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School board championing indigenous languages in curriculum

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As a youth growing up on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, Sandra Houle was, in a sense, in a world of her own.

She did not speak English. Nor did her parents or her grandparents: they all spoke Michif, a combination of French and Cree. This language barrier, Houle explained, proved to be a curse; while being in touch with her roots, she was not in touch with an English-speakingfSociety.

"I almost dropped out of kindergarten," Houle said, with a laugh. Jokes aside, Houle explained that going to school was difficult, as was going into Rolla.

Houle was among the local fluent speakers who participated in a Michif language forum held at the Turtle Mountain Community High School on May 17.

The Michif language, which developed from the use of French nouns and Cree verbs, stemmed from the unions between French-Canadian fur traders and the Cree women indigenous to the area, the Canadian prairies, in the 19th century. These Metis, the descendants of these Michif-speaking settlers, eventually moved to the Turtle Mountain Reservation; here, the Michif and the Anishinabe, or Chippewa, languages were the more common languages spoken.

Those days, however, are slowly fading.

The elders who grew up speaking Michif as their first language are slowly passing away. The younger generations are growing up in an English-speaking world. They may have one or two Michif words stashed away in their vocabulary; perhaps a few slang words, or maybe an R-rated word, that have they picked up from their elders, but that's pretty much it. This is a complete 180-degree turn from the lives and language their grandparents faced.

"When we were at school, we didn't know how to speak English," said Gilbert Morin, another forum participant. "The teacher would give us hell... (while) trying to make a white man out of us."

Along with Houle and Morin, local speakers Dave Keplin and Ella McLeod, led by keynote speaker Norm Fleury, of Woodnorth, Manitoba, participated in the roundtable discussions, having conversations with each other and to the audience.en Michif. Those who weren't fluent could only tell when a joke was coming either by the broad grin slowly growing on the storyteller's face, or by the laughter after from those in the audience who parlay the language.

The forum began with a meal - a Michif delicacy of bullets, bangs, bannock, and puchin (pudding) - followed by presentations of music. As soon as Ryan Keplin began to play his fiddle, toes were tapping in the audience, but no one got up to dance. Yet. McLeod and Ray Parisien soon took to the dance floor and began to jig. The fiddle players played mournful-sounding dirges - for those that enjoyed dancing cheek-to-cheek-along with toe-tapping melodies, such as the ever-popular fiddle tune "Whiskey Before Breakfast."

The purpose of the forum" - in addition to being "a celebration, a renewal, a rendezvous of the told times," as Fleury called it - was to rejuvenate interest in the language and culture with the potential of bringing it back into the school's curriculum.

Curtis Poitra, president of the Bel-court School District #7, and Jim Parisien, a member of the school board, were present at the forum. Poitra explained that the majority of the school board is in favor of "bringing our languages back to the schools."

"We all want to bring our languages back," Poitra said, noting that the idea included the Anishinabe language as well. "It's something that's needed."

In a contrast to Houle's childhood, Poitra grew up in Minneapolis, where he was not as exposed to his culture as those who lived on the reservation.

"Growing up in Minneapolis, I realize what 1 lost," he said.

While the schools teach what Poitra called "progressive" language classes - each year, a student graduates to another level of a foreign language - native languages are not among them. There is just one cultural language class, which is taught by Houle at the high school.

"We should be teaching our students, and our students should know their language," Houle said. "I feel bad because my kids don't speak their language. And they should."

Poitra said that the idea of implementing native languages would not wedge itself into the student's class schedule. "We want to give the students a choice," he added.

The loss of the language is, as Parisien explained, a loss of identity.

"As a school board member, I'm pushing for it," he added.

The issue of implementing the language into the schools will be discussed more at the school board's meeting in June, Poitra said.

John Laducer, principal at the Turtle Mountain Community High School, said that he recognizes a need for more culture in the schools.

Currently, the school does offer two levels of Mitchif language - a

required class, it is usually taken by sophomores - although it does not offer Ojibwe language classes.

"The elementary and middle school, and the college, offer Ojibwa," Laducer said. "It's something we need to look at offering. Whether or not the kids want to take it, they have a choice."

Making additions to the curriculum is "a lot of work, but I think it's something we need to do to make our students and community more culturally aware of who we are," Laducer added.

From May 29 to June 4, the school's cultural curriculum will be "working exclusively" on including the Ojibwa language in the school's curriculum. Community members are welcome to attend these meetings to place their input, Laducer said. The meetings will take place at the high school.

Also in the works would be activities to help recognize Mitchif during the first week of November, to help celebrate Mitchif Day, which is observed on November 5, Laducer said, adding that it will eventually become an annual event



Copyright 2010 Turtle Mountain Star, Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 Turtle Mountain Star Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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