American Indian Language and Culture

As we welcome more Montana Native languages in to our classrooms and homes, it is important to remember the historical origins and lineages of these languages. Many have regional dialects that differ in syntax, grammar and other linguistic means. It is encouraged to reach out to local culture committees for best contextual understandings.

• Blackfoot (Canada)
• Blackfoot Language Resources (University of Lethbridge)
• Blackfoot Lullabies
• Blackfeet Native American Studies Guide
• Browning Public Schools Homepage
• Beginning Blackfeet
• Cheyenne Dictionary -- THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Northern Cheyenne Language Preservation Institute YouTube channel
• Chippewa and Cree Language Revitalization - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Chippewa Cree Language Preservation Pilot
• Plains Cree Dictionary
• Crow Dictionary
• Crow Pronunciation Guide
• Crow Oral Literature -- THIS LINK IS BROKEN
• Apsáalooke Place Names Database -- THIS LINK IS BROKEN
• Fort Belknap Language Preservation - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Nakoda Orthographies
• Nakoda Orthographies(2)
• Ft. Peck Community College Orthographies - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Nakoda/Dakota/Lakhota Dictionary - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• James Earthboy (Nakoda) tells story with signs (video)
• Dakota Dictionary Online (University of Minnesota) - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Lakota Dictionary Online
• Some Common Lakota Words and Terms
• Lakota/Dakota Language and Culture Resources (Sitting Bull College) - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Dakota Texts (Deloria)
• Ksanka Level 1 Curriculum
• Salish Language Reference Guide
• The Salish and Qlispe Comprehensive, Sequenced Language Curriculum
• The Missoula Area and the Séliš & Ql̓ispé People
• Ojibwe Conversations
• Michif
• Plains Sign Language Film-Injun Talk
• Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide (Canada)
• Indigenous Languages in Canada
• Plains Indigenous People in Canada
• Nehiyawak (Canada)
• Cree Language (Canada)
• Anishinaabemowin (Canada)
• The Assiniboine (Denig)
• Michif
• Thunder (Oculus game in Blackfeet)
• Indigenous Language Revitalization Encouragement, Guidance & Lessons Learned
• FEL Canada
• First Peoples Cultural Council
• Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre
• Algonquian Linguistics Atlas
• Endangered Languages Project Atlas
• UNESCO Atlas of World Languages in Danger - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Native Languages Archives Repository Project Reference Guide - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium
• Journal Vol. 1
• Society for the Study of Indigenous Languages of the Americas

CHECK ALL OF THESE LINKS!!! ALMOST ALL ARE BROKEN ACCORDING TO CASCADE

Blackfeet Language for iPhone

Salish Qlispe Language

THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING

Yanktonai Dakota Vocab Builder

THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING

Crow Apsaalooké Apps

Crow Mobile Dictionary

Chippewa Cree Language for Android

Piikani Language for Android

THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING

Little Shell Chippewa

THIS LINK IS BROKEN

Nakoda Vocab Builder

Fort Belknap Language Program on Soundcloud

Place-Based and Ethnobotany Resource Links

• The Federal Native Plant Conservation Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance Memorandum of Understanding
• Apsáalooke Place Names Database -- THIS LINK IS BROKEN
• Montana Memory Project Mountain-Plains Native Americans
• Natives of Montana Archival Project
• Montana Field Guide
• Native American Ethnobotany Database
• Indigenous Seed Keepers Network - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
• Yellowstone Gateway Museum Montana Native Plants Teaching Trunk -- THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples
• White Sage Plant Guide
• Montana Native Plants for Pollinator-Friendly Plantings - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Montana Native Plant Garden - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• National Park Service Native Plants Our Medicine... Our Food - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Native Plant Dyes - THIS LINK IS BROKEN
• Buffalo Bird Women's Garden
• Dakota and Lakota Traditional Food and Tea - THIS NEEDS UPDATING (REDIRECTS TO NEXT LINK)
• Culturally Important Plants of the Lakota
• Uses of Plants by the Indian of the Missouri River Region - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Native Plants and Wildlife Habitat of the Missoula Area
• Native Plants in the University of Montana Ethnobotany garden - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Unearthing Connections in a Storied Landscape: The Flathead River Honoring and Place-Based Education in the Flathead Valley
• Chippewa Cree Tribes of the Rocky Boys Reservation Water Resources Department water rights settlement record 1832-2002
• Making Meaning and Medicine in the Land of the Burning Ground - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Pollinators and Wildlife: Fire-adaptive, Pollinator-friendly Plants
• Buffalo Nations Food Systems Initiative - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• USDA Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative
• USDA Office of Tribal Relations
• Environmental Protection Agency in Indian Country

