Table Of ContentPM
986
A332
2009
gr.10-12
CURR GD
HIST
UniversityoiAlbertaLibra
1620 2793246 4
CREE LANGUAGE
AND CULTURE
10-9Y, 20-9Y, 30-9Y
This program ofstudies is intended for students who began their study ofCree language and culture in
Grade 4. Itconstitutes the last three years ofthe Cree Language and CultureNine-year (9Y) Program
(Grade 4 to Grade 12).
PHILOSOPHY Four aspects common to Mother Earth in Nehiyaw
worldview that can be honoured in the classroom
The Nehiyaw (Cree) worldview is not a polarized are:
view but a holistic view. It is not this or that but • the interconnectedness ofall things
this and that. It holds that all life forms are • the connectionto the land and community
interconnected and that life is sacred. Human • the dynamic and changing nature ofthe world
beings are not at the top of a ladder but are one • the strength that develops in power with not
part ofa sacred circle. Emotional, physical, mental power over.
and spiritual realms are not separate but
recognized as partofthe whole. Language proceeds from the worldview of a
culture. The Nehiyaw worldview and philosophy
Traditionally, responsibility within the Nehiyaw is embedded inthe language and culture. It is also
culture primarily involved contrib—uting to the evident in the Nehiyaw pedagogy and ways of
well-being and success of the group the family, learning.
extended family and community. Leadership was
developed through service to the community, and
cooperation and helping others were crucial to RATIONALE FOR LEARNING CREE
survival. Traditional Nehiyaw culture revolves {NEHIYAWEWIN)
around the connection to Mother Earth and the
relationship with family and community.
Nehiyawewin (the Cree language)
ekimiy'kowisiyahk (is a gift of the
The concept of Mother Earth in Nehiyaw
CxQdiXovlOmdmawi Ohtdwimdw). Elders are the
worldview not only encompasses the land but also
keepers ofthe language and, consequently, ofthe
all animals, minerals, rocks, water, plant life and beliefs and culture. Indeed, language and culture
all interconnectedness with humans. The
are inextricably woven.
Nehiyawak (Cree people) do not use the products
and minerals of Mother Earth as commodities but
regard them as relatives and treat them with the
utmost respect.
Cree Language and Culture 10-9Y, 20-9Y, 30-9Y /l
©AlbertaEducation,Alberta, Canada (2009)
Ex
LlBRIS
Universitatis
Albertensis
The importa E ELDERS,
(Cree langu ftEEPERS AND
Dr. Anne Anderson, who states in the forewords to COMMUNITY EXPERTS
her Metis Cree resource books that the way to a
people's heart is through their language. The wisdom of the Elders is central to cultural
learning according toNehiyaw perspective. Elders
According to Canada's 2006 Census, there are are the "keepers of knowledge," and it is their
87 285 Cree speakers in Canada. Cree is one of guidance that the Nehiyawak seek as they strive
the most widely spoken languages in Canada in for balance in their relationships with Omdmawi
various dialects. Ohtdwlmdw, the natural world, other people and
themselves.
The value oflearning Nehiyawewin, to Aboriginal
and non-Aboriginal students, is enormous. It Alberta Education acknowledges the necessity of
permits insight into a worldview of spiritual and guidance from the Elders, other knowledge
natural dimensions. When one speaks the keepers and community experts ifthis program is
language, Elders and their wisdom become truly to reflect Nehiyaw perspectives and content.
accessible. Learning Nehiyawewin also enhances Each community wishing to establish a language
one's self-esteem by strengthening cultural and culture program must turn to its own Elders,
identity. Use oflanguage is also the best means of knowledge keepers and community experts for
transmitting culture to the next generation. guidance. It is only in this way that Indigenous
language and culture programs can succeed in
achieving the goal of language revitalization. The
NATURE OF THE CREE LANGUAGE Cree Language and Culture 10-9Y, 20-9Y, 30-9Y
(NEHIYAWEWIN) Program of Studies has been developed based on
the support and advice of various Elders,
Nehiyawewin is one of many Indigenous community experts and knowledge keepers from
languages within the Algonquian family of Treaty 6 First Nations, Treaty 8 First Nations, the
languages. The Cree "Y" dialect that is used in Metis Nation ofAlberta and the Metis Settlements
this program of studies is one of the five major and on the advice of iVe/zzyavv-speaking teachers
dialects in Ca—nada. Nehiyawewin is a language of from provincial and band-controlled schools.
