Aaniiih nakoda mentor apprentice language projectfort belknap community economic development corporation DBA nakoda aaniiih economic development corporation 189 chippewa avenuep o box 1177HARLEM, MT…

Aaniiih nakoda mentor apprentice language projectfort belknap community economic development corporation DBA nakoda aaniiih economic development corporation 189 chippewa avenuep o box 1177HARLEM, MT 59526406 353 4260 office 406 301 3005 cell WWW fortbelknapcedc orgaaniiih nakoda mentor apprentice language project abstractthe fort belknap indian community includes some 3,000 members of the nakoda assiniboine and aaniiih gros ventre people living on the fort belknap indian reservation in north central montana an impoverished nation with an unemployment rate of better than 60 and a per capita income that is roughly half the national average, the nakoda and aaniiih peoples have tied their future economic well being to a revitalization of the gros ventre and assinboine cultures the fort belknap indian community council, the governing entity of the fort belknap indian community, has created two distinct organizations for the purposes of strengthening the economy the fort belknap community economic development corporation fbcedc was created to build a strong fort belknap indian community through business, entrepreneurship, and community development the other, island mountain development group imdg , was developed to foster a self sustaining economy by creating opportunities for the aaniiih and nakoda nations through business, jobs and resource development imdg operates a number of businesses on the fort belknap indian reservation including a call center with nearly 300 employees the aaniiih nakoda community child and education center anccec was created to address the needs of imdgs employees for quality childcare with previous funding from ANA EMI, fbcedc placed a aaniiih and nakoda language nest, lifes language lodge within the ANC child and education center lifes language lodge emerged within the context of a years long effort to restore the aaniiih and nakoda languages as part of a cultural revitalization the montana indian language project, of which the language nest is a part, arose from a year long community wide planning process that involved numerous stakeholders including aaniiih nakoda college staff, tribal elders from both tribes, current fluent speakers, instructors, students, community members and members of tribal council the state of montana has established a process for certifying indigenous language instructors while there are only four fluent aaniiih and nakoda speakers within the fort belknap indian community, there are 21 class 7 certified language instructors living in the community the aaniiih language is taught at the whiteclay immersion elementary school at aaniiih nakoda college both aaniiih and nakoda languages are taught at the JR high, high school and college levels the proposed aaniiih nakoda mentor apprentice language project fills a critical GAP by increasing the number of fluent aaniiih and nakoda mentor apprentice language speakers instructors, which will increase language instructors needed at life s language lodge the language mentors paired with apprentices will increase fluent aaniiih and nakoda language speakers by participating in immersion activities at the lifes language lodge the master apprentices will teach others the aaniiih and nakoda languages, impacting the language community on fort belknap through the creation of new speakers