or

“Original people.” Each word holds so much meaning that English cannot ever begin to

explain the richness and depth of the stories in each word. For example, the word,

“Meshake” is not only a family name but tells the story of the hovering and the stillness

of a dragon-fly. Therefore, the vastness of the Ojibway language is indeed spoken from

the heart of the Anishawbe people and is clear and concise to the listener. The

problem is the fluent speakers of Ojibway language are dwindling and communities are

Fay Davis Zoccole 3

facing near extinction. The language is also threatened. Dr. Ethel Gardner (2010)

states: “After 30 years of language revitalization effort, the Treaty 3 Tribal Councils

have failed to produce any new Ojibwe speakers”(page 1). As such, this paper will seek

to answer the question: How can community schools promote and encourage language

revitalization in the Treaty #3 Territory? Further discussion will also expand on ideas

such as what supports need to be put in place to support the school staff and how to

prepare our students in their future as fluent Ojibway speakers.

Seeing that the Ojibway language lends understanding of where a people are

from, it is important to learn about the land of the Treaty #3 people.

Place – or sense of place -- …suggests the concepts, memories, histories, ideas,

emotions, relationships, identities (both individual and community) and objects

associated with a particular physical space…Indigenous people are a people of

Place, and the nature of place is embedded in their language.

(Dakota and Ojibwe Language Revitalization in Minnesota, page 8)

The following is a map of the 28 communities (see Figure 11) included in the Treaty #3

area:

Fay Davis Zoccole 4

Figure 1- Map of Treaty #3 area showing individual communities2

According to the legend of the map, the Treaty #3 area stretches from Upsala to

Saugeen to Red Lake and spills over the Manitoba border, stopping at the American

border. The First Nation communities that are part of Treay #3 include: Sagkeeng,

Wabaseemong, Washagamasi Bay, Iskatewizaagegan, Shoal Lake #40, Northwest

Angle #33, Buffalo Point, Big Grassy, Big Island, Onigaming, Northwest Angle #37,

Naotkamegwanning, Wauzhusk Onigum, Ochichagwebabigoining, Grassy Narrows,

Wabaskang, Eagle Lake, Wabigoon Lake, Lac Des Mille Lacs, Nickousemenecaning,

Seine River, Lac La Croix, Lac Seul and Saugeen. As such, most of these First Nation

reserves have an elementary school as part of their community. A few of these

communities also have high schools for secondary students to attend. As one becomes

Fay Davis Zoccole 5

more aware of the diversities and richness of the Ojibway language and the culture of

each of the 28 communities within the Treaty #3 area, one wonders what has caused

this great language loss for the Ojibway people.

Evidence of the onslaught on the Ojibway culture and language is evident

through the many years of colonization, genocide and oppression of the Ojibway nation.

The residual effects of the residential school are still alive and have deeply wounded the

people in such a way that this hurt is transferred through shame, despair, alcoholism,

drug abuse, and a sense of hopelessness. A repetitive story has been intertwined and

resounded for the Ojibway people as stories are shared about how parents were

encouraged to teach their children English first as if to give their child a good start in life

so that when they attended school, the young students were suppose to make a

seamless transition into kindergarten. As a result, many Ojibway parents did not teach

their children to speak the native tongue because they felt it was in the best interest of

their children to speak English only. This was done as a means of protection because

parents did not want their children to be at the receiving end of being beaten in English

only residential schools. However, in spite of this marred history, the people within the

Treaty #3 area as well as other Aboriginal groups have began the process of reclaiming

their language. They are working towards revitalizing the Ojibway way of knowing that

includes language fluency.

Interestingly, there is a way to gauge how a community is doing with respect to

language loss. In the “Fishman’s Graded Intergeneration Disruption Scale,” Josh

Fishman (1991) designed a continuum with eight stages with the eighth stage being

Fay Davis Zoccole 6

closest to extinction and the first stage being closest to survival. The continuum goes

as follows:

 Stage eight – only a few elders still speak the language.

 Stage seven—only adults beyond childbearing age still speak Ojibway.

