We will be hosting a short screening of survivors’ stories and will be joined by community members who have made it their life’s work to ensure the Kanien’keha (Mohawk) language and culture continues to thrive. Please join Us!
Please join us on September 29th at 5 p.m. in the Moore House Lounge.
Kanien’kehá:ka – Living the Language is a two part documentary about the personal, thought provoking and honest stories of the Mohawk language (Kanien’kehá:ka) immersion program in Akwesasne. It examines various aspects of what it takes to learn and maintain a language through immersion by addressing key concepts of tradition, traditional education and identity preservation. In the late 1970’s, the Mohawk community of Akwesasne began a dynamic language revitalization movement. The establishment of Mohawk language immersion programs and the creation of the Akwesasne Freedom School were just two of the major aspects of the movement. “One cannot be traditional without knowing and speaking Kanien’kehá:ka (the Mohawk language)” is often heard at the school. Parents and elders operate the Freedom School by a consensus decision-making process with financial support primarily from annual quilt sales and potluck dinners.
Resources:
Mushkeg Media – http://www.mushkeg.ca/projects_livingthelanguage.html
Akwesasne Freedom School – https://freedom-school.org/
Orange Shirt Day Website – https://www.orangeshirtday.org/
Bureau of Interior Report – Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative
Investigative Report May 2022 –
https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/dup/inline-files/bsi_investigative_report_may_2022_508.pdf