relationships relationships to Omdmawi
Ohtdwlmdw (the Creator), to others (kinship) and Oral Tradition
to Kikdwlnaw Askiy (Mother Earth), which
encompasses all living things. It is a rich and In Nehiyaw culture, oral tradition has been the
complex language because it relates to kinship, most important method for passing information
nature and spirituality. and knowledge from one generation to another.
Students need to be taught to value and respect
The Roman orthography recommended for the oral tradition.
instruction of Nehiyawewin is the Pentland
orthography, which is based on the Cree syllables Storytellers have always been respected within
of standard orthography. The "Y" dialects of the traditional Nehiyaw culture. Storytellers carry
Plains and WoodlandNehiyawakofAlberta use 14 within their stories the legends, spiritual truths and
English letters, ofwhich 8 are consonants (c, k, m, history of the Nehiyawak. Stories pass on the
n, p, s, t and h), 3 are short vowels (a, i, o), 4 are values and beliefs that are important to the
long vowels (a, i, o, e), and "w" and "y" are listed Nehiyawak, and stories preserve the language.
as semi-vowels. A sound variation occurs within Storytellers speak from the heart, and the listener
the same dialect based on regional and cultural listens from the heart.
differences.
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(2009) ©AlbertaEducation, Alberta,Canada
There are many types ofstories. Sacred stories are Our Relationship with Ourselves
only told in the winter, unless special permission
is given. Some stories are short, with a particular Each person is born sacred and complete.
message or moral, and most are full of humour. Omdmawi Ohtdwimdw has given each person the
Many stories are open-ended, long extended gift of a body and the choice to care for and use
stories with many levels ofmeaning. that body with respect.
Stories are repeated over and over and change over Omdmawi Ohtdwimdw has given each person the
time to reflect life in the community. As listeners capacity and choice to learn.
mature and gain life experience, the meanings and
lessons in the stories reveal themselves in different "I had no schooling. When I was akid, I used to watch
ways. What one discovers in a story as a child can people steadily. I would go to my grandmother and she
be very different from what he or she discovers as toldmewhatrulesto follow."
an adult. A story written on paper becomes frozen — VernonMakokis,SaddleLake,Alberta
in time, whereas an oral story remains a living, (This passage is in relation tothe Nehiyaw protocol and
flexible and dynamic part ofculture and language. its importance to traditional Nehiyaw culture and
ceremonies.)
Spirituality
Omdmawi Ohtdwimdw has given each person
Although the Elders strongly recommend that the talents or strengths to be discovered and the choice
connection to Omdmawi Ohtdwimdw be to develop and share the gifts.
interwoven throughout the program ofstudies, the
developers and Elders themselves respect that
individuals/teachers may not want to ASSUMPTIONS
teach/promote this view. Above all, one's
individual integrity is respected. The following statements are assumptions that
have guided the development process of this
Our Relationship with the Natural World program ofstudies:
People are not greater than the things in nature. • Language is communication.
The natural world has its own laws that must be • All students can be successful learners of
respected ifpeople are going to be sustained by it. language and culture, although they will learn
People are identified by the land they have in a variety ofways and acquire proficiency at
historically inhabited and on which they have varied rates.
learned to survive. Even today, it is necessary to • All languages can be taught and learned.
live with the laws ofnature andto feel apartofit. • Learning Nehiyawewin leads to enhanced
learning in both the student's primary
Our Relationship with One Another language and in related areas of cognitive
development and knowledge acquisition. This
Agreement on rules enables cooperation and group is true for students who come to the class with
strength, which is greater than individual strength. some background knowledge ofNehiyawewin
Identity comes from being in respectful and develop literacy skills in the language. It
relationships with others, particularly in the is also true for students who have no cultural
family/clan, community and nation. or linguistic background in Nehiyawewin and
are studying Nehiyawewin as a second
language.
