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Building blocks for developing a Hən̓ q̓ əmín̓ əm̓ Language Nest Program for the Katzie Early Years Centre by Cheyenne Cunningham B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2017 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Linguistics Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Cheyenne Cunningham 2019 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2019 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Cheyenne Cunningham Degree: Master of Arts Title: Building blocks for developing a Hən̓ q̓ əmín̓ əm̓ Language Nest Program for the Katzie Early Years Centre Examining Committee: Chair: Nancy Hedberg Professor Marianne Ignace Senior Supervisor Professor Susan Russell Supervisor Adjunct Professor Date Defended/Approved: April 17, 2019 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract As a First Nations woman and community member of the q̓ ícəy̓ (Katzie) First Nation, I have always had an interest in the language of my ancestors – Hən̓ q̓ əmín̓ əm̓ , the Downriver dialect of the Halkomelem language, a Coast Salish language that has no first language speakers left. My interest in the language stems from my childhood, as I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to participate in classes that exposed me to the language. The purpose of this project is to not only enhance my own knowledge but to also create framework for what will hopefully be used for a language nest program for the Katzie Early Years Centre. The idea is to provide a safe environment for the children to interact and engage in the language through meaningful activities. This research will ultimately be utilized for the Katzie First Nation head start and preschool programs on Katzie I.R. No. 1. Keywords: Language nest; Head start; Preschool; Katzie; Halkomelem iv Dedication I would like to dedicate this project to my family, who have been there and supported me throughout this journey. It has been a long, tough process and your support has been instrumental in the completion of my studies. wən̓ án čxʷ wənəsƛ̓ íʔ, I love you very much. v Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge my teachers past and present, for believing in me and sharing their knowledge. To my big sister, Leah – for bequeathing all of her knowledge. To my classmates – for all your support throughout this journey, thank you for your words of encouragement. vi Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................ ii Ethics Statement ...............................................................................................................iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ......................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii ‘Welcome people to Katzie Land’ ..................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Background ............................................................................................................. 2 1.2. Challenges/limitations ........................................................................................... 12 1.3. Overview of Chapters ............................................................................................ 13 Chapter 2. Literature Review ..................................................................................... 14 2.1. Research Questions .............................................................................................. 14 2.2. Research Methodology ......................................................................................... 15 2.3. Summarizing Relevant Literature .......................................................................... 19 Chapter 3. Communities and Parent Feedback ....................................................... 32 Chapter 4. Curricular Content ................................................................................... 37 4.1. Unit One: Basic Language for Instruction ............................................................. 39 4.2. Unit Two: Songs and Repetition ............................................................................ 40 4.3. Feelings and States .............................................................................................. 42 4.4. Location of things .................................................................................................. 43 4.5. Unit Three: Games ................................................................................................ 44 4.6. Activity: Go Go Stop (Come Come Stop) .............................................................. 44 4.7. Unit four: Arts and Crafts ....................................................................................... 47 4.8. Unit five: Exploring Nature .................................................................................... 48 4.9. Introducing language: Children ............................................................................. 49 4.10. Unit six: Food .................................................................................................... 49 4.11. Culture as Curriculum ....................................................................................... 51 4.12. Learning Objectives and Outcomes .................................................................. 53 4.13. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 53 References ................................................................................................................... 55 vii List of Tables Table 1. Parent Survey Data ................................................................................. 35 Table 2. TPR Activity: Examples ........................................................................... 39 Table 3. Dialogue .................................................................................................. 40 Table 4. Additional Instructions ............................................................................. 40 Table 5. Head and Shoulders ................................................................................ 41 Table 6. Activity: Song ........................................................................................... 41 Table 7. Happy Birthday ........................................................................................ 41 Table 8. Yes/No ..................................................................................................... 42 Table 9. Feelings/States ........................................................................................ 42 Table 10. Questions/Answers .................................................................................. 43 Table 11. For example: Do you have? .................................................................... 43 Table 12. Location of things .................................................................................... 43 Table 13. For Example: Go Go Stop ....................................................................... 44 Table 14. Activity: θət tə Spá∙l̕ “Raven Says” .......................................................... 45 Table 15. Activity: A Hunt ........................................................................................ 46 Table 16. Yes/No ..................................................................................................... 47 Table 17. For example: Body parts ......................................................................... 47 Table 18. For example: Where is____? .................................................................. 48 Table 19. Colours .................................................................................................... 48 Table 20. Weather words and phrases: ................................................................... 49 Table 21. ɬčémt ‘Make it into Jam’ ........................................................................... 50 Table 22. Vocabulary: words associated with making bannock .............................. 50 Table 23. Let’s make some bannock ....................................................................... 51 Table 24. Optional language ................................................................................... 51 Table 25. Seasons ................................................................................................... 52 viii ‘Welcome people to Katzie Land’ ix Chapter 1. Introduction Indigenous languages in British Columbia and throughout Canada have been critically endangered since the forced assimilation through residential schools – a system designed, “to kill the Indian in the child,” which resulted in significant language loss. These horrific