 My first language is Cree and my second language is English, so this is where my role is connected with where I work today. I work at Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Center as the Education and Language Specialist. My role there is to support, inserve, preserve and revitalization of retention of Saskatchewan First Nations languages for the present and future generations. So we're always searching and finding ways to support and serve the language. Speakers and educators are developing, creating new and old language resources and materials for language programs or anyone that wants to, any communities, First Nations people that want to revitalize their languages. We also create educational curriculums. So, and we just recently had a curriculum that was launched last year that was the land-based. And this year is the unique curriculum and that's teaching sacred language curriculum. It is based on First Nations ways of knowing laws through elders' guidance and knowledge. And we also implemented the Saskatchewan Provincial Curriculum. And with the other roles we do is we also provide various language workshops for where we're reaching out to or they reach out to us. First Nations organizations from Head Start to High School to getting to know their language training such as TPR training. So we've been doing that a few places already. And we also do, in our department, we also do a lot of volunteering work to other communities that say they want to, they have their language workshop, cultural or language workshops. They ask us for any assistance from working with the elders or being home hosts. So it varies wherever they want us. So the teaching sacred language, the reason why we call that is, well, first of all, our president, Wanda Wilson from SICC and the Elders Council and the leaders and communities from Saskatchewan have been asking or wanted help and guidance how we can revitalize our languages at homes and schools. So we got a group, a language group together from other communities and we started creating the language curriculum and it's based on our ways of knowing. So staying away from, well, majority of the Western thinking. And we also recognize that Saskatchewan Provincial Curriculum is something that we need to put in there. So we included that. The language curriculum is based on elders guidance and growing up with our traditions and culture and our elders is we basically put that into the language curriculum. So putting the elders in front. So there are teachers, there are knowledge keepers. So we have a whole bunch of quotes here that actually came from Elders from the past and today. So one of the ones that we looked at is because of the challenges we face in the Western settings or in Canada or wherever is we have to bring that our identity back. And if we don't know our identity, that's when we get lost. So what is identity? How are we going to get it? So we need to know the importance of the spirit of the language and due to the residential school that impacted a lot of First Nations people. So our elders are very, very sacred. They have very powerful knowledge. So when we brought them first and also our experience with our grandparents. So something we thought we need to start embracing our children because those are very important in our education. The language starts from the womb and nurture, love. We need to start seeing that in our children. So something we always learn not only the Cree, the Cree's but also Kota and other groups believe, not believe. Strongly say that our children are loaned to us from the Creator. Our job is to love and nurture and respect and teach them our ways. So we brought that first because that's what our education should look at. And even as parents or family members, friends that our children are very sacred. And if we bring that to the environment, that's when the language nest grows and identity comes, our culture and traditions. So we did that. So we talked about language spirit is something that the Creator gave us to use to communicate. And the unique part is that every First Nation groups have their own languages and also their own dialect. So we had experienced a lot of dialect judgment and we strongly believe it came from the residential school and they say that an elder once said that the colonial or the western way is like a spirit that goes around in us, that lives in us and we have to get it out. And in order to do that is we have to know who we are. So everything is connected. So we talked about the language curriculum as a very sacred. Of course it's not from us, it's from the elders and from what we grew up from. And the language comes from the womb. We should start speaking to our children from the womb and then that's when they start exposing hearing. So our First Nation language gives more meaning, knowledge and acceptance. And this is where our life journeys begin because our language starts with our stories, our ancestors, our protocols and all of it is basically connected to the spirit of the Creator. So what we did was instead of putting the provincial curriculums for outcomes first, we collected information from the elders from all the seven, the eight groups in Saskatchewan and that is Dakota, Denay, Lakota, Lakota, Plains Cree, Swampy Cree, Woodland Cree and so on. And each of them we asked is why is it so important your First Nation group to learn their language and it is amazing what they were able to share and what they wanted, why their children need to know this for the future and today. So for example, one of my favorite ones is No Too Late Get Human gave us our language, the Creator gave it to us. And that's from a Soto Elder, a Denay Elder. It is the gift from the Creator, our spiritual language, our mother tongue and our identity. So that's a Denay Elder. So we have the eight examples. And then we move on to our language curriculum also has a seasonal year plan. So it has fall, winter, spring, summer. So year plan we decided we need to have a year plan for all the teachers because language teachers have been a language teacher for a few years and I kind of understand what we need in that setting. And so we need to make it non-stressful and something easy for them because it is a lot of work when you teach a language in schools or in the community. So that's why we decided we're going to have a year plan for them, a set up year plan. So the year plan, September, consists on greetings, basic greetings, conversation. And that's with the commands. And there's also a thematic unit. And so