Cree Language and Culture 10-9Y, 20-9Y, 30-9Y /3
©AlbertaEducation, Alberta, Canada (2009)
—
CONCEPTUAL MODEL
Each ofthese components is described more fully
at the beginning of the corresponding section of
Two curriculum frameworks developed under the this program ofstudies.
Western Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in
Basic Education The Common Curriculum A Spiral Progression
Frameworkfor Aboriginal Language and Culture
Programs, Kindergarten to Grade 12, June 2000, Language learning and cultural teachings are
and The Common Curriculum Framework for integrative, not merely cumulative. Each new
International Langu—ages, Kindergarten to element that is added must be integrated into the
Grade 12, June 2000 have provided guidance in whole of what has gone before. The model that
the development of the Cree Language and best represents the students' language and cultural
CultureNine-year Program (Grade 4 to Grade 12). learning progress is an expanding spiral.
Students' progression is not only vertical (e.g.,
The aim of the Cree Language and Culture increased proficiency) but also horizontal (e.g.,
10-9Y, 20-9Y, 30-9Y Program of Studies is the broader range ofapplications and experience with
development of communicative competence in more text forms, contexts and so on). The spiral
Nehiyawewin and the development of Nehiyaw also represents how language and cultural learning
cultural knowledge, skills and values. It is activities are best structured. Particular lexical
important that the focus ofthis program ofstudies fields, learning strategies or language functions are
be on interaction and meaningfulness, with special revisited at different points in the program, but
attention and emphasis being given to oral from adifferent perspective, in broader contexts
communication. or at a slightly higher level of proficiency each
time. Learning is reinforced, extended and
Four Components broadened with each successive pass.
For the purposes of this program of studies,
communicative competence in Nehiyawewin and Language Community
the development of Nehiyaw cultural knowledge, Applications Competence Membership Strategies
skills and values are represented by four
CreeLanguage
interrelated and interdependent components. andCulture30-9Y
Applications deal with what the students will be
able to do with the language, the functions they
will be able to perform and the contexts in which CreeLanguageand
they will be able to operate. CultureGrade8
(Nine-yearProgram)
Language Competence addresses the students'
knowledge ofthe language and their ability to use
that knowledge to interpret and produce CreeLanguageand
meaningful texts appropriate to the situations in CultureGrade-I
(Nine-yearProgram)
which they are used.
Community Membership aims to develop the
understandings, views and values of Nehiyaw
culture.
Strategies help students learn and communicate
more effectively and more proficiently.
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(2009) ©AlbertaEducation,Alberta, Canada
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
ORGANIZATION OF THE PROGRAM Specific Outcomes
OF STUDIES
Each general outcome is further broken down into
General Outcomes specific outcomes that students are to achieve by
the end ofeach course. The specific outcomes are
General outcomes are broad statements identifying interrelated and interdependent. In most classroom
the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students activities, a number of learning outcomes are
are expected to achieve in the course of their addressed in an integrated manner.
language learning experience. Four general
outcomes serve as the foundation for this program The specific outcomes are categorized under
of studies and are based on the conceptual model cluster headings, which show the scope ofeach of
outlined previously. the four general outcomes. These headings are
shown inthe table onthe following page.
Applications [A]
• Students will use and apply Nehiyawewin in The specific outcomes are further categorized by
various situations and for different purposes at strands, which show the developmental flow of
home, in school and in the community. learning from the beginning to the end of the
program. However, a learning outcome for a
Language Competence [LC] particular course will not be dealt with only in that
• Students will be effective, competent particular year of the program. The spiral
and comfortable as Nehiyaw speakers. progression that is part of the conceptual model
{Okiskinamawdkanakka/tanihtdnehiyawewak) means that activities in the years preceding will
prepare the ground for acquisition and in the years
Community Membership [CM] following will broaden applications.
