Ayaanikeshkaagewaad Language Revitalization Project
The Niibi Center is requesting $54,800 in funding (Competitive) from the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council to design, evaluate and launch a four session Intensive Instructor Practicum and Language Blast weekend program to supplement our emerging home based, family focused language immersion program on White Earth Reservation. Our immersion program, Ayaanikeshkaagewaad, (meaning 'the next ones in succession') is a recently launched project of the Niibi Center. Ayaanikeshkaagewaad seeks to take a new approach to revitalizing Anishinaabe culture and language on White Earth. It seeks to increase the number of proficient Ojibwemowin speakers by creating a sustainable, home based language immersion program for Anishinaabe families on White Earth Reservation and ultimately providing a model for use across the Woodlands. This supplemental program will deepen instructors' instructional design and application skills while engaging our immersion families in full day experiences designed to connect an immersive environment with culturally significant family activities.
Create and nurture an Ojibwemowin learning community that results in the following measurable outcomes for both teachers and Language Blast participants. Improved instructor fluency, confidence, competence, relationship building skills, traditional knowledge Niibi Center, White Earth Nation. Improved confidence and competence in culturally grounded learning, including engaging and sharing traditional knowledge, specifically around connection to niibi and manoomin. Increased momentum around learning the language in participating households. Uptick in interest in participating in Ayaanikeshkaagewaad teacher training. These traditional knowledge weekend experiences will be used as an immersion teacher/student recruitment for the future immersion school for White Earth. Increased opportunities for skills application in context. Current Immersion trained teachers will have an opportunity to expand their language capacity outside of the classroom to a more natural setting that could be used to expand experiential learning opportunities for their current classroom.