Northern Native Languages Project

The Northern Native Languages Project (NNLP) was conceived in 1979 by an Anishinaabe educator, Marianna Couchie, and carried out in 1979-80. It was guided by a steering committee which included Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal educators representing Ontario's Ministry of Education (MoE) as well the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND). Representatives of Aboriginal organizations (Northern Nishnawbe Education Council, Ojibway and Cree Cultural Centre, and Wawatay Native Communications) were marginally involved. The field research and report writing were carried out by a team of academics: Barbara Burnaby (coordinator), Kelleen Toohey and John D. Nichols.

This was a critical period in the history of Aboriginal education in Ontario. It followed the official adoption by DIAND in 1972 of a policy of Indian control of Indian education (developed by the National Indian Brotherhood - now Assembly of First Nations) and the 1975 release by Ontario's MoE of the People of Native ancestry (PONA) resource guides. But it preceded the devolution of DIAND's Indian day schools schools to First Nation control in Ontario.

This study will examine the impacts of the NNLP, with an emphasis on differing models of policy development within Ontario's MoE and DIAND.

2001-2002: proposal was submitted for ethical review and approved; interviews with key sources commenced; key documents were obtained from the federal government through the Access to Information process ; library sources were surveyed

2002-2003:  a preliminary history of the NNLP was completed, and presented at the 34th Algonquian Conference in Kingston, Ontario. A revised version of this paper was subsequently presented at Laurier Brantford's April '03 conference on Science, Values and Public Policy. The 1979 Interim Report and 1980 Final Report of the NNLP were posted online, with consent of the three authors. An article was submitted for editorial review on October 1, 2003.

2003-2004:  research continues into the context and impacts of the NNLP, particularly its recommendations concerning vernacular education. A PowerPoint presentation was made to the Nipissing University History Seminar series, on October 3, 2003. A paper was presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology conference in Dallas TX in April.

A NIPWORKS student scanned and word processed the results of one Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) request. A second NIPWORKS student created several digital maps to accompany an anticipated book length ms.

Nipissing University Research Council provided funds to continue this study. Ethical review was updated and approved. Research assistant began transcribing taped interviews.

2004-2005: A paper will be presented at the 36th Algonquian Conference in Madison, WI in October.

In 2005 and 2006, papers were published on the NNLP (see Publications).