• Students will live (wa)wetina(hk) (peacefully)
with Kikdwinaw Askiy (Mother Earth*),
others and themselves, guided by Omdmawi
Ohtdwimdw (the Creator*).
Strategies [S]
• Students will know and use strategies to
maximize the effectiveness of learning and
communication.
The order in which the general outcomes are
presented in this program of studies does not
represent a sequential order, nor does it indicate
the relative importance of each component. The
general outcomes are to be implemented in an
integrated manner.
discretionary (see further details on p. 32)
Cree Language and Culture 10-9Y, 20-9Y, 30-9Y 15
©AlbertaEducation,Alberta, Canada (2009)
General Outcomes
Applications
Students will use and applyNehiyawewin in
various situations and fordifferentpurposes at
home, in school and in the community.
to share information
toexpress emotions andpersonal perspectives
to getthings done
to form, maintain andchange interpersonal
relationships
A-5 to enhance their knowledgeofthe world
A-6 for imaginative purposes and personal ' Language
enjoyment
Competence
Strategies
Students will be effective, competent and
Students will know and use strategies to comfortable asNehiyawspeakers.
maximizethe effectiveness oflearning (Okiskinamawdkanakka/tanihtd
and communication. nehiyawewak.)
S-l language learning LC-1 attendto the form ofthe language
S-2 languageuse LC-2 interpretand produce oral texts
S-3 cultural learning LC-3 interpretand produce written and
S-4 general learning visual texts
LC-4 apply knowledge ofthesociocultural
context
apply knowledge ofhowthe language
y
is organized, structured and
sequenced
Community Membership
Students will live (wa)wetina(hk)
(peacefully)withKikdwinawAskiy
(MotherEarth*), others and themselves,
guided by Omdmawi Ohtdwimdw
(theCreator*).
CM-1 KikdwinawAskiy
(MotherEarth*)
CM-2 others
CM-3 themselves
* discretionary (see furtherdetails on p. 32)
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(2009) ©AlbertaEducation,Alberta, Canada
Guide to Reading the Program of Studies
General Outcome for Language Competence
Students will be effective, competent and comfortable as Nehiyaw speakers.
(Okiskinamawdkanakka/ta nihtd nehiyawewak.)
clusterheading
LC-2 interpret and produce oral texts
forspecific
outcomes
Cree Language and Cree Language and Cree Language and
Culture 10-9Y Culture 20-9Y Culture 30-9Y
Studentswillbeable to:
a. understandthe main a understandthe main a understandavariety
pointandsome pointandsome oflengthy oral texts
M supporting details of supporting details of on unfamiliartopics
y—i
7 'S lengthy oraltexts on lengthy oral texts on in guided and
u
CO familiartopics in avariety offamiliar unguided situations
guidedsituations topics in guided
situations
a. produce shortoral a produce lengthy oral a produce lengthy oral
texts onunfamiliar texts on familiar texts on avariety of
topics in guided topics, providing familiar and
«s CUD situations some details to unfamiliartopics,
7 supportthemain providing some
'S2,
point, inguided detailsto supportthe
Q.
on situations main point, in
guided and
unguided situations
a. manage simple, a sustain lengthy a converse,
routine interactions interactions spontaneously, on
tn <>L> with ease comprehensibly, with unfamiliarand
c
r.1) 03 C3O pausesto formulate familiartopics and
-J C q=i oral textandto participate in
self-correct discussions
^^-^-^
read each page horizontally forthe developmental flowof
outcomes from course to course
Cree Language and Culture 10-9Y, 20-9Y, 30-9Y II
©AlbertaEducation, Alberta, Canada (2009)
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