Indigenous Language and Culture Diploma (ILCD)

Blackfoot 100 is an Introduction to Spoken Blackfoot language. This course will provide a forum for students to speak in conversations within a real setting through everyday situations and activities. Course assignments and activities will assist in the development of skills to listen, read, write and speak in Blackfoot. The students will use everyday surroundings and activities to become consciously aware using Kakyosin to speak the language.

This course will look at how words are formed and are broken down into root words, prefixes and suffixes. Each work is made up of morphemes. Students will learn how to break down each word into morphemes. By doing so, students will be able to sound out each morpheme. Students will work on pronunciation. This helps the student distinguish sounds with each morpheme. Students will put examples together by combining words from vocabulary lists of root words, prefixes and suffixes.

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This course draws on the linguistic notion of semantic primes or universally meaningful concepts that combine to form sentences and convey meaning. Utilizing this theoretical framework, course participants will focus on mastering Blackfoot vocabulary related to substantives, determiners, quantifiers, evaluators, descriptors, and other semantic primes categories. Emphasis will be placed on proposing strategies to teach semantic primes to learners of the Blackfoot language.

The course introduces participants to public Blackfoot ceremonies and the use of Niitsiipo’sin (the Blackfoot language) in them. The students will understand the importance of Niitsiipo’sin for full involvement and participation in Blackfoot traditions.

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This course will explore histories of Indigenous peoples to lands within the boundaries of contemporary Canada (Canada/US border). Emphasis will be placed on Indigenous constructions of history, through historical documents, legislation, treaties, and oral narratives. Students will learn to identify Indigenous people’s relationship to their territories, gain an understanding of the constructions of history, analyze the impacts of European contact and settlement, and consider the implications for self-determination. Students will be expected to engage in a variety of assignments and projects for this course. These learning activities will include the evaluation of primary documents, reviewing the written records of oral and other non-Western historical records, and a major research project focusing on a specific Indigenous Nation, in this course, Kainai to demonstrate the processes of constructing history.

Students will form short sentences using vocabulary of action words. Declarative – Nitsikakomim – I love you; Imperative – Poosapoot – come here; Interrogative – tsa; tsima; taka; tahka; Students will form short sentences, remarks, commands, etc. Focus will be on using different grammatical forms. It will include explanations, word endings, patterns etc.

This course will explore the socio-political challenges in Indigenous communities affected by the historical colonial relationship with Canadian society and how it shaped tribal governmental structures. The course will analyze the Euro-philosophical assumptions of legal, political, economic, cultural, and social determinants of tribal governance to understand its impacts on contemporary Nitsitapi-Kainai society and the survival of Niitsitapi peoples.This course teaches students the role of social institutions and social organization and their influence on First Nations communities. In addition, this course will examine policies and practices designed to disrupt social cohesion and responsibilities in Indigenous cultures. Core course concepts include assimilation, colonization/decolonization, marginalization, racism, and ethnocentrism, as they pertain to the field of governance.Students will explore these issues from an Indigenous perspective, making the connections between history, meaning, identity, and community through Kainaiysinni, the Elders Declaration. It will also provide the analytical framework for working with Indigenous communities. Indigenous perspectives will be introduced using traditional teaching methods and contributions from Elders and other community members.Students are encouraged to apply critical thinking and Indigenous knowledge systems in all assignments to affirm and revitalize Indigenous communities.

Learning the language at home is an important way to transmit the teachings to the new generation. This course aims to develop useful phrases in Blackfoot. The intent is to never say a phrase in English. In class activities will focus on proper pronunciation of phrases with an emphasis on understanding the sounds of the word for better understanding and retention of Blackfoot. Course participants will be expected to design a work/study goal to use in their home specific to their language experience. Students will review the short articles for daily recommended readings to be able to engage in daily class discussions.

Students will have the opportunity to reflect on how traditional ceremonial practices of the students. They will be encouraged to seek participation and experience the teachings of seeking the good like and balance with the natural world. The course poses that harmony among the Peoples depends on their understanding of poo'miikapii (harmony through unity). The course will focus on ancestral, personal, and collective knowledge that emerges through the narratives surrounding the ethical behavior for invoking a relational understanding of teachings of ancestors and experiences of balance.Students will seek extensive mentorship with the ceremonial community and with ceremonial elders for this course. The instructor will the elders, and ceremonial community will design the content and activities for the course.

This course is an exploration of the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of Indigenous cultures and their relationship to the land. It is based on the recovery and revitalization of Indigenous knowledge and its relationship to sacred space. Blackfoot territory has a variety of sacred sites; students will engage in coming to know these sites through the stories, virtual visitation of sacred site. The course will provide the opportunity to connect holistically through the Niitsitapi narratives of these scared spaces’ stories, the language which informs relational responsibilities, and the wisdom traditional approaches which revitalize and renew relationships with these sacred sites. The course is relevant to current traditional land use and occupancy studies in archaeology, anthropology, international development, tourism, and ethno-tourism. Students will understand the conflictual approaches of western culture and society toward land use and resource developmentLearners will be engaged through class lectures, eminent scholars, and oral narratives of sites, and video and on-site visitation. Students are expected to share and make contributions to the course through presentations and circle discussions.

