AEDA Hosts Adult Mohawk Immersion Program

By: Arisawe

The Akwesasne Economic Development Agency, AEDA, is the site of a new, full time Kanienkeha Immersion Program for adults. Karen Mitchell, the Director of AEDA, obtained funding through a grant from the Aboriginal Language Initiative of the Canadian Heritage Aboriginal Peoples' Program. This new initiative falls into place with the existing language programs that have been offered over the past few years, the difference being, the new program runs from 9:00am to 3:00am. The course started on November 5th and will end on March 27, 2015.

This course is offered to fifteen students who are considered to have a strong background in the language, who grew up with language in their home, but don't speak the language. There have been many influences that have created this situation. Whether it was the trauma of residential schools and public schools that discouraged the use of the language, or they were so immersed in the English language through work and technology, they just didn't hear the language anymore. We, as Onkwehonwe, have to recognize that we need to make the language come to life again.

We're very fortunate to have many teachers throughout Akwesasne and within the schools, who teach our children Kanienkeha. We also have to give praise to those teachers who teach adults the language, which at times may be more challenging. And, fortunately for us, and Akwesasne as a whole, Mary McDonald, Onwari, has returned to take on this challenge.

Onwari is a lifetime speaker and has spent thirty-five years sharing her knowledge of the language, not only with Akwesasro:non but with Kahnawakero:non and Kanehsatakero:non too. Not only that, being a linguist, she has assisted in reintroducing and teaching adult Onondaga and Oneida students. Furthermore, she has also developed and administered First Nations Language programs and what's more, she has a few publications.

From a student's viewpoint, Onwari's energetic style and true love of teaching the language, gives us more of an appreciation of the language. The language is alive and Onwari can make us see and feel the words since, as any speaker will tell you, the Mohawk language is very descriptive. So descriptive at times that I've seen some faces turn red. That's when you know you understand.

Onwari is grateful for her teachers and she "thanks her parents every day, for her gifts." Now as her students, we can thank her parents for her gifts too.

This writer would like to share that, I've always felt it was important for me to learn, or relearn, Kanienkeha. If you look at my family, you'd wonder how is it that, the first seven have the language and the last seven don't. This is the trauma that I spoke of earlier. My mother told me that someone from the school system scolded her, asking, "Why do you want your children to be savages? They have to speak English." It must be heartbreaking knowing that others think of your children as savages and knowing that they're being punished for speaking Kanienkeha. That's when I decided that I was going to be who we were meant to be, and not conform to the American or Canadian way. It's important to me that young people keep their identity and are proud to be Onkwehonwe.

Jennifer David feels the same way as I do. She is taking the class because she knows how important the language is to our culture. She showed me a poster with quotes that read, "If you no longer speak your language and no longer practice your culture, then you have no right to demand aboriginal rights from us, because you are assimilated with the ruling power." Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Rene Levesque. "The limits of my language means the limits of my world." Ludwig Wittgenstein. "Because without our language, we have lost ourselves. Who are we without our words?" Melina Marchetta. When Jennifer showed me this poster, she said, "This is why I'm here."

Susan Sunday shared with me her reason for taking the class. She said when her father became elderly, he began to relive his childhood and in his childhood, he only knew how to speak Kanienkeha. How heartbreaking it must be, first to see your father suffering through Alzheimer's disease and then not to be able to understand the man who raised and cared for you; who shared his words and thoughts and teachings while you grew and in the end, not knowing what he was saying.

Roseanne Terrance shares this: "I am so grateful for this opportunity to become "immersed" in the Mohawk Language. My goal is to become a fluent speaker and be able to communicate with elders and other fluent speakers in the community. I am fortunate that I heard the language being used while growing up and am able to understand some vocabulary. This class is allowing me the chance to learn the process, rules and practice with peers who are experiencing similar struggles in learning the Mohawk Language. The small class size allows for an increase of trust and opportunity to take that step to develop self-confidence in attempting pronunciation and develop study groups. I have a background in education and have taught elementary students for over 25 years. I am looking forward to incorporating the use of Mohawk Language into the curriculum being taught."

Catherine Burns said for her, although she had a lot of the language, she wants to become a fluent speaker. She said it is frustrating and embarrassing at times, to try to speak the language. She's happy to have the opportunity to learn now.

While we have children and our elders speaking the language, we, almost a whole generation, are without the language.

Karen Mitchell has been dedicated to ensuring Kanienkeha will survive. The AEDA facility houses the CAN8 program, which provides Mohawk Language through a computer program that anyone can access on their home computers for a monthly fee. There are also two other instructors, Edith McDonald and Mabel White, who teach one-hour intervals to beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers. Many of the students in this program are MCA employees.

The current fulltime Adult Immersion Program is also being offered to beginners on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Combined, the total number of students in the evening and day classes is over thirty. The cost for photocopying is growing and it is necessary to offset the cost. We will need to fundraise so please help by purchasing raffle tickets or making donations to this very valuable program.