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<P>Wow! Thanks for sending this article along. Did you happen to
notice this quote from MP Tony Martin? ''When language and culture are in
the community, people can become<BR>healthy, in mind, body and spirit and
the social problems will be<BR>properly addressed,'' </P>
<P>Thanks again.</P>
<P>J.<BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
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<DIV></DIV>From: <I>phil cash cash
<cashcash@EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU></I><BR>Reply-To: <I>Indigenous
Languages and Technology
<ILAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU></I><BR>To: <I>ILAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU</I><BR>Subject: <I>[ILAT]
Canada's cut in language preservation funding protested
(fwd)</I><BR>Date: <I>Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:18:52
-0700</I><BR>>Canada's cut in language preservation funding
protested<BR>><BR>>Posted: December 18, 2006<BR>>by: Shannon Burns
/ Today
correspondent<BR>>http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414200<BR>><BR>>OTTAWA
- Hundreds of Natives from across Canada and northern New
York<BR>>marched on Parliament Hill Dec. 5, demanding that the new
government<BR>>reinstate funding that had been earmarked for language
preservation in<BR>>Native communities. The Canadian Heritage announced
in November that it<BR>>would not be providing $172 million that Native
communities were<BR>>expecting. Instead, $5 million a year for seven
years would be<BR>>allocated for language purposes.<BR>><BR>>''Our
people are frustrated and angry,'' said Assembly of First
Nations<BR>>National Chief Phil Fontaine. ''And they have a right to be.
We feel<BR>>betrayed and we simply can't be silent about this
betrayal.''<BR>><BR>>Protesters, which included busloads of children,
met at a hotel in<BR>>downtown Ottawa, Canada's capital city, and
marched together to<BR>>Parliament Hill. Carrying aboriginal flags and
signs critical of the<BR>>government cuts, the group of roughly 400 made
their case known.<BR>><BR>>''This rally is to underscore that First
Nations people are here to<BR>>stay, and that we will not remain out
sight and out of mind,'' said AFN<BR>>Ontario Regional Chief Angus
Toulouse. ''We want what all people want<BR>>for our children - good
health, safety, education and equal<BR>>opportunity. We will not accept
less.''<BR>><BR>>The rally, called the ''National Protest to Save Our
Legacy,'' was<BR>>organized by the AFN and Chiefs of
Ontario.<BR>><BR>>In 2002, the Canadian government announced that it
was allocating $172.5<BR>>million to be distributed to Native
communities over an 11 year period<BR>>for ''protection, preservation
and maintenance of Aboriginal<BR>>languages.'' Native authorities were
notified in October of this year<BR>>that government officials had
dropped that to $35 million.<BR>><BR>>During the rally, speakers on
both sides of the issue addressed the<BR>>crowd.<BR>><BR>>Using a
bullhorn, Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice attempted to tell<BR>>the
crowd that his department was not responsible for the cuts, but
few<BR>>could hear him over the loud jeers and
boos.<BR>><BR>>''This government is trying to do real work to improve
the living<BR>>circumstances of aboriginal Canadians,'' Prentice
said.<BR>><BR>>Sault MP Tony Martin braved below-freezing
temperatures to lend his<BR>>support to the cause and defend the
importance of language<BR>>preservation.<BR>><BR>>''When language
and culture are in the community, people can become<BR>>healthy, in
mind, body and spirit and the social problems will be<BR>>properly
addressed,'' Martin said. ''First Nations people in my<BR>>community
remind me of the importance of the language funding. This<BR>>keeps
their language alive, for the children in their
communities,<BR>>schools, and Native
governments.''<BR>><BR>>Across North America, Native communities are
struggling to retain their<BR>>languages; and over the past decade,
extreme measures have been taken<BR>>to preserve a community's dying
language.<BR>><BR>>In Akwesasne, the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of
Education implemented an<BR>>immersion program for elementary-aged
students. Recent footage of<BR>>students participating in the program
has shown that school immersion<BR>>can be
successful.<BR>><BR>>''The program has taken on more of a holistic
setting and is culturally<BR>>based,'' said Kanienkeha (Mohawk language)
specialist<BR>><BR>>Kaweienonni Peters. ''Because we as
Rotinonshon:ni [Iroquois] have a<BR>>strong oral history, the program is
designed to focus more on creating<BR>>functional fluency among the
students and less time on reading and<BR>>writing of the
language.''<BR>><BR>>Students in the immersion program rely on
resources that are not always<BR>>readily available. Over the past
several years Peters has been<BR>>developing various books, compact
discs and DVDs in Mohawk so students<BR>>in the immersion program have
reinforcement of what they're learning.<BR>><BR>>Funding for
developing those resources comes from the Canadian<BR>>government and
the immersion program will be directly affected by<BR>>language funding
cuts.<BR>><BR>>If the funding isn't there, Peters will have to find
other sources to<BR>>help keep the immersion program
successful.<BR>><BR>>Peters and students in the Mohawk immersion
program participated in the<BR>>rally. The students, who were
approximately 10 and under, carried signs<BR>>that read ''Respect
Us.''<BR>><BR>>Canadian authorities have indicated that they hope to
develop effective<BR>>programs to help 50 languages at risk of
extinction.<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></div><br clear=all><hr>$B%/%j%9%^%9%+!<%I(B
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