Involving Community Members to Develop Culturally Relevant Word ...

Purpose and Objectives
The PrinciPaL research QuesTion
What target words can we teach to students that are age appropriate and culturally relevant to
First Nations and Métis worldview?
A selected group of community members met with the research team and other staff members of
the Gift of Language and Culture Project in La Ronge, Saskatchewan on October 8 and 9, 2008.
The gathering was organized in one of the meeting rooms in the La Ronge Hotel and Suites. The
researchers who facilitated the sharing session were Otto Fietz, Leda Corrigal, Cynthia Cook,
and Grace Cook. Other staff members from the Gift of Language and Culture Project were present
to assist with recording and documenting the sessions through the use of audio and video equipment.
A total of 15 community members participated. The facilitators/researchers familiarized the group
of community members with the intent of the research project. Set to a certain level of comfort
and workable groupings, the participants were further divided into three smaller groups. All three
groups had two leaders to encourage ongoing dialogue related to Cree language teaching and
learning and to ensure that conversations stayed focused on the initial purpose of the gathering.
All the community members were given opportunities to share and to participate in the sessions.
It was truly a learning and an enjoyable experience for both participants and researchers. The
participants were very eager to share information, which was communicated informally and
accepted in a dialogue format. The participants shared their knowledge and reminded each other
of different incidences they experienced, making the atmosphere very inviting and conducive to
ongoing constructive dialogue.
The researchers recorded the word lists and cultural knowledge that were recommended by the
participants. The community members talked extensively about language acquisition and the
process. One of the key issues that was repeated was that in order for children to learn and to
retain a language, they need to be immersed in the language on a daily basis. The community
members stressed overwhelmingly that the efforts made as a result of this research were very
important and to make every attempt possible to preserve the language and culture. They are
very concerned about the state of Cree language and hope to be able to assist with every possible
effort made to preserve the language.
4 RESEARCH REPORT: Involving Community Members to Develop Culturally Relevant Word Lists for First Nations and Métis Students