 Stage six – there is still some intergenerational use of Ojibway in the

homes.

 Stage five – Ojibway is still very much alive in the community, but it is still

the minority language spoken.

 Stage four – Ojibway is required in elementary schools as the language of

instruction in all subject areas.

 Stage three – the language is used at the workplace among employees

(but not with supervisors) in the community.

 Stage two – Ojibway is used by some of the personnel at The Grand

Treaty #3 Council and by some mass media (like the radio station) in the

community.

 Stage one – Ojibway is used by The Grand Treaty #3 Council, band

offices as well as, all higher education Institutes.

By referencing the scale, communities and schools can see where their Ojibway

language skills are leveled and then plans can be made to fix the areas that need

improvement with respect to Ojibway revitalization.

Ensuring the survival of the Ojibway language contributes to the survival of the

people. The residential school did it’s best to destroy the Ojibway language, culture and

traditions. However, there is resistance on the part of the people in Treaty#3 as they

Fay Davis Zoccole 7

are gaining strength and are in the midst of language revitalization. There is a belief

that if Anishinawbe children speak their language, this very skill would assist them to

become better learners of mainstream education:

…language immersion has the potential to address the achievement gap for

…Indian students…it gives the students an entire new skill set. It offers the brain

development and mental acuity benefits notable in much research on bi-lingual

education. It also consistently raises the level of student engagement in

classroom activities – an important factor in academic achievement.

(Dakota and Ojibwe Language Revitalization In Minnesota, page 11)

In addition to closing academic learning gaps, the Ojibway language helps shape a

child’s understanding of the world. This Ojibway world view is at the central core of

being an Anishinawbe person, who is balanced in all things related to living life. In

1992, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) summarized the importance of Aboriginal

languages as follows:

The Aboriginal Languages were given by the Creator as an integral part of life.

Embodied in Aboriginal languages is our unique relationship to the Creator, our

attitudes, beliefs, values, and the fundamental notion of what is truth. Aboriginal

language is an asset to one’s own education, formal and informal. Aboriginal

language contributes to greater pride in the history and culture of the community;

greater involvement and interest of parents in the education of their children, and

greater respect for Elders. Language is the principal means by which culture is

accumulated, shared and transmitted from generation to generation. The key to

identity and retention of culture is one’s ancestral language.

Fay Davis Zoccole 8

(Mandate, Assembly of First Nations)

Thus, each community has a part in supporting children to grow in a balanced and

healthy way through language revitalization and maintenance especially within

community schools.

Schools are the heart of Treaty#3 communities. It is here that Elders, teachers,

cultural teachers support staff and parents need to work together to implement

language revitalization activities and promote pride in the Ojibway culture. According to

a Language Survey completed by Dr. Ethel Gardner, the following three activities are

implemented in most schools. (Anishinaabemowin Anjimaamino Bijigadde Grand

Council Treaty #3 Report)

1. Ojibway Language Class: Language instruction is provided for each class from

grades Kindergarten to grade 8.

2. Cultural Events: Activities like community events such as feasts, ceremonies

and powwows are included.

3. Elders: Most elders engage in school activities upon invitation or offering of

tobacco.

From personal experience, seven other activities that some of the schools have

included are as follows:

Opening Exercises: The principal has the entire school body sing along with

each other while an audio recording plays over the intercom to the “Oh Canada”

anthem as the lyrics are in the Ojibway language. Also, the school has included

an Ojibway prayer for students to recite at the beginning of each day. In addition

Fay Davis Zoccole 9

to this, students have given the date and weather of the day over the intercom,

all in the Ojibway language.

After-school activities: Students enjoy after school activities that include cultural

activities such as, drumming, pow-wow dancing like fancy shawl or jingle dress.

Older students enjoy crafts like beading or leather work. There is a special

bonding that takes place while students are speaking Ojibway and learning more

about their language. Sometimes, elders have come to the school to request the

assistance of students when building a sweat lodge or learning lodge. The

stories that are exchanged during this time between the students and elders

bring healing and build a common bond between the young and the elderly.

