Antigonish was the site for the Fifth L’nui’sultinej Conference, where as many as 280 participants from the Atlantic region spent three days looking at ways to save our Mi’kmaq language.  The purpose /objective of the conference was to provide support for the teachers who are in the trenches of working on saving our language.  It is an opportunity to catch up on all the latest research on language acquisition/pedagogy that is out there.  The conference organizers provided a depth of exploration with themes that gave a focus to the area that conference attendees could then focus on.  There was pre-school, early elementary, immersion, junior high, high school, adult and an Elders forum.  The three day session started on Wednesday evening with a great opening ceremony which was highlighted by the principal of Wagmatcook School with a beautiful speech in Mi’kmaw.  It is a pleasure to hear a speaker with the depth of knowledge of our language and the eloquence that Marjorie Googoo is able to provide.  The audience was spellbound with an interesting translation provided by Ronnie “Moose” Julian.

Day two of the conference was filled with comments from the attendees as to Where do I go next?  Will this presentation be redone, choices, choices!  Never heard anyone say, boring or same old, same old.  The highlight of the day was the Elders who consistently had a crowd of about 40 to 70 people at their sessions.  Participants were treated to the story telling of sisters Caroline Gould and Margaret “Dr. Granny” Johnson.  Dr. Granny and her daughter Liz, granddaughter Starr and her three Great-granddaughters Shaelyn, Mason, and Cameryn were the poster girls for this year’s conference.  All of the day’s sessions were well attended and provided valuable insights to activities that communities to not lose the fight of keeping their languages.

Other presentations that day were:

-Research on “Best Practices” on each of the topic streams;

-How support from all areas of the community are needed to help in this struggle;

-Resources for language learning for the teacher as well as the student;

-Importance of knowing about our Culture such as the Debert Project;

-Help Desk with how technology can enhance language programming; and

-Review of the Mi’kmaw Foundation document.

Picture:  Elder Caroline Gould from Waycobah and banquet speaker Graydon Nicholas from Tobique.

The end of day two was highlighted by a banquet and dance at St. Ninians Hall.  Graydon Nicholas gave a wonderful talk on the early days of many of our present leaders while at St. FX or Coady.  He also expressed the importance of maintaining your personal sense of identity and especially your culture and language.

This year the organizers presented a short one person play on the history of the Métis in Canada.  Later that evening the group was treated to the music ofEsmond “Blue” Marshall and special guest Andrew “Mooney” Francis of Eskasoni.  Later John Jerome and his back-up group “No Shame” highlighted the Karaoke featuring songs from the sixties to the nineties.  The huge crowd that attended this evening of song were also treated to the talents of performers such as; Leroy “Reggae” Denny from Eskasoni and Frank “Snow” Nevin from Indian Brook.

Darren Googoo from Membertou treated the crowd to his dance moves.

Day three was started with more sessions at the Bloomfield centre and the Elders still drawing huge crowds.  One of the interesting focuses for this day was activities that communities can do to support the work of the school such as: Signage, use of language on local TV and radio, Mi’kmaw prayers in church, and encouraging young parents to teach the language to their babies.

The conference ended with a short lunch and a talking circle of participants who represented the four directions.  The East was lead by Caroline Marshall, Membertou; the West by Richard Sylliboy, Presque Isles; the North by Gwen Jeddore, Conne River; and the South by Becky Julian, Indian Brook.  These speakers then expressed all the experiences of the group.  Eleanor (Tu’ti) Bernard of MK, led this year’s session as Sister Dorothy Moore from Membertou was unable to attend.

The group broke with renewed energy and a promise to return in two years for the Sixth L’nui’sultinej Conference.

Twenty-six graduates were honoured by the Mi’kmaw Students Association Banquet this year.  In total there were three graduates in the area of Science and twelve from the Millbrook Program.  These students had the advantage of completing their classes in their community.

Each year the Mi’kmaw Students Association at the Cape Breton University hosts an annual banquet to honour its graduates.  For the past number of years there have been twenty students on average who are honoured.  These days the students are considering other programs such as Science, Nursing, and Business Administration.

The Cape Breton University has the highest success for Mi’kmaw Graduates and many have gone on to higher learning such as teaching, law, and post graduate level programs.  This is something that is sure to benefit the communities.  Much of the credit goes to the employees who support the students such as Patrick and Eleanor Johnson.  Also, with the assistance of Ann Denny and her ability to deliver customized programs to fit the needs of the communities, there has been increased success.

This year the Mi’kmaw Students Association honoured retiree Joe B. Marshall from the Mi’kmaw Studies Program.  Joe B. has contributed to the development of the University and especially the Mi’kmaw Studies courses and many of his courses which he has developed are cross listed with other disciplines.  Joe B. will be missed, but he will be around for advice and to teach an occasional course.

On May 25, 2005, I had the pleasure to be on Breakfast Television with my wife Sharon to talk about teaching of the Mi’kmaq language in the schools. Sharon did a great job of teaching Maria and Jason the colors in Mi’kmaq. It was a chance to talk of the importance of preservation and revitalization of our language and culture.  I also had the opportunity to give them a gift of the Lnui’sultinej stained glass logo.

Marianna Bachynsky from The Scene with performers Joel and Bill Plasic.

Jarvis Googoo of We’koqma’q First Nation graduated cum laude from SMU with a BA in Sociology and Criminology.  He also received the Ceremonial Departmental Hood which was chosen by the faculty, staff, and students at the campus.

Jarvis plans to become a lawyer in We’koqma’q and hopes that his community is proud of the accomplishments that he has made in the past five years.

It is always a great pleasure to hear of FN peoples making a difference in their lives as well as those of other community members.  He is sure to be a wonderful role model not just for his own community but for other communities across the Maritimes.

There were an estimated 1,200 students graduating from Saint Mary’s University on Friday, May 20, 2005.  Ceremonies were held at the Metro Centre in Halifax, NS.  Also there was an article about Jarvis in The Chronicle Herald.  The article was dated Saturday, May 21, 2005 which reads as: “SMU grad surpasses dreams”.

Merit Awards (Average of 75% with no mark below 60%)

Distinction Awards (Average of 80% with no mark below 60%)

High Distinction Awards (Average of 90% with no mark below 60%)

Congratulations go out to all students, especially the following Chapel Island Band Members who have received the following awards:

Emma Johnson Gr. 9 ~Distinction

(Parents: Darryl and Joanne Johnson)

Jillian Johnson Gr. 9 ~ Distinction

(Parent: Charmony Johnson)

Terrilyn Johnson Gr. 11 ~ Distinction

(Parent: Frances Johnson)

Samantha Carter Gr. 9 ~ Distinction

(Parents: Andrea Carter and John Darryl Marshall)