ACTIVITIES REPORT — JUNE 2005 COVERING THE PERIOD JANUARY – JUNE 2005

The winter and spring of 2005 saw continued involve- ment by YNLC in the support and training of a new generation of language instructors in both the Certificate training program and specialized literacy sessions. The YNLC recognizes this as a crucial step in ensuring the preservation of Yukon native languages, especially with the recent retirement and loss of several highly experienced instructors from the first group of language instructors in the Yukon. The Centre has also taken its literacy sessions out to the communities this spring, including very successful Northern Tutchone and Kaska literacy sessions held in Mayo and Watson Lake. Community support for these sessions has been very strong and attendance has been high. Centre staff have noticed that the growth of competence in native language literacy, as well as increasing numbers of individuals who are familiar with learning in a school setting, has resulted in vigorous participation in workshops and a keen interest in language learning. Another major development this season has been the addition of new on-line language lessons with audio on the YNLC website, as the Centre continues its commitment to make Yukon native languages widely accessible on the web. These are in Hän (Percy Henry), Tagish (Lucy Wren), and (Lena Charley). Ten audio versions of the Fish Camp story book have been added, and two Ahtna versions of the At Home story book. The Centre wishes to extend its thanks to CYFN’s former Grand Chief Ed Schultz, who has been a strong supporter of the vital work of language preservation and the role that YNLC plays in this area. The Centre would like to thank Acting Grand Chief Eric Morris as well, who has also been a keen advocate of language Certificate Graduates Ruth Welsh, Phoebe Lewis, Anne Ranigler preservation, and and Janet Burns. to welcome the new YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 1 Grand Chief, Andy Carville. We look forward to a fruitful working relationship with the new Grand Chief. In upcoming activities this fall, Centre staff will be playing a significant role in the Yukon Teachers’ Association 50th anniversary conference in September. Both YNLC staff members and native language instructors will be leading a number of workshop sessions at the conference. YNLC’s activities for the first half of 2005 are summa- rized in the table accompanying this report. With the rapid evolution of technology, the Centre is finding its staff and resources increasingly stretched in order to support requests for assistance from community-based language programs. The Centre’s long-term goal is to make as much material as possible available through its website so that it can be accessed by anyone with a computer.

In Memoriam YNLC staff and native language instructors around YNLC's Josephine Holloway the Yukon were saddened by the passing of two native preparing language lesson books. language instructors, Fanny Smith and Bertha McLeod, as well as a respected elder, Bessie Allen, who contributed significantly to the preservation of her language. Fanny Smith, who passed away in April, was a instructor at the Carcross School. Fanny began teaching in 2000 and was completing her Certificate training at Yukon College. Bertha McLeod, a Hän language teacher in Dawson City, passed away in January. Bertha was a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and taught at Robert Service School. Bertha had been teaching her language since 1996 and graduated from the Certificate program in 1999. Bessie Allen, mother of experienced native language instructor Lorraine Allen, was a respected elder of the Champagne-Aishihik First Nation who passed away in May. Bessie contributed stories and songs to the Southern programs. On behalf of the YNLC Centre staff, and all Yukon native language teachers, we would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the families.

Spring Graduation Five graduates from YNLC’s native language instructor University of Graduate training programs were honoured at Yukon College’s gradu- Linda Harvey. ation ceremony on June 4th. Graduates of the three-year YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 2 Native Language Instructor Certificate Course are Janet Burns (Southern Tutchone) of Whitehorse, Phoebe Lewis (Kaska) of Watson Lake, Mary Skookum (Northern Tutchone) of Carmacks, Ruth Welsh (Gwich’in) of Tagish, and Anne Ranigler (Northern Tutchone) of Whitehorse. Anne is Archivist and Northern Tutchone Language Specialist with YNLC. The certificates were handed out by Acting CYFN Grand Chief Eric Morris and Northern Tutchone elder Evelyn Skookum from Carmacks. Graduate Ruth Welsh said a prayer in both Gwich’in and English, and YNLC staff member Linda Harvey sang O Canada in Southern Tutchone. On May 15 Linda Harvey, Urban Programs Co-ordinator with YNLC, attended the graduation ceremony at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Having completed her Associate of Applied Science degree in Native L a n g u a g e Education, Linda is now working on a Bachelor of Arts Certificate Graduates Mary Skookum, Anne Ranigler, Phoebe Lewis degree. and Ruth Welsh with YNLC potlatch bags. The Centre staff is very proud of these instructors, who have worked extremely hard to complete their training at Yukon College and in their home communities. We join family and friends in congratulating them on their achievements.