However, not all students or communities follow the traditional way, some are

involved Christian activities. In this way, students enjoy listening to a First Nation

pastor and often the elder reinforces the teachings. It is beautiful to hear hymns

sang in the Ojibway language. The important trait is respect that is conveyed in

either the Traditional way or Christian spirituality..

Language Nests: A group of fluent Ojibway speakers including Language

Instructors, teachers, Elders and parents gather to document stories, legends

and teachings as well as engineer new words to fit with today’s modern

language. For example: television, when translated from English into Ojibway,

would be interpreted as the “box that talks.” The importance of word-smithing is

to translate words that are relevant to today’s vocabulary especially when using

terms related to science or technology.

Fay Davis Zoccole 10

Ojibway Language Spirit Days: Spirit Days are special days for stories, puppet

shows, poems recited or conversation practice in the Ojibway language to be

told before a smaller class of students or to elders in the community. For each

days, the school plans ahead so students can work together in each class to: a)

introduce themselves, including their clan; b) tell the date and weather; c)

name what community you are from, and ask others what communities they are

from. As such, this list could go on depending on the needs or interests of the

school. The important skill to stress is to get students to practice speaking in

Ojibway and listening to other speakers.

Language Camps: This is a great time to implement activities such as games

and sharing the history of the community to the students. The use of the

Ojibway language is encouraged for the students to practice with each other and

the ask questions from the Elders. Be sure to incorporate other cultural activities

like net-making, fishing and smoking fish, bannock making, hide tanning, etc.

Other cultural protocols: Some students have participated in a “Naming

Ceremony” where they are given an Indian name. The people who have given

this name to the child is called a “Wa a”. Often the “Wa a” attends school

functions such as parent/teacher interviews, concerts, science fairs and IPRC

meetings, etc. Allowances on the part of the school will be made to welcome the

Wa a especially if the parents have made a special request to the school. The

role of the Wa a is special one between them and the child. Should the child

require extra help in life or if the child is not making good choices in life, the Wa

a has the responsibility to offer guidance.


Ojibway Youth Apprenticeship Program: An apprenticeship program would

include a group made up of a small number of approximately ten high school

students who sign up or register for an intensive six week immersion program

within the community. The language instruction includes an instructor and elders

which would be a teaching team. Importantly, “…the (Ojibway) language is not a

subject but a medium in which all instruction takes place” (Dakota and Ojibwe

Language Revitalization in Minnesota, page 10). The reason for having a small

number of students would be to ensure authentic learning and practice is taking

place in a safe, close-knit environment. Furthermore, the students would

achieve extra credit towards an elective if desired and would be added to their

OSR (Ontario Student Record).

As previously discussed, Josh Fieldmen designed a gauge to measure language

loss for all languages that are near extinction. The question is: What do communities

or schools in the Treaty #3 area do when they have placed themselves on the

Fieldmen’s continuum? Following a series of symposiums held in Arizona in 1994, Jon

Rayner took the following notes as suggestions for what any indigenous language group

could implement the following suggested interventions to strengthen Ojibway language

skills:

Table 1: Interventions to Strengthen Language

Current Status of Suggested Interventions to Strengthen
Language
Language

Stage 8: Only a few elders speak Implement Hinton's (1994) "Language
the language. Apprentice" Model where fluent elders are
teamed one-on-one with young adults who
want to learn the language. Dispersed,
isolated elders can be connected by phone to


