Collaborative Language Planning Project report of activities, August 2022 - January 2023

Littlebear, Richard

Miyashita, Mizuki

Penfield, Susan

Shek, Madeleine

English

University of Montana

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Collaborative Language Planning Project: Reports and Newsletters Collaborative Language Planning Project 2-5-2023 Collaborative Language Planning Project: Report 08: Winter 2023 Richard Littlebear Mizuki Miyashita Susan Penfield Madeleine Shek Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/clpp Let us know how access to this document benefits you.  CLPP Report 08—Winter 2023 CLPP Report 08 Collaborative Language Planning Project  Collaborative Language Planning Project (CLPP) Participating Institutions Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC) Blackfeet Comm. College (BCC) Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC) Fort Peck Comm. College (FPCC) Salish Kootenai College (SKC) Stone Child College (SCC) University of Montana (UM) CLPP Joins UNESCO’s IDIL  T he United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the period 2022-2032 to be the International Decade of Indige-nous Languages (IDIL), with the United Nations Educational, Scien-tific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the lead UN agency for its organization. This decision fol-lowed reports from UNESCO’s International Year of Indigenous Lan-guages (IYIL) in 2019. One year proved insufficient to raise awareness and make action plans.  As part of IDIL, UNESCO created a Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages. Dr. Ofelia Zepeda (Tohono O’odham, University of Arizona) serves on the task force as representative for North America. Dr. Zepeda is also the director of American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) with whom CLPP consults for several of its activities. CLPP plans to support IDIL through organized meetings and a conference in May 2023 .     Report period: August 2022– January 2023 Date issued:  02/05/2023 CLPP is supported by the Nation-al Science Foundation DLI-DEL and TCUP grants  BCS-1800617 BCS-1800820 BCS-2037470  Collaborative Language Planning Project Onsite Workshop at BCC The workshop at Blackfeet Community College was attend-ed by more than 14 individuals, including grade school mathe-matics teachers, language teachers, and other interested members of the community. The participants also included language workers from Alberta, Canada. CLPP liaisons and lan-guage activists from other tribal colleges also attended the workshop; Aaniiih Nakoda Col-lege, Fort Peck Community College and Stone Child College were all represented in the group. CLPP continues to facili-tate broadened participation in the discipline of language sci-ence .   Onsite Workshop at BCC   C LPP’s 3rd onsite workshop was held on October 8, 2022, at BCC. It was collaboratively organized by Iva Croff and Mizuki Miyashi-ta. The day was filled with interesting questions, meaningful dis-cussion, fun anecdotes and stories, and many great ideas. The first ses-sion, “How do we acquire language?” was a presentation by Mizuki about language acquisition which informed participants about differ-ences in how children and adults acquire a language. The second ses-sion, “Blackfoot Online Dictionary: How do we use it?” was given by Dr. Inge Genee, a professor of linguistics from the University of Leth-bridge.  Participants learned how useful the online dictionary can be for language teachers as well as for linguists. Training programs for lan-guage documentation and revitalization were described over lunch. In the afternoon session, Iva Croff gave a presentation about Plains Indian Sign Language. She discussed ways in which learning Plains Sign can also help with learning spoken language. Charles Kennedy, a teacher at the Cuts Wood Immersion School in Browning, shared his experience learn-ing and teaching the Blackfoot language. Diana Burd, a Blackfeet elder, native speaker, and lifelong language teacher shared some of her teach-ing methods. Robert Hall, Blackfeet Native American Studies Director for Browning Public Schools, also joined the workshop, and gave a demon-stration about using Blackfoot morphology in his teaching methods. 2 Linguistics and Language Teach-ing for Tribal Communities   Saturday, October 8th, 2022 (8:30AM-3:00PM)  at Blackfeet Community College, Beaver Painted Lodge  Organizers:   Iva Croff (Blackfeet Community College)        Mizuki Miyashita (University of Montana) Agenda  The workshop consists of presentations, participant discussions and hands-on activities. 8:30AM-9:00AM Introduction: Defining Our Goals Iva Croff 9:00AM-9:50AM How Do We Acquire Language?  Mizuki Miyashita 10:00AM-10:50AM  Blackfoot Online Dictionary: How Do We Use It?  Inge Genee 11:00PM-11:50PM Discussion Session   What are our goals? What are our students’ goals?   