Yukon Geographical Place Names Board YNLC provided linguistic and technical recording assistance with Tlingit place names for the Yukon Geographical Place Names Board, the group that makes recommendations to the Minister of Tourism for naming geographical features in the Yukon. Agreement on the correct spelling of a name is crucial if it is to be approved for use on official maps of the region. Elder Gladys Johnson from Teslin visited YNLC in February and assisted with the review and recording of place names in the Teslin area. YNLC linguist André Bourcier made digitized sound files of the names. This work provides the Place Names Board with a permanent record of the correct pronunciation. Such place names are an important contribution to language revitalization because they restore to the land names that have traditional meaning, and because family history, traditional stories, and traditional activi- ties are all attached to place names.

YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 3 Native Language Teacher Training A Certificate training session was held from March 7 to 11 with 16 participants representing six Yukon and Alaskan languages: Gwich’in, Northern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Kaska, Tlingit, and Ahtna. The focus of the session was on methodology, language structure and professionalism for both trainees and experienced instructors. The session included demonstrations of teaching techniques, long-range planning, and introduc- ing reading and writing. Instructors Bertha Moose and Amanda Workman did a demonstration lesson with the Grade 3 and 4 students from Takhini Elementary School. Attendance at the training sessions is part of the course requirements for the Native Language Instructor Certifi- cate program accredited by Yukon College. Participants must also complete three years of classroom experience in order to receive their Certificate. Graduates of the Certificate program may go on to take a two-year Diploma program, during which they develop their linguistic and teaching skills, develop original teaching materials, and Southern Tutchone Elder Irene Smith. document oral history and traditional narratives.

Literacy Training Sessions On April 13 to 15 a special Southern Tutchone literacy session was held at YNLC for first-year trainees in the Certificate training program. The session focused on pronuncia- tion, new vocabulary, and traditional stories, with the trainees providing input about their needs. Two elders attended the session: Margaret Workman, former YNLC Southern Tutchone language specialist and founding instructor of the F. H. Collins Southern Tutchone language program; and native language instructor Irene Smith, a fluent speaker of the Ta’an dialect of Southern Tutchone. The group also discussed the origin and meaning of the name of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation's potlatch house, Na'kwa/t&a' Ku'ç. On April 20 to 22 a very successful Northern Tutchone community literacy session was held in Mayo with 36 partici- pants. Three First Nations (the Selkirk First Nation, Little Instructor Hilda Germaine and her students from J. V. Clark School Salmon-Carmacks at the Mayo session.

YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 4 First Nation, and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun) took part. Instruc- tor Hilda Germaine did a demonstration lesson with the Grade 1 and 2 class from J. V. Clark School in Mayo. The Grade 8 to 12 students participated in a bingo language activity during the session. Elder May Roberts shared a traditional story, The Little Mountain Man, and elder Alice Buyck sang a song, Jimmy Johnson. Four YNLC Northern Tutchone Elders Evelyn Skookum, May Roberts, staff - director John Ritter, Agnes Charlie and Bella Peter. linguist André Bourcier, and co-ordinators Linda Harvey and Jo-Anne Johnson - led the sessions. Melody Hutton, co- ordinator at Yukon College’s Mayo campus, provided much appreciated assistance with logistics, supplies and food. A Kaska literacy session was held at Johnson Elementary in Watson Lake on May 11 to 13. John Ritter, André Bourcier and Jo-Anne Johnson led the session. Participants from Watson Lake and Ross River practised reading and writing Kaska, including the reading and singing of O Canada in Kaska. They also did listening exercises and reviewed vocab- ulary. The session was attended by Johnson Elementary School principal Denis Ryan. On May 20 and again on June 2 a Northern Tutchone literacy session was held at YNLC for three community native language instructors from Carmacks. The group corrected the translation of the Lord’s Prayer into Northern Tutchone and Evelyn Skookum recorded it. They also reviewed the transcription of The Little Mountain Man, which was recorded by elder Mary Roberts at the Mayo session. An Ahtna literacy session was held June 7 and 8 with four participants from Alaska, including teacher-trainee Jessica Denny and fluent speaker Lena Charley from Chistochina. The group worked on developing curriculum materials for school native language programs. They were accom- panied by Dr. Cynthea Ainsworth, director of the YNLC Director John Ritter and Phoebe Ahtna language program for the Mt. Sanford Tribal Lewis at Johnson Elementary School. Council in Alaska.

YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 5 School and Community Visits Visits by the Program Co- ordinators to observe trainees and instructors teaching in their own classrooms are an important part of the ongoing training and evaluation of native language teachers. Co-ordinators typically observe school lessons and discuss their insights with the trainees and instructors, discuss the language program with the school principal, and visit community language programs and confer with the Co-ordinators Linda Harvey and Jo-Anne Johnson pack up First Nation’s education and for a community visit. language co-ordinators.

School and Community Visits by Jo-Anne Johnson, Rural Programs Co-ordinator

School, Native Language Teachers First Nation Date Community

Tantalus School, Ragene Blackjack, Grace Little Salmon- February 8-9 Carmacks Wheeler, Amy Billy, Mary Carmacks Skookum First Nation

Johnson Elemen- Linda McDonald, Phoebe Liard First February 22- tary and Watson Lewis, Aggie Magun Nation 24 Lake Secondary, Watson Lake

Kluane Lake Alyce Johnson, Agnes Johnson Kluane First March 15 School, Nation Destruction Bay (with Linda Harvey)

Teslin School, Bessie Cooley, Margaret Bob Teslin Tlingit May 17 Teslin Council

Nelnah Bessie John Rose-Marie Blair White River May 31- School, First Nation June 2 Beaver Creek

YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 6 School Visits by Linda Harvey, Urban Programs Co-ordinator

School Native Language Teachers Date

F. H. Collins Ruth Carroll, Mary Jane Allison, Lorraine January 6, Allen 19, 20

Takhini Elementary Amanda Workman, Bertha Moose January 6

F. H. Collins Secondary Enna (Vittrekwa) Rispin February 2

Selkirk Street Elementary Dorothy Bellerose May 6 (with Jo-Anne Johnson)

Porter Creek Secondary Lorraine Allen, Mary Jane Allison May 9

Takhini Elementary Amanda Workman, Bertha Moose May 9

F. H. Collins Secondary Ruth Carroll May 11

Presentations In January Linda Harvey participated in a one-hour radio show on endangered languages at CBC Radio in a joint production with “The Connection,” a National Public Radio show based in Boston, Massachusetts. Linda spoke about the state of Yukon native languages and the effects of residential schools on them. On January 21 Linda Harvey, Jo-Anne Johnson and André Bourcier made a presentation to French monitors who are currently assisting with the delivery of French language teaching in the Yukon. The monitors are French-speaking university students, primarily from Quebec, who are hired to assist with French language teaching in schools. The monitors toured the Centre, and staff explained the role of YNLC as well as providing background about Yukon native languages and Elder May Roberts narrating a story at the Mayo session, with YNLC's André Bourcier recording. YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 7 culture. Because many of the monitors are planning to become teachers, this was a unique opportunity to introduce them to the Yukon and to Yukon native language instruction. Linda taught a demonstration lesson to the group. On January 25 Linda Harvey and Jo-Anne Johnson made a presentation to students in the Yukon Native Teacher Education Program. There was a display on family trees, with information handouts on how to research them and how to collect photos, Northern Tutchone Elders Alice Buyck and Jimmy Johnny as well as sample family trees. at the Mayo session. On February 24 YNLC director John Ritter and Linda Harvey attended the Language Forum held during Leadership Week at CYFN. The Forum was organized to discuss First Nations language strategies for the next five years. Also in February, Linda Harvey and Josephine Holloway spoke to students in the Bachelor of Social Work program at Yukon College. They provided background on First Nations people, including what to expect from elders, how to be more comfortable with them and how to greet them in a native language, and information on the clan structure. On March 3 YNLC staff mounted a display at the Heritage and Culture Forum organized by Yukon College at the Yukon Inn, with Josephine Holloway and Anne Ranigler attending. On May 5 Jo-Anne Johnson participated as a judge for the Yukon Historica Fair, sponsored by the Department of Education and held at CYFN. Students from around the territory submitted projects. On May 10 Andrew Robulack of CBC Radio interviewed Linda Harvey and Doug Hitch on the value of using the internet in teaching and promoting native languages. The feature was broadcast on June 7 and provided a very positive account of YNLC’s work. Jo-Anne Johnson and Linda Harvey participated in the Champagne-Aishihik First Nation Career Fair held in May at Haines Junction and mounted a display of materials. Linda Harvey sang O Canada in Southern Tutchone at the CYFN Native Graduation held for native high school graduates from around the Yukon on May 20, and attended the Ashea Daycare graduation at Kwanlin Dun on June 8th. On June 16 she also attended the Grade 7 graduation at Takhini Elementary where she taught in the language program from 1999-2000, and was able to see some of her ex-students graduate.

YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 8 Website Developments Several web products have become available since the last report. There are new on-line language lessons with audio in Hän (Percy Henry), Tagish (Lucy Wren), and Ahtna (Lena Charley). Ten audio versions of the Fish Camp story book have also been posted: Kaska (Ann Mercier), Tagish (Lucy Wren), Upper Tanana (Jenny Sanford and Patrick Johnny), Tlingit (Liz Smith and Margaret Bob), Hän (Edward Roberts), Gwich’in (Jane Montgomery), Northern Tutchone (Lizzie Hall), Southern Tutchone (Lena Johnson), Ahtna-Mentasta (Katie John), and Ahtna-Chistochina (Lena Charley). After almost nine years, the YNLC website is getting a facelift. The appearance will be more consistent and attractive. Navigation will be easier. A working skeleton has been developed and work is proceeding at fleshing this out with content. New sections will also be added as time Kaska Instructors Aggie Magun, Josephine permits. Acklack and Doris Bob.

New Materials Two new language lesson CDs are available: Margaret Workman in Southern Tutchone and Lucy Wren in Tagish. These are new recordings involving a transfer from tape to CD, now that tapes are becoming obsolete, as well as splitting the recording into pages so that users can follow along with the print booklet. The long-term plan is to provide as many language lessons as possible in CD format as well as on the website. The CD format enables people to play them in their car or on a CD player at home. Printed booklets of the spring sessions are now available: Southern Tutchone April 13-15, Northern Tutchone April 20-22, and Kaska May 11-13. Several books have been reprinted to meet demand: Mary Jane Kunnizzi’s Gwich’in Listening Exercises, language lesson books by Emma Sam and Lucy Wren (both in Tlingit), and several literacy session booklets. Southern Tutchone specialist Margaret Workman and her grand-daughter, All these materials can be ordered from YNLC trainee Amanda Workman. (see contact information below). YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 9 Planning for Fall 2005 The Yukon Native Language Centre and individual teachers are busy planning for the fall session, with a number of literacy and teacher training workshops in preparation. You may contact YNLC after September 6 for updates on scheduling. On August 24, YNLC staff will be participating in the orientation of new teachers to the Yukon, organized by the Department of Education, to be held at Brooks Brook. YNLC staff and native language instructors will be offering a number of sessions about First Nations language and culture at the upcoming Yukon Teachers’ Association conference to be held September 29 and 30 in Whitehorse.

How To Reach Us If you would like more information on the Centre’s programs or publications, please write to us at Yukon Native Language Centre, Yukon College, Box 2799, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 5K4. We can also be reached: • by telephone at (867) 668-8820, toll-free 1-877-414-9652 • by fax at (867) 668-8825 • by email at [email protected]

Visiting Teetl'it Gwich'in Elder Tabitha Nersyoo with her daughter, Mary Ruth Wilson (right), grand-daughter Myrna Nerysoo (Yukon College graduate, left) and great-grandson Kyler Nerysoo.

YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 10 YNLC Activities January - June 2005

Session Focus Dates Days

YNLC Orientation for French Monitors YNLC Presentation Jan 21 1

Yukon Native Teacher Education Clan System¶Family Jan 25 1 Program Tree

Carmacks (Tantalus School ß Little Northern Tutchone Feb 8-9 2 Salmon¶Carmacks FN) Program

Old Crow (Chief Zzeh Gittlit School ß Gwich&in Program Feb 9-10 2 Vuntut Gwich&in FN)

Watson Lake (Johnson Elem., Watson Kaska Program Feb 22-24 2 Lake Sec. ß Liard FN)

Yukon College Heritage ß Culture YNLC Materials Mar 3 1 Display Display

Certificate Course Teacher Training Mar 7-11 5

Destruction Bay¶Burwash Landing Southern Tutchone Mar 15 1 (Kluane Lake Sch. ß Kluane FN) Program

Southern Tutchone Literacy Session Classroom Literacy Apr 13-15 3 (YNLC)

Northern Tutchone Literacy Session Community Literacy Apr 20-22 3 (Mayo)

Kaska Literacy Session (Watson Lake) Community Literacy May 11-13 3

Northern Tutchone, Carmacks, In- Community Literacy May 20, Jun 2`` 2 Service (YNLC)

Career Fair (Haines Junction) YNLC Presentation May 25-26 2

Yukon College Graduation YNLC Presentation Jun 4 1

Ahtna In-Service Community Literacy Jun 7,8 2

YNLC Activities Report, January - June 2005 11