It has been found in some research every 14 days a language dies. We can conclude by the year 2100, more than half

Winter Semester 2010 is offering another exciting line-up of Kainai Studies courses.

It’s that season again, and we know it not just because of the warmer days

Fall semester 2009 is offering another exciting line-up of Kainai Studies courses.

Kainai Studies faculty have been meeting with representatives from Athabasca

Once every two years, the Canadian Consulate in Seattle, Kevin Cook, leads a group of about a dozen U.S. academics

Winter semester 2009 is offering an exciting line-up of Kainai Studies courses

Kainai Studies is saluting all our American brothers and sisters, friends and family, for what you did in electing Obama. Today there’s a sense that we’re living in a new world, a different era, where some of the things we thought might always require tedious struggles seem not so far away anymore. We’re so excited that you were brave enough to make the obvious best choice this time around, taking control (finally) in a powerful way. It seemed like Americans might never join the rest of the world, those of us who are pretty sick of seeing wealth and power horded and abused by rich old white cowboys, bible thumpers, and military men. This is the first time an American President Elect has even given a nod to First Nations in his inaugural address to the voters. Way to go!

In our investigation of the current state of Aboriginal Learning From Place, as well as related policy and program issues, we’ve taken a participatory approach toward surveying a number of time-honored Blackfoot practices that function to engage community members in relationships with place. Out of respect for the elders and ancestors who acted in our benefit to maintain these relationships over the years, we’ve resisted adopting many of the research, interpretation, and representation methodologies that have been employed by outsiders visiting our communities in the past. Such techniques have failed to adequately address and/or convey the important connections inherent between kitawahsinnoon (the environment which nourishes us), kippaitapiiyssinnoon (our sustainable way of life), and niitsitapisskska’takssin (our knowledge paradigm). Moreover, in accepting responsibility for this animated theme bundle, we have assumed the naturalization and validation of indigenous knowledge systems, and have therefore relied almost solely on our community’s own records as the relevant “body of literature” for this project – our language, songs, stories, ceremonies, and places.

Fall semester 2008 is offering an exciting line-up of Kainai Studies courses, including three all-new sessions developed for our upcoming Bachelors of Kainai Studies Degree Program. Don’t miss out on these opportunities. Registration will be accepted up to the end of August (please see Ryan Heavy Head or Deonne White Quills if you have not registered already). The course offerings are as follows:

With the advent of summer season, Kainai Studies faculty and students have been active with work on a number of applied projects. Principal among these has been an effort to step-up the department’s commitment toward the creation of Niitsi’powahsin language learning tools and environments. All visitors to our website now have access to the Blackfoot Phraseology system, a database that will be populated with thousands of conversational phrases and vocabulary by the end of summer. We invite all language learners to make use of this resource, and send us any English phrases or words for translation. We also welcome the participation of fluent speakers to contribute to the growth of the phraseology database, and to this ends have structured the interface so that anyone can record and submit phrases easily from their home or office computers.

When Kainai Studies faculty travelled with AFN to the Yukon this winter, we met a group of young women who were trying to revitalize the art of hide-tanning in their community. These women told us that they’d asked a number of male relatives to save the hides from their hunting trips, but that when they finally brought the skins in they were all patchy with knife holes. The women made a mantra out of their frustration, telling the men to “take pride in your hide”. This summer session, Kainai Studies students have accepted a similar challenge. Eight students are working hours amongst the poplars in front of the college to complete an intensive six-day course in hide tanning.

Kainai Studies faculty Ki'naksaapo'p and Akayo’kaki travelled by invitation from kitawahsinnoon to Montreal just before the first sliver of light appeared to mark the beginning of matsiiyikapisaiki'somm. The purpose of our journey was to attend three intense days of Climate Project (TCP) training led by Al Gore, a session that was also attended by David Suzuki and about two-hundred and fifty other project members from across Canada. After staying an extra day in Montreal to visit with famed documentary film artist Colin Low (director of “Circle of the Sun” and “Standing Alone”), we made our return journey back home. Along the way, we began to discuss what we had witnessed and heard at the TCP event, and how the Kainai Studies Department might respond in the context of our own evolving contribution to the climate change dialog.

Recently, Kaahsinnooniksi Aahtso'toaa (Andy Blackwater) and Naapiiaakii (Corolla Calf Robe) attended an international conference on indigenous knowledge. They had a number of ideas to share about this topic, and many in attendance took prolific notes. The Kainai Studies Department was given copies of some of these notes, and from them have now drafted a synthesis statement. Please open the extended version of this article to read "Definition of Indigenous: A Synthesis of Ideas Presented by Andy Blackwater and Corolla Calf Robe".

As our School of Kainai Studies at Mi’kai’stoo Iitaissksinima’tstohkio’p begins to compile curriculum for an environmental science stream, an amazing opportunity has emerged. Faculty members Ki’naksaapo’p (Narcisse Blood) and Akayo’kaki (Ryan Heavy Head) have been requested to join a very select group of environmental public speakers from across Canada to be trained and certified by Al Gore himself as representatives of The Climate Project. The training session with Al Gore will occur in Montreal from 4-6 April 2008, and a presentation of An Inconvenient Truth slideshow, including how the science of global warming and climate change relates to Kainai knowledge, will be hosted at Mi’kai’stoo and other venues in Blackfoot country throughout the summer season (dates and locations to be announced). Any band entity of the Confederacy or other interested organizations who want to access this uniquely Blackfoot climate presentation for your staff and/or clients should contact Heavy Head at 403-737-2400.