What improvement can we make? 12:00PM-1:00PM  Where can we find further training? (During Lunch) 1:00PM –2:15PM Total Physical Response and Plains Sign Iva Croff & Jesse DesRosier 2:15PM-3:00PM Reflection Time   CLPP Report 08—Winter 2023 SAIL 2023 The Symposium on American Indian Languages (SAIL) is a conference hosted by the American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) - one of CLPP’s consultant or-ganizations. This year, it will be fully in-person, held April 13-14 at the University of Arizona. There will be a special session on IDIL, parasessions on lan-guage revitalization, documen-tation, description, and theory, as well as a poster session.   3 T hank you, Dr. Richard Littlbear and Dr. Susan Penfield for your leadership! CLPP was able to be estab-lished because of you! You have shown us how a net-work across tribal language programs and teachers can be built, and how to begin to create collaborative working relationships. From you both we also learned patience, and that inter-disciplinary projects within the fields of language work, especially lan-guage revitalization and documentation, take time. You both kindly shared your invaluable experiences with us; listening to your stories has made us stronger as a team. Thank you again so much for leading us this far, and for showing interest in continuing to support CLPP. CLPP is proud to welcome Dr. Sean Chandler and Ms. Iva Croff into the lead member positions. We look forward to CLPP’s next chapter!  CLPP Lead Members’ Transition C LPP organizers had the pleasure of hosting a special public talk by Dr. Richard Littlebear, called “An Epiphany:  Ho'etova tseo-hkesohovėxaatameseeotsestove!” at the University of Mon-tana campus on November 28th. This was also an opportunity for CLPP members to meet face to face — it was the first time CLPP has met in Missoula since May 2019! Before Richard’s talk, CLPP members re-viewed their language work activities of 2022, and discussed plans and ideas for 2023. The lecture by Dr. Littlebear was attended by many – the room was completely full. He began with the remembrance of the Sand Creek Massacre, a painful, important part of Cheyenne history. Dr. Littlebear also shared stories from his childhood and youth, and his journey from English teacher to Cheyenne language revitalizationist. Afterward, CLPP members, joined by Dr. Aaron Thomas, UM professor of chemistry, and Annie Belcourt, professor and chair of Native Ameri-can Studies at UM, discussed and brainstormed possible future collab-orations. The working dinner reception was sponsored by the UM Na-tive American Studies department.  Missoula Meeting in November 2022   Collaborative Language Planning Project Post-CoLang Conference in Montana A nother post-CoLang activity will be a presenta-tion about CoLang 2022 at the biennial Interna-tional Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation (ICLDC), hosted by the University of Hawai’i Manoa, March 2-5, 2023.  It will convene re-motely online. CoLang 2022 organizing committee members Mizuki Miyashita, Richard Littlebear, and Susan Penfield will give a pre-recorded presentation. The recorded presentation will be shown during a scheduled time, followed by a synchronous Q&A. The presentation is about the CoLang 2022 organizers’ efforts to increase Indigenous repre-sentation, participation, and leadership at the Montana CoLang.  I t has already been six months since CoLang 2022 concluded! CLPP will host the Conference on Indigenous Science and Language (CISL), a post-CoLang activity, on May 18 and 19, 2023. It will convene in-person on the University of Mon-tana campus in Missoula. The keynote speaker at CISL will be Daryl Baldwin, the founding di-rector of the Myaamia Center, member of the National Council on the Humanities, and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship also known as the  “Genius Grant”. He will talk about his experience re-viving the Myaamia language from dormancy as well as his efforts in community engage-ment surrounding health and healing through language. CISL will also include a workshop co-facilitated by Jarrid chiinkwia Baldwin and Tracy Hirata-Edds on communicative interactions and language learning.  4 Presentation at ICLDC 2023 Editors of this issue Sean Chandler Iva Croff Mizuki Miyashita Madeleine Shek CLPP members (2023) Co-convenors Mizuki Miyashita (UM PI) Iva Croff (BCC liaison) Sean Chandler (ANC liaison)  Consultants Richard Littlebear (CDKC PI) Susan Penfield (UM co-PI) Alyce Sadongei (AILDI)  TCU members Mina Seminole (CDKC liaison) Alicia Tyner (SCC liaison) Melanie Sandoval (SKC liaison) Michael Turcotte (FPCC liaison)  UM members Leora Bar-el Irene Appelbaum  Coordinator Madeleine Shek  There seem to be many things happening in everyone’s life. The world is in an ever-changing and challenging situation with respect to many things like health, safety, and economy. We are so grateful for this team of awesome language warriors in CLPP. We look forward to more amaz-ing work this year.   -- The editors Ending Note “Why save our languages, since they now seem to have no politi-cal, economic, or global relevance? That impression is exactly the reason why we should save our languages, because it is the spiritu-al relevance deeply embedded in our own languages that makes them relevant to us as American Indians today.” — Richard Littlebear (2000) Just speak your language. Whole Earth, 107, 24-25.   CLPP Report 08—Winter 2023 S olving a critical need for childcare and revitalizing the Aaniiih and Nakoda Lan-guages. In every action, Island Mountain Development Group (IMDG) is committed to honoring the Tribes’ traditional values and cul-tural heritage. Childcare options on FBIC have been limited, creating a barrier to employee recruitment and retention. IMDG created a plan that addresses the need for childcare and the desire to revitalize Native languages. In 2019, the IMDG Board of Directors passed a resolution supporting the ANA Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance – Es-ther Martinez Immersion Grant (ANA-NALPM-EMI). The grant was subsequently awarded and IMDG partnered with the Nakoda Aaniiih Eco-nomic Development Corporation (NAEDC), a Fort Belknap non-profit corporation, to admin-ister the ANA Grant. In 2020 Life’s Language Lodge (LLL) was established. “Language is Healing” Located in Hays on the IMDG campus, LLL is a unique childcare option built upon the lan-guages and cultures of the Aaniiih and Nakoda people. As a language nest, Life’s Language Lodge provides language immersion for chil-dren 0-5 years of age. This effort will help the FBIC preserve, restore, and maintain Indige-nous languages on the Fort Belknap Reserva-tion.  LLL has been serving thirty-five students ages 0-7 since August of 2021. Our services are provided from 7:30-5:30 p.m. M-F in an immer-sion setting. We recently received a Native Lan-guage Immersion Initiative grant from First Na-tions Development Institute to continue curric-ulum development for both languages and to increase reading proficiency for parents, stu-dents, and LLL staff.  Curriculum development for the grant pro-ject will focus on past language doc-umentation.  The documentation by Alfred Kroeber in the early 1900s provides a vast amount of Aan-iiih stories that have not been translated. Ray-mond DeMallie and Douglas Parks collected the largest database for the Nakoda language, both sources of documentation will influence curric-ulum development.  Transcription and audio formats will provide community resources. Family sessions will be led by LLL staff to assist with literacy in the Aaniiih and Nakoda orthog-raphies.  Tribal relations of the Aaniiih and Na-koda is highly influenced by the Aaniiih Flat Pipe. Centuries ago, it was captured by the Na-koda and eventually returned to the Aaniiih people. Both groups committed to longstanding generosity to each other.  In 2023, Aaniiih and Nakoda children are acquiring their language within the same education facility.  Aaniiih and Nakoda teachers assist each other daily and are upholding the generosity that was facilitated by leaders of the past.  They are living the words spoken by past leaders and instilling the under-standing in a generation who will be influential in the process of language continuation.   Our language status is similar to most Indige-nous groups throughout the United States and Canada. Policies of forced assimilation have resulted in minimal first language speakers.  We view immersion as possibly the only meth-od that will result in future intergenerational speaking. The LLL long-term goal is intergenera-tional speaking to occur for Aaniiih and Nakoda languages. 5 Life’s Language Lodge   By Michael Turcotte Life’s Language Lodge Curriculum Team  Collaborative Language Planning Project CLPP aims to enhance communication among language activists, language teach-ers, students, and researchers from Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in the state of Montana. The participants consist of representatives from the tribal colleges in Montana as well as language activists, teachers and researchers from independent community language programs. Its goals include enriching language revitalization efforts among Indigenous communities, enhancing teachers and ac-tivists’ training experiences, and encouraging collaboration.  Collaborative Language Planning Project (CLPP) Linguistics Program University of Montana Social Science Building   32 Campus Dr.  Collaborative Language Planning Project is a series of activities con-ducted by  a group of like-minded people who work toward the recogni-tion,  maintenance, and promotion of Indigenous languages of Montana and beyond.   PLEASE  PLACE  STAMP  HERE CLPP - Montana  Collaborative Language Planning Project Linguistics Program University of Montana 32 Campus Dr. Missoula, MT 598122 USA  E-mail: mizuki.miyashita@umontana.edu CLPP MONTANA  

Collaborative Language Planning Project: Report 08: Winter 2023

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Collaborative Language Planning Project: Report 08: Winter 2023

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