every month has a thematic unit. For example, September has classroom and objects. So just because that is their first, the students see all these objects or the people in the classroom. So those are all, there's a list of target words vocabulary there. And there's also TPR, Total Physical Response that is teaching the verb base. And ASLA, Accelerate Second Language. And what we did, we gave an option is orthography, SRO, writing the written part. It's something that the elders suggest that can come later in life. We have to get our people talking using oral. And something that's been, we've been using is a calendar, numbers and colors and songs. We kind of put that in the side and it's the most important is that communication. So September starts from one word and then each month we add two or three and it becomes a sentence form. And they're all connected. So every month has a virtue, for example, respect, thankfulness. What is respect? And the community can explain what is thankful, why is it so important for us? What is our way? And we also, one thing we also included is July and August is because our language shouldn't end in June. Beginning September and end in June, it's supposed to keep going. So we did that because now it's been actually recognized and it's been practiced as there's a lot of youth programs, cultural activities in the summer. So we can have those for them. So we implemented three methods and that's accelerate the second language acquisition, total physical response and of course that's a written part. So we have three lesson plans, talk about how we can, how do we teach TPR or ASLA. And then it goes back to daily unit plans. So September has about 50 to 60 target words in English. But we can give a number just because every language has their own translations. So they can provide their own translations. And we also, this book is, we gave the English vocabulary just because they, every community can translate using their own dialect. So dialect is a very important also and it actually describes your identity or what community you came from. So we're respecting all the dialects and languages in this schedule. So every month has the target words and we can see there's sentences like buffaloes are drinking. And in September there was just one word, buffalo. So you'll see all of these are, they all have quotes from the elders. And so that's the same time we're honoring, bringing back those elders, connecting back. And I forgot to mention the language curriculum consists of stages of how to revitalize First Nation languages. So we just had provided seven examples that if somebody, if a community or a program wants to organize or start a language nest. This is something we researched and put it together. We have that information for them. And something that's very common that we always get phone calls or requests is, how are we going to work with the elders? What do we need to do? So we decided to put some steps to expect when working with elders or requesting elders to come to your room or classroom or community. So the other thing is we know that assessments are very important. So we have assessments at the back and it's actually based on seasonal also. So September, there's a target words we have. And if you go to the end and you go to September, there's a check mark on the target words that are recommended to learn for the first month. And then there's rating scale included. So that goes all the way to June. And we also gave additional words just in case the students are mastering the whole book and the words. And again, like one community looked at the language curriculum and their community, their first language was Dene, so they're coming in. So this is really, really easy so they can go jump into the month of December. So we provided a few examples of assessments. What is your understanding of Indigenous education? Well, our Indigenous education has always been there and we have our own ways of learning, our own system. And we have our ways to transmit personal and traditional knowledge, our own laws. And the most important thing is that connection with the creator, the creator created the laws and the education for us to use. And that's something that we, the way we know or educate ourselves is something that's very vital to us. My grandma used to say, if we don't know who you are, you don't know your laws, education, you will be lost. And I strongly believe that I see it today. I understand it today and we've been showered with the Western education and, for example, for me, and it was so hard to relate to. But once working with, say, for example, SICC, working with them, that's where my education started coming back. It's something my grandmother or the elders talked about. We have our own way of understanding with Mother Earth, understanding the protocols. Protocols is the connection connecting with the creator and discipline, respect. So everything we do in a holistic approach is our education. It will find its ways to get out of the challenges, the tools, and the understanding of the world. And that's what we, I believe that our education, our indigenous education is a very spiritual, powerful and unique way of learning. It's bringing back all the tradition, culture, language and our identity so we can walk and say, I'm First Nation, I'm Cree. My first language is Cree and be able to read and Cree or the language, communicate. That's indigenous education. Do you still have a vision of how you'd like to see it evolve in the next 10 years? My vision, I thought about that all day today, is what is the vision? In my younger years, listening to the elders, my grandma, they talked about what the future holds for our generation. That was me when I was young. But it's losing the language, losing our ways, our cultural traditions because we would be so implanted with the cultural views. But because we cannot relate or fit in there, you said we're going to find our ways to come back. And because we all need to feel of being long. And that's where we belong. That's what our creator put us here for a reason. Today I see there has been a huge improvement. There's still a lot of work to be done. But we First Nation people and the elders using, for example, this program are coming out. We're voicing who our First Nation people. And I believe that's when our identity comes. Our virtues, our respect for our land, our families, communities will reunite. And for the future generations, I know that we won't go back to where it used to be, but there will be some connections.