NIWHKINIC, NIWH'IT'ËN: OUR LANGUAGE, OUR WAYS
Witsuwit’en Family Based Mentor-Apprentice Program 2020-21
Witsuwit’en bï yets’olhdic!
Due to the COVID-19 situation, the Witsuwit’en Language and Culture Society has restructured its adult language learning program, funded by First Peoples Cultural Council, to ensure the safety of Elders and students. We will not offer our regular in-class adult program this year.
We are pleased to announce our family based mentor-apprentice program (MAP). Three teams have been funded!
The program's goal is to support:
Application is now closed.
Note: Our office will continue to be closed to the public until further notice. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, the Witsuwit’en Language and Culture Society has restructured its adult language learning program, funded by First Peoples Cultural Council, to ensure the safety of Elders and students. We will not offer our regular in-class adult program this year.
We are pleased to announce our family based mentor-apprentice program (MAP). Three teams have been funded!
The program's goal is to support:
- Family based MAP teams – an individual living in a family unit with or having formed a “bubble” with a fluent speaker who are committed to learning Witsuwit'en through immersion (no English)
- Keep fluent speakers safe, while support language revitalization efforts. Each team had to have a COVID-19 safety plan for their fluent speaker.
Application is now closed.
Note: Our office will continue to be closed to the public until further notice. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Witsuwit’eN Language Program
Niwhkinic, Niwh'it'ëN: OUr Language, OUr Ways 2019-2020
Our program's main focus is to reestablish the natural language learning patterns that were disrupted by colonization, residential school and the Sixties Scoop. To do that, we must empower Witsuwit'en adults to support their children and grandchildren's learning.
We initiated two key programs in 2017 in partnership with the Witsuwit'en Child and Family Centre (KWES - Kyah Wiget Education Society) and Witset First Nation: a Witsuwit'en language nest (daycare immersion program) and an adult program for the parents of children attending the language nest. We also offered 2 additional classes in hopes of reaching other parents and family groupings. That first year was funded by the National Indian Brotherhood (NIB) ($100,000). In 2018, we were able to secure funding for next 3 years ($100,000 per year) through First Peoples Cultural Council. |
|
ADULT WITSUWIT'EN LANGUAGE PROGRAM 2018-2019
|
|
Witsuwit'en Language Nest
Goal: For Witsuwit’en children to hear Witsuwit’en exclusively at least 15 hours a week so they can become fluent speakers. This is a full immersion program!
|
Witsuwit'en Language Nest staff learning the language WITH LANGUAGE TEACHER AMANDA LEWIS to help fluent speakers create full immersion. |
DIGITIsING THE WORDS OF OUR ELDERSThrough funding from the Indigitization Program in 2016 and 2018, WLCS summer students and staff participated in a training program on digitising audio-cassettes. We have since begun digitising recording of our Elders from the 1970s to 2000s to preserve them from deterioration and to make them accessible again. In our first year, we digitised just over 100 cassette recordings. In our second year, we were able to digitize 50 more. These recordings are now backed up in hard drives and preserved in the WLCS's archive, as well as at the Northern BC Archives ( UNBC) in Prince George. These recordings will contribute to the creation of future language and culture resources.
|
Witsuwit'en TranscriptionThrough funding from the Aboriginal Languages Initiative (ALI - First Peoples Culture Council and Government of Canada), the WLCS has begun a multi-year Witsuwit'en transcription project to draw out Witsuwit'en language, particularly older words and expressions, from the audio recordings in its archive, as well as the history and stories they contain. The project ensures future access and use to this invaluable information for future curriculum development. This is critical considered that Witsuwit'en language loss is outpacing the documentation that has taken place thus far.
|
Witsuwit’en History BookNiwhts’ide’nï Hibi’it’ën, The Ways of Our Ancestors: Witsuwit’en History & Culture Throughout the Millennia
By Mélanie H. Morin
This textbook was created as a result of cooperation and collaboration between School District #54 (Bulkley Valley), researchers, educators, and Witsuwit'en community members and organizations to teach future generations about Witsuwit'en history and culture. The Witsuwit'en Language and Culture Society based out of Witset (Moricetown) has reviewed and approved this work in its entirety.
|
It is available for purchase at Interior Stationary (Mills), Mountain Eagle Books and School District #54 (Bulkley Valley) in Smithers, BC.