Congratulations to Manitoba First Nation Education Resource Centre on preparing a really rich resource for each of Manitoba’s Indigenous languages. The collection focuses on oral language through newly created videos, each hosted by master speakers of Anishinaabemowin, Ininîmowin, Denesułine, Anisininimowin (Oji-Cree) and Dakota.
For Ininîmowin (n-dialect, or Swampy Cree), 28 videos are hosted by Allen Keeper, from Tataskwayak, in conversation with Marsha Blacksmith from Pimicikamak and with Jeffrey Brightnose from Pimicikamak. Topics of conversation begin with explore ideas from contemporary and traditional lifestyle, like going for a walk, fishing, shopping, and language preservation.
In addition to the conversational videos, the collection also includes a good number of Wisahkecahk stories, all told by Keeper, including new-to-me adventures featuring Sun-Fire Leggings, the Crane’s Shadow, and Wolverine’s encounter with Big Skunk.
The MFNERC development team has purposely chosen to focus on oral, rather than written, language, believing the videos capture the important non-verbal elements in language and provide a richer, more authentic learning experience that reflects how First Nations languages are truly spoken in homes and communities.
Best of all, they are available for anyone to watch, by following this link: https://mfnerc.org/educator-resources/foundational-language-acquisition-video-series/
One Response
This is awesome!