teach others the language (Taff, 1997).
Stage 7: Only adults beyond child Establish "Language Nests" after the Maori
bearing age speak the language. and Hawaiian, models where fluent older
adults provide pre-school child- age children
are immersed in their indigenous anguage
(Anonby, this volume; Fishman, 1991).
Stage 6: Some intergenerational Develop places in community where
use of language language is encouraged, protected, and used
exclusively. Encourage more young parents
to speak the indigenous language in home
with and around their young children.
Stage 5: Language is still very Offer literacy in minority language. Promote
much alive and used in voluntary programs in the schools and other
community. community institutions to improve the
prestige and use of the language. Use
language in local government functions,
especially social services. Give recognition to
special local efforts through awards, etc.
Stage 4: Language is required in Improve instructional methods utilizing TPR
elementary schools (Asher, 1996), TPR-Storytelling (Cantoni, this
volume) and other immersion teaching
techniques. Teach reading and writing and
higher level language skills (Heredia &
Francis, 1997). Develop two-way bilingual
programs where appropriate where non-
speaking elementary students learn the
indigenous language and speakers learn a
national or inter- national language. Need to
develop indigenous language text- books to
teach literacy and academic subject matter
content.
Stage 3: Language is used in Promote language by making it the language
places of business and by of work used throughout the community
employees in less specialized (Palmer, 1997). Develop vocabulary so that
work areas. workers in an office could do their day- work
using their indigenous language (Anonby, this
volume)
Stage 2: Language is used by Promote use of written form of language for
local government and in the mass government and business dealings/records.
media in the minority community. Promote indigenous language newsletters,
newspapers, radio stations, and television
stations.
Stage 1: Some language use by Teach tribal college subject matter classes in
higher levels of government in the language. Develop an indigenous
higher education. language oral and written literature through
dramatic presentations and publications. Give
tribal/ national awards for indigenous
language publications and other notable
efforts to promote indigenous languages.
Jon Rayner: Some basics of Indigenous Language Revitalization


As mentioned before, table 1 offers workable suggestions to revitalize the Ojibway

language. The key is to empower Ojibway children and parents to encourage them to

use the Ojibway language on a daily basis.

. Teachers teaching within the Treaty #3 Territory should have some expectations

set by the policy of each community’s school to include Ojibway language into everyday

curriculum in some way or another. It is vital to include ALL teachers in ALL subject

areas to support language revitalization initiativesbecause the present structure of

teaching the Ojibway language as a subject “makes no difference in creating new and

fluent speakers” (Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Development). As such,

teachers need support through various ways to teach the language to students. A list to

“Identify curriculum needs” is included in the “Dakota and Ojibwe Language

Revitalization in Minnesota.” Key findings as a result of a survey identify the following

needs:

1. Accredited immersion-specific training: Schools could encourage teachers to

take university courses that teach Ojibway. It is hoped schools could cover

tuition and educational expenses to support staff training. Ojibway language

courses provide opportunities for teachers to maintain and improve on their own

second language acquisition proficiency.

2. Community-based training: This resource would be probably could be met by

schools partnering with Tribal Councils. Activities like short “Lunch and Learns”

could be set up by the Language Teacher of Tribal Councils such as Bimose or

AKRC (Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council). Due to these


organizations already having a presence in the communities, this program would

be a great way to utilize these resources in a school atmosphere.

3. Story telling techniques: First Steps Literacy Continuum offers excellent ideas for

story telling techniques. Some teachers in the Treaty #3 Area have already been

trained in this program and will recognize that this continuum allows teachers to

use learning in combination with the Ojibway language. The strength of the “First

Steps Continuum” equips teachers with strategies that first allow students to tell

stories orally and then brings them to the place where they can write out words,

sentences and finally, stories, using the correct structures for writing stories,

instructions, recipes and essays.

4. Vocabulary reinforcement for teaching across content areas: Many teachers are

already aware of content word walls and could put up an “Ojibway Word Wall”.

As well, teachers could instruct students to have an “Ojibway Words” personal

dictionary. The idea is to get students to not just keep words but to also use the

Ojibway words throughout the day.

5. Assessment techniques: The question is: How is data collected to interpret

student learning? Thus, it would be beneficial for teachers to learn a variety of

assessment techniques that include indirect and direct evaluation methods to

support students learning the Ojibway language. Some current suggestion

within the Treaty #3 schools include Ojibway spelling tests, recitals of poetry,

prayers or songs, etc. Further data to show evidence of student learning could

be collected in the form of a portfolio or presentations completed in the Ojibway


language. Other practices include oral presentations made to parents by having

children read in Ojibway to various family members.

