Once-vibrant Native languages now struggling in Canada (fwd link)

[Phillip E Cash Cash]

*Once-vibrant Native languages now struggling in Canada
*
The Canadian Press | Oct 26, 2012

In a way, the chattering half-dozen First Nations youngsters are learning
their mother tongue for the first time — and the future of the once-mighty
Mohawk language is hanging in the balance.

The students are a critical component of a language-revitalization program
at the Tsi Tyonnheht Onkawenna Language and Cultural Center in Tyendinaga
First Nation that hopes to breathe new life into the community's original
identity, one small voice at a time.

"We are quite a success story: We've built enough capacity in our programs
that we are able to teach our own now," says Callie Hill, the cultural
center's director.

"We were at a point where we had to call in teachers from other Mohawk
communities because we didn't have anyone who could speak our language."

The program in this community east of Belleville, Ont., is a point of light
in a national landscape once vibrant with the sound of more than 70
distinct First Nations languages.

Access full article below:

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/once-vibrant-native-languages-now-struggling-canada
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