For Indigenous languages to survive and thrive into the future, Indigenous communities must immerse young people into their language and provide them with opportunities to learn. However, there are a limited number of speakers and resources, and many of the most fluent speakers are elderly.
That’s why a new pilot program being launched by Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO) will help connect eager young learners with a First Language role model to better facilitate language transmission in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory community.
“The Mentor Apprentice Program (MAP) model will facilitate a strong partnership between a Mentor and the apprentices to transmit language through the generations,” said Callie Hill, Executive Director of TTO. “The MAP will create a safe and naturalistic environment for people to develop Kanyen’ké;ha (Mohawk language) fluency with a focus on speaking and listening proficiencies.”
Funded by the Tyendinga Mohawk Council, and in collaboration with the University of Toronto, the MAP will see five apprentices with an intermediate high to advanced low proficiency rating take on a 30-week program designed to move them one level higher in their Mohawk language proficiency, as measured by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standard. Each week will feature 32 hours of planned activities and self-directed learning components
The project is being led by an Advisory Circle consisting of advanced and superior level speakers and educators with PhDs and Masters degrees in education and Indigenous language revitalization. The members represent Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) communities of Wáhta, Kahnawà:ke, and Kenhtè:ke (Tyendinaga).
The project is modelled after a similar, successful initiative offered at Onkwawenna Kentsyokwa in the Mohawk community of Ohswé:ken.
“This pilot project has the potential to inform research and adult Kanyen’ké:ha programs in all Mohawk communities who are currently providing a two-year program,” added Hill.
TTO’s future goal is to deliver a full-time adult Kanyen’ké:ha (Mohawk language) immersion program in September 2023.