This material is being piloted by Leah in a community-based language program for the Kwikwi鈥櫰浱撋檓 band after a prior run with children in the Katzie community. The curriculum is multi-level to accommodate adult and children learners but is primarily oral, interactive and uses a variety of evidence-based language learning approaches.
Background
Katzie children live in three communities without any fluent elders present and little systematic exposure to their traditional language. Although there is a rich body of linguistic documentation on the language, the available learning materials are not really accessible to non-linguists without formal courses. The (phonetic) orthography renders these materials even more inaccessible to more than a handful of linguistically trained community members. The primary goal of this project was inspired by former KFN Chief Ed Pierre and the KFN elders鈥� group who saw a critical and primary need to reach the community鈥檚 own children through a 鈥榥atural鈥� and oral approach and is being realized through the ongoing support of current Chief and Council.
Originally the language project was also able to connect the curriculum group with the last known fluent native speaker of Downriver H蓹n虛q蓹虛mi虂n蓹虛m虛, Josephine Good. Members of the Language Authority visited Josephine seven times at her home in Sn蓹ne虂m蓹xw (Nanaimo). These visits were recorded and transcribed and formed the basis of ten units of curriculum along with ten children鈥檚 stories based on everyday, child-centred activities.
Development
The group is now consulting with Chief and Council and the Katzie elders group for feedback on the curriculum and clarification on the next step. We will also adjust the curriculum though feedback from learner groups. For Level 2, we anticipate fostering the development of more fluent and complex language use through stories, drama and more specifically, traditional cultural activities incorporating H蓹n虛q蓹虛mi虂n蓹虛m虛.
As well as the curriculum, the Katzie-大象传媒 partnership has also sponsored the transcription and translation of a 50 minute conversation between two fluent speakers of Upriver Halq鈥檈me虂lem, recorded over ten years ago by Susan Russell. This has been worked on by one of the original speakers and two community based linguists, and will provide we think the only such record of an extended everyday conversation in Halq鈥檈me虂lem. In the hopes of making it available to language learners and teachers it will be presented as a paper at the upcoming Salish conference in 2016.