Longtime Cree Literacy board member Ken Paupanekis made the news twice today on National Indigenous Languages Day. (Go Ken!)
He gave a great interview to CTV Winnipeg‘s Katherine Dow about the one-time dominance of Indigenous Languages in Canada, about Cree language retention, and tabout he satisfaction that comes from continuing to restore that important linguistic link for students to their birthright and their roots. (We’re sharing the video below for archival purposes.)
For CBC News Manitoba, Ken featured in a story about his University of Manitoba Intermediate Cree class, which he is running as one-on-one mentorship with a single student. Samuel Robinson from Bunibonibee Cree Nation (panipwânipiy in SRO), also known as Oxford House is the only student registered in this year’s Intermediate class, but Ken chose to run the class despite the low enrolment, and is turning it into a one-of-a-kind experience for Robinson. This kind of dedication and mentorship creates a legacy to remember. We send our very best to Samuel Robinson as he embraces Ken’s guidance in embracing the language that is truly, rightfully his own. (For archival purposes, we’ve preserved full text of the article written by Janell Henry below.
