Blood Reserve (language)

[Andre Cramblit]

Native Tongue: Falls schools offer unique opportunity

Associated Press

GREAT FALLS - Students in Klane King's language classes here enjoy
reciting everyday phrases they've learned in Blackfeet and listen
eagerly as their teacher tells them how American Indian songs, games
and dances came to be.

It's a heady experience for King, who learned Blackfeet from his parents
as a preschooler in southern Alberta, only to have boarding school
teachers try to drum it out of him.

"I almost forgot the basics of my native tongue," he said.

Sharing the language

But King had the last say.

After college, he came home to the Blood Reserve, as reservations are
known in Canada, and started a video production company specializing in
features about Blackfeet elders and legends. Teachers used many of
those videos in classrooms of the reservation schools, which had
reformed and stressed the importance of Blackfeet culture and language.

Since mid-January King has been teaching an introductory Blackfeet class
at both Great Falls and C.M. Russell high schools.

It is believed to be the only Indian language class being taught at a
nonreservation Montana high school.

Full Tongue @:
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/2004/02/15/build/state/50-nativetongue.inc