An additional assessment piece could include an Ojibway portion with the

current report card that goes out three times a year. Of course, previous work

will need to developed by the Education Department at The Grand Council #3 to

identify what each grade should know and learn. Again, teacher will need to be

trained in what this process looks like. For example, Kawayaciiwin Education

Resource Center in Sioux Lookout has resources what the Kindergarten class

should know in a packet that includes: a Teacher’s handbook, picture cards and

a report card based on Oji-Cree words and phrases which students are required

to learn. The categories for learning are: 1) Vocabulary development, 2) Color

concepts, 3) Rote counting, 4) Shape concepts, 5) Listening comprehension 6)

Syllabics recognition, 7) Name writing, 8) Drawing a person to include body

parts. As such, the teachers would be able to gauge the language growth with

tools such as these that would be beneficial for data collection as required by

Treaty #3 schools within each community.

6. Teacher training: Professional development will be required to ensure success

of Ojibway language revitalization. Training in this area is just as important as

learning in other key subject areas. All teachers need to be a part of this

important training especially because most staff members are not fluent speakers

in the Ojibway language and this can be an added stress to teachers with full

responsibilities in the classroom. The role of fluent-speaking elders is vital to

support teachers with this new endeavor.


As stated before, the above list is merely a place to begin to encourage, support and

provide training for teachers and other staff members. The Grand Council Treaty #3

and the schools within the Treaty #3 area should add their own ideas to take ownership

for their part in language revitalization. While training is being provided for school staff,

the schools could also extend these learning opportunities to other departments in the

communities.

It is clear that future directions which promote language revitalization is required

within Treaty #3 Schools. What are the Ojibway people without their language? This

question was posed on a Facebook page and a few responses as were follows: a) The

Ojibway culture shapes the way Anishnawbe view the world. It is part of our DNA. b)

The language is what connects us to who we are as Anishinaabe people, without it we

are just part of the English speaking society. These responsibes indicate that the

Ojibway language and culture go hand in hand. We need to respect and live both of

these or else we will eventually lose both. Future plans must be made and

implemented to revive the Ojibway language; however much support is required to

keep “language revitalization” in the forefront. The Dakota and Ojibwe Language

Revitalization In Minnesota suggests a “Twenty-five year strategic plan for language

revitalization.” To this date, no such plan is known among the general population within

the Treaty #3 communities. Although it is clear that future directions promoting live

span approaches to language revitalization are needed with Treaty #3 Schools, specific

expectations need to be written by the people themselves to ensure input of the

communities, including the elders. It seems that the schools have some resources,

however; a more central and well-defined place would be helpful to pull all these


resources to make it easy for communities to access them. Therefore, to honor the

sovereignty of the Treaty #3 territory, it would be beneficial for communities to work in

collaboration to build a team-working environment and facilitate learning in the Ojibway

language revitalization.


Bibliography

Assembly of First Nations (AFN). http://www.afn.ca

Dakota and Ojibwe Language Revitalization in Minnesota. Volunteer Working Group on
Dakota and Ojibwe Language and Ojibwe Language Revitalization and
Preservation..http://www.indianaffairs.state.mn.us/documents/2011%20Dakota%
20and%20Ojibwe%20Language%20Report%20to%20the%20Legislature-
final.pdf

Fishman, Joshua. Fishman’s Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale.
http://www.endangered-languages.com/whatis.php

Gardener, Dr. Ethel. Preserving the Ojibwe Language.
http//agora.lakeheadu.ca/agora.php?st=259

Indian, Sandra. Quote: “Ojibway is a heart language.” 2011.

John Reyhner . Some basics of Indigenous Language Revitalization. .
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_Intro.html

Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre http://www.kwayaciiwin.com/curriculum

Language Revitalization. Wipikedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_revitalization

Ojibwe Langauge – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org

Treaty #3 Area Map. http://www.gct3.net/

“We have kept our part of the Treaty” The Anishinaabe Understanding of Treaty#3.
http://www.gct3.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/We-Have-Kept-Our-Part-Of-
The-Treaty-Booklet.pdf

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