The purpose of this course is to gain awareness of Blackfoot values, their application and centrality in the Blackfoot way of life. Upon the completion of this course, participants will be able to: (i) identify the cultural groups that integrate the Blackfoot Confederacy, (ii) interact with Blackfoot Elders respectfully, (iii) utilize Blackfoot terms in daily interactions with Blackfoot speakers, and (iv) understand the participants’ responsibilities to the Kainai tribe, other First Nations, and the process of decolonization.

In this course, students will be introduced to the cultural shift of the Blackfoot work environment of how it has evolved. The focus is to bring back “Niitsipohsinii” into the workforce. Course participants will develop an understanding of their own work ethics and Blackfoot concepts related in the workplace. Course will feature realistic experiential scenarios, role playing, learn key work-related terminology and incorporate them in Blackfoot phrases.

This course is organized around the Medicine Wheel it is designed as foundational support for traditional well-being. It will be used as fundamental principles to the development of plans for an overall healthy living practice. Students will connect cultural teachings to health and wellbeing, exploration of one’s identity, build motivation, resilience, and confidence. Increased knowledge and sharing of our tribal history and cultural practices.Course activities will include elder mentorship, seasonal cultural practices, inter-generational learning for well-being and resilience, promote traditional healthy foods, traditional and contemporary physical activities, social and cultural activities that promote community wellness.

This course is organized around four topics: (i) songs about festivities, (ii) songs about family, (iii) songs about animals, and (iv) songs about feelings and values. The instructor and course participants will practice a series of songs about these themes and will reflect on the following aspects of their learning experience:

• The stories that accompany each song.

•Changes in vocabulary knowledge, sentence formation, and pronunciation accuracy.

•Using songs as a pedagogical strategy to teach Blackfoot to other individuals and groups.

This course seeks to establish a relationship between the program students and community Blackfoot language knowledge keepers. By fostering this dialogue with expert instructors of the Blackfoot language, the students will gain first-hand insight into approaches that have been successful in transferring mastery of listening, speaking, and even reading and writing skills in Blackfoot. The instructors will share examples of materials that future instructors of the Blackfoot language can use to further vocabulary acquisition and sentence construction.

In this course students will work with vocabulary of root words. Students will form simple sentences referring to past, present, and future tenses.Students will be able to identify tense markers and distinguish between tenses. Students will put short sentences denoting pronouns that refer to subject, e.g., Nitaistsinimatsos... – I am teaching myself…

This course is organized around six topics:

1. Greeting signs and common gestures in conversations

2. Signs of tribal names

3. Animal signs

4. Land and community signs

5. Colour signs

6. Action signs

The instructor and course participants will practice these gestures and incorporate them in short dialogues in Blackfoot.In keeping with the mandate of Mikai’Sto Red Crow Community College, the focus of course readings will be primarily, but not exclusively, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) peoples. The Blackfoot responsibility of Akisistoiypaittapiisinni (to be independently resourceful and employ critical thinking skills) will be expected and further developed throughout this course.

The course participants will analyze the cultural pertinence, implications, and opportunities that the following innovation trends pose to the transmission of Indigenous languages:

• Video-making software.

• Game-based learning platforms.

• Virtual networking.

• Video-conferencing software.

These topics will be approached from a practical perspective: Students will receive tutorials or step-by-step instructions to experience these technical tools and apply them to the generation of Blackfoot-focused resources to teach the language to a broad audience of learners.

In this course, the students will experience the process of:

1. Selecting a topic of their interest that could be used to teach the Blackfoot language and culture to other learners.

2. Consulting with experts in their topics of interest (for example, ceremonial elders, knowledge keepers, cultural advocates, activists, Blackfoot instructors) to embody the values of cooperation, trust, reciprocity, and relationship-building. The experts' guidance will be crucial to identify community needs, define goals and activities.

3. Planning for an event where community members can be involved to learn about the Blackfoot language and culture.

4. Creating resources to facilitate the event.

5. Isspommaanitapiiysinni: Delivering the service to the community.

6. Reflecting on the project execution and evaluating it.

Instructor and students will work with four stories narrated by Niitsitapi Elders in the Blackfoot language:

1. Iinisskimn (buffalo stone) by Martin Heavy Head (Ponokaksiksinaam.)

2. I'kokaan (tipi designs) by Pat Twigg (Matsoomahkataiyo.)

3. Niinaam'sska (medicine/thunder pipe bundle society) by Peter Weasel Moccasin (Miiniipokaa.)

4. Katoyis (Blood Clot) by Quinton Heavy Head (Aapaaohsoyis.)

The course participants will identify the Blackfoot values and responsibilities that each story represents. The instructor will assist the students in analyzing the story's vocabulary and sentences. There will be multiple opportunities for the students to work in teams to discuss the story's implications for their current lives. Throughout the semester, the students will develop a project consisting of a video where the Elder's narration in Blackfoot will be accompanied by graphic elements (pictures, drawings, photographs) that the students choose to convey the story's teachings.