Bilingual and Heritage Language Programs

Dakota and Ojibwe Language and Literacy

During the past year, the Humanities Center was approached by the Dakota and Ojibwe Language Revitalization Alliance and the Alliance for Early Childhood Professionals to explore ways in which to address the need for early childhood materials in Dakota and Ojibwe languages. The Alliance for Early Childhood Professionals recently obtained federal funding to support early childhood immersion preschools in Dakota and Ojibwe languages. This project has made the lack of early childhood materials in these languages even more evident.

In consultation with a broad range of Native American, early childhood, and educational organizations, the Humanities Center has designed a Dakota and Ojibwe Language and Literacy Workshop to collect and disseminate information about existing resources, highlight current immersion programs, and provide strategies for programs to produce their own materials. A number of exhibitors will display and sell materials on-site.

The first Dakota and Ojibwe Language and Literacy Workshop was held on Monday, July 10, 2006. This workshop honored the languages and cultures of the Dakota and Ojibwe and highlighted available materials for use in early childhood (0-8) language programs. The workshop featured a keynote address on language revitalization by Anton Treuer, Assistant Professor of Ojibwe Language at Bemidji State University. In addition, the workshop featured three breakout sessions that will provide information about teaching Dakota and Ojibwe languages to young children, involving elders in language programs, and making Dakota and Ojibwe language resources in-house.