Message from Owennatekha (Brian Maracle), founder of Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa
The Onkwehonwe of Turtle Island, the Original Peoples of North America, have undergone immense change over the past five centuries. The one enduring element that ties our past to the present is language. But some of our languages have died. Elements of these languages have survived as word lists, recordings and geographic names but our languages are no longer the glue that holds our communities together.
Many, if not most, of our languages, are struggling to survive with a shrinking number of increasingly elderly speakers. Even the few “strong” languages on Turtle Island are in trouble, including those with thousands of speakers. Our communities are not creating new speakers and children are growing up not being able to speak their ancestral language.
Efforts to redress language loss began decades ago, focused on children in elementary schools. In recent years this has greatly expanded and now includes students in universities and community programs.
Learn more about our project history and content
Learn about our three language program partners
Learn about the current and future assessments used by the programs
Learn more about Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa Curriculum & Methodology
Learn more about Twatati Curriculum & Methodology
Learn more about the curriculum and methodology of the Nęyękwawęta’θkwáhshek Tuscarora Language Program
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