With the introduction of Cree as a Language of Instruction, many hurdles had to be overcome. One such hurdle, according to former Cree School Board Chairman Luke MacLeod, was the whole concept of teaching in Cree.
“It was like people thought that English or French were the only languages that could teach math, history or geography. Our language, the
Cree language, wasn’t good enough,” MacLeod, coordinator of the upcoming Cree Language and Culture Conference, told the Nation.
Assimilation attempts that happened in the past are responsible for this, Luke MacLeod said adding “Residential schools taught us a lot but one of the things they taught the Crees was that our language and culture weren’t up to Canadian standards. To think this way is wrong. English and French should always be a second or third language, one that we speak fluently, of course, but not the primary language. They aren’t ours and the Cree language is,” It will be something that is looked at in the upcoming Cree Language and Culture Conference.
Three women from three communities have been involved in Cree as a Language of Instruction Programs at different levels. Gertie Murdoch is Waskaganish’s Community Education Administrator,
Luci Salt is an education consultant for Cree Programs, working out of Chisasibi, and Lillian Diamond is the principal of the school in Nemaska.
Gertie Murdoch has been with the Cree School
Board since it started back in 1978. She was in student services in Val d’Or. Murdoch’s husband was involved in developing curriculum for Cree programs and was transferred to Waskaganish. “So I came with him,” laughs Murdoch. That was back in 1980. Today Murdoch sees a pressing need for more Cree syllabics materials, especially in libraries.
The Nation: You’ve seen the start of Cree as a Language of Instruction. What are your impressions?
Gertie Murdoch: I’m very impressed with it. At first I wasn’t too keen on it. I’ve heard so many things like that it’s better for a child to learn the second language early. They’re able to pick up languages at a very early age. But as I see with our students in Cree, I really believe that if they master their own language, Cree, you can see with a lot them they aren’t shy at all in speaking. In fact you could almost say they think Cree is a universal language because they talk to everybody in Cree. They come into the office, talk to us and they correct us.
So you find the greatest change is in the students?
For sure. I think everybody is more conscious of speaking Cree. Of making sure that you don’t make a mistake. The students correct you. If you go into their side they tell you when you use an English word, on their side of the wing, where we have them. For example if you say table, they’ll say no, this is what you say in Cree. You don’t say table. But I guess that shows their confidence.
The CSB is thinking of taking Cree as a Language of Instruction to higher grades than three. Do you see this as a good thing?
I think it’s a good thing, You have to follow through all the way up. At grade four today, a second language is taught like an immersion program.
How about in the beginning? Were there problems getting enough material?
At the beginning we rushed into it. We didn’t have enough material. We had to be careful. If we are going further, we have to make sure we have enough material for the students. It affects people now and in their future. A lot of them in Grade 3 write very well in Cree. We have to have library books for them to pick up and continue reading. I think that is one place we lack materials right now is when we go in libraries, we only have English books in there. Sure they write a lot of their own stories right now but I think we have to have material for the libraries. Our signs in the libraries are in three languages but the students don’t use the library much because there are no Cree books. We have very few texts with Cree syllabics in there.
Luci Salt, like Murdoch, has been with the Cree School Board since it started. She was one of the pioneers of Cree as a Language of Instruction Programs (CLIP). Salt and the late Annie Whiskeychan were hired to work as consultants for languages and culture.
Luci gives the teachers a lot of credit for what was out there. She said they were resource people who were already teaching in the schools. Being around them actually helped her Cree, she said. She also said that listening to Elders on tape expanded her vocabulary.
In the early days, she remembers most of the teachers hired to teach Cree language and culture in the schools could only speak Cree. They were also people who were living a traditional lifestyle, Luci recalls.
the Nation: In the beginning, were there enough materials for CLIP?
Luci Salt: We did have a lot of materials. It was just getting it together, that was the hard part. We have a lot of resources on audiotapes. We used the Circle Program, which was designed for Native children. It was all in English so we had to translate it into Cree. That was hard. What would have made it much easier was to use our own material, the Cree stuff we had so much of instead of translating materials.