Traditional Games, Arts and other Cultural Expressions

• Anton Treuer: Indigenous Voice: Language and Identity in America's Native Nations
• Vine Deloria on Native Americans (1972)
• Vine Deloria Jr. The World We Used to Live In (2003)
• Star Quilts Oral History Project
• Kyi yo Publications 1970-1993
• International Traditional Games Society - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Journal of American Indian Education
• Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide (Canada)

• Best Practices: Equitable Grading for ML/EL students (video)
• ML/EL Educator Spotlight-Billings (video)
• Instructional Support, Accommodations and Modifications for ML/EL Students (video)
• Learning at Home Resources for Parents and Families - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Learning at Home Resources for Teachers - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• The Nations Child Traumatic Stress Network: Culture and Trauma Resources
• Strategies for Improving the Accuracy of Native Student Identification (video)
• Improving the Accuracy of Identification of American Indian and Alaska Native Students
• Promoting Success for Teachers of English Learners through Structured Observations - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Identifying and supporting American Indian and Alaska Native migratory students - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• English Language Development Minutes, Models, and Outcomes: Beaverton School District
• Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School
• High-Leverage Principles of Effective Instruction for English Learners. From College and Career Ready Standards to Teaching and Learning in the Classroom: A Series of Resources for Teachers
• A Review of the Literature on Academic English: Implications for K-12 English Language Learners - THIS LINK IS BROKEN
• Converging Recommendations for Culturally Responsive Literacy Practices:
• Developing Literacy In English Language Learners:
• Effective Practices for Developing Literacy Skills of English Language Learners in the English Language
• Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
• Teacher Education That Works: Preparing Secondary-Level Math and Science Teachers for Success with English Language Learners through Content-Based Instruction
• What Social Studies Teachers Should Know About Teaching English Language Learners
• What Science Teachers Should Know About Teaching English Language Learners
• What Math Teachers Should Know About Teaching English Language Learners
• What Language Arts Teachers Should Know About Teaching English Language Learners
• What Other Teachers Should Know About Teaching English Language Learners
• Language Challenges in Mathematics Education for English Language Learners: A Literature Review
• What the Research Says on Instruction for English Learners Across Subject Areas
• Some Basics of Indigenous Language Revitalization
• Rubric for District English Learner Programs
• Maintaining and Renewing Native Languages
• Teaching Indigenous Languages Reference Material (Northern Arizona University)
• Second Language Teaching Methods (Northern Arizona University)
• Selected Resources on Indigenous Language Revitalization (Northern Arizona University)
• Language Revival-Additional Resources (Northern Arizona University)
• Language Revitalization Resource Guide (Tribal College Journal)
• Learn in Beauty: Indigenous Education for a New Century
• Endangered Languages Project
• Introducing Second Language Acquisition
• The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom
• Encouragement, Guidance, Insights, and Lessons Learned for Native Language Activists Developing Their Own Tribal Language Programs
• Stabilizing Indigenous Languages
• Indigenous Languages Across the Community
• Teaching Indigenous Languages (Reyhner)
• TPR (Total Physical Response) World
• Natives Strengthening Indigenous Languages and Culture
• Accelerated Second Language Acquisition for the Cree Language video
• Situational Navajo: A School-Based, Verb-Centered Way of Teaching Navajo
• How to Teach When the Teacher Isn't Fluent (Hinton)
• Administration for Native Americans-Language and Culture Resources - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Center for Applied Linguistics-Heritage Languages in America
• Teaching Indigenous Languages Books
• Reviving Your Language Through Education (2015) - THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING
• Language Documenation, Revitalization, and Reclaimation: Supporting Young Learners and Their Communities
• Grant Writing for Indigenous Languages
• Indigenous Languages Immersion Schools for Strong Indigenous Identities
• Integral Strategies for Language Revitalization

Licensure Importance

Indigenous languages of America are essential to the proper education of our American Indian children. Native language teachers are provided with equal status to all other teachers through Class 7. It is critical to maintain indigenous languages through our children’s schools as it offers direct access to students in language instruction.