I hope this is one of the new directions of the School Board. It’ll make our work much easier. The only thing we need for the younger grades is an illustrator. This is because we have a lot of information written down or on audiotape and it needs pictures to go with it.
The school board is thinking of extending CLIP to the eighth grade. Are you preparing for that now?
We still have a lot to work on with we’ve already started. Like with the elementary up to grade 4 or 5. We work on it together with the teachers who are teaching at that level.
What about the upcoming conference? Do you think this is something that is needed by the Cree Nation?
Yes, I think so. There’s a time for everything. This is going to be a learning experience for everybody. A lot of us who have been through residential school are used to speaking in another language. We are used to working in a second and third language so it’ll be fun to see people just talking in Cree. It’ll be hard because we’ve gotten used to speaking the second language.
I think this conference will be good. It’ll provide us with a direction of where the Cree people want to take Cree as a Language of Instruction for the school board. A lot of other Native groups across Canada have been interested in what we are doing. I think that once we get everything together and make some reports, they’ll be interested in seeing what we are doing. They always tell us, “You guys are so far ahead of us.”
Hopefully this conference will generate some good ideas for other nations that want to use their language for the instruction for their people.
What are your impressions of the CLIP program to date in the pilot communities?
According to the evaluation reports of Grades 1 and 2 and talking to the teachers, positive things have come out of it. Because they are using the language, the children find it easier to learn because they understand right away what the teacher is trying to tell them. Otherwise they would have to translate it first. The Cree values are also in our language and I feel that the children learn those along with reading and writing in Cree.
Come to the conference and you’ll hear a lot of things about the program.
Lillian Diamond has come up through the ranks
of the Cree School Board hierarchy. Starting out back in 1985 she was part of the school board’s teacher training program in Waskaganish. She received her diploma in 1988. Now she is a principal. Nemaska just introduced Cree as a Language of Instruction for Grade 1. Diamond will also be graduating in January from a 30-credit course under McGill’s Aboriginal Literacy Program.
What kind of concerns did the parents have with the Cree language program?
They were wondering if the children would be able to handle English or French when they got to the upper grades. That was their main concern.
Are their concerns valid?
It’s hard to say because it’s only the students’ second year. The students who have come up, who are in Grade 3, are just starting to be integrated into the other language of instruction in arts and gym. One time in the gym, I found something really funny. The gym teacher tells everybody, “Everyone with white socks run to the other side of the gym.” Most of those kids just stood there, (laughter) There are no problems with the kids working with the teacher since we started. It’s like the kids enjoy school more. There are changes in their attitudes.
I don’t think we’ve managed to convince the parents yet. I think in due time when they realize what’s happening or see the success of the program and that it’s working, we’ll have convinced them. I’ve heard from other communities the kids pick up the second or third language quickly. We haven’t experienced that here.
I know here in Nemaska when we told the young kids in Grade 2 they would be learning English or French, they were really excited. They were looking forward to it whereas before they may have dreaded it. It would seem hard for them at Grade 1 just to be immersed in another language.
What do you think of the Cree Language and Culture conference?
I think it’s something that’s needed. It’ll be the first time we have ever had something like that. It’ll be a good time to assess and review what’s been happening so far in the programs and what’s been accomplished. We have to look at whatever other work needs to be done and how we can promote it even more. We need to get other people involved. It has to be more than just the Cree School Board. The school can only do so much.
Residential schools have left a psychological impact on some of the parents. Some want their kids to know English or French more than Cree. They don’t see why Cree should be taught in school when it’s spoken at home. But I think this attitude goes back to residential school where Cree wasn’t encouraged and wasn’t thought to be as good as English or French. It was like at residential school. They didn’t even consider Cree a language.
It’s changing today. A lot of the teacher-trainees and Cree teachers are taking a Cree linguistics course from McGill. This is the first time I’ve heard of a university offering these types of Aboriginal language courses. I’m taking it as well. I started when I was teaching and I’ve continued. Personally it’s really helped me even in my oral Cree as well as writing.
I’m looking forward to this conference and seeing all the other people there who are interested in seeing Cree language and culture have a true future.