Requirements for MT Class 7 Licensure

Class 7 American Indian Language and Culture Specialist Licensure

• Verification by the authorized representative of a tribal government, that has a memorandum of understanding with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, that the applicant has met tribal standards for competency and fluency as a requisite for teaching that language and culture (per Administrative Rules of Montana 10.57.411 Professional Teacher’s License and 10.57.436 Class 7 American Indian Language and Culture Specialist).
• The authorized Tribal representative should complete the Verification of Eligibility for Initial Licensure page. You should upload that signed document to your online application in TeachMT.

Application Process:

Submit your online application through the licensing system TeachMT - THIS LINK MAY NEED UPDATING. Do not mail in a paper application, if you do it will be mailed back to you and slow down your process.

All application materials and required fees must be received before your application is evaluated.

Applications left incomplete for 90 days will be purged.

History and the Rule

​​Rule 10.57.436 - Class 7 American Indian Language and Culture Specialist

News Article: Montana Adopts Landmark Language Certification Process

• Spring 2022 from Stories for Action:Life in the Land: Blackfeet Nation: Jesse DesRosier; Blackfeet Language
• YOUTH VOICE: WATSON || Episode 1 || Before We Could Drink (video)
• November 15, 2021: Memorandum of Agreement on Native Languages among the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture, with the U.S. Department of Transportation, White House Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Arts, and National Endowment for the Humanities
• 2017: Lessons from a Public Investment in Native Language Immersion Classrooms by Mandy Smoker Broaddus
• 2015: Indian Language and Immersion Program (ILIP): The program is established in 2015 to support efforts of Montana tribes to preserve and perpetuate Indian languages in the form of spoken, written, sung, or signed language and to assist in the preservation and curricular goals of Indian education for all pursuant to Article X, section 1(2), of the Montana constitution and MCA Title 20, chapter 1, part 5 - Indian Education for All. * 2022: Indian Language and Immersion Program Application -- THIS LINK IS BROKEN *
• 2015: The Cultural Integrity Act: Passed into Montana state law in 2015. This act strengthens the commitment of Montana's goal to preserving American Indian cultural integrity as stated in Article X, Section 1 of the Montana Constitution.
• 1999: Indian Education for All Act -- THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING: A bill was passed by the state legislature in 1999 by Representative Carol Juneau, who took the lead in putting the amendment into action as the Indian Education for All Act (IEFA). Juneau authored the bill that made four provisions to clarify the legislative intent behind the amendment:
  • Reaffirm the 1972 constitutional language.
  • Mandate that every Montana public school student learn about the distinct and unique heritage of American Indians in a culturally responsive manner.
  • Direct state and local schools to work with Montana tribes to develop appropriate curriculums regarding American Indian culture and heritage.
  • Mandate that all public school personnel have knowledge of American Indian tribes and cultures in Montana and are provided the means to acquire this knowledge.
• Since then Indian Education for All has been becoming a reality in public schools throughout Montana.
• 1995: Class 7 Licensure -- THIS LINK IS BROKEN: In May of 1995, the Board of Public Education and representatives of all seven reservations testified in support of this Class 7 Certification. The tribes testified that only each tribe has the knowledge and resources to address its own language and cultural situation and that diverse language teaching approaches were desirable. With a unanimous vote the Montana Class 7 American Indian Language and Cultural Specialist Certification passed.
• 1972: Montana Constitutional Convention: 100 elected delegates from all over Montana came together in Helena to rewrite the state’s constitution. Bozeman Delegate Dorothy Eck, a longtime political activist who later served as a state senator, after hearing convincing testimony from Earl J. Barlow, a member of the Blackfeet NationK/a> and the State Director of Indian Education asked the question, "Is bigotry in the state of Montana a real concern? If it is, then you, the delegates have a golden opportunity to strike a blow for tolerance by incorporating in this constitution, words to that effect." Delegate Eck volunteered to introduce an amendment that would call attention to Montana’s rich and diverse native heritage by making a commitment to promote awareness of this heritage through public education. After a decisive 83-to-1 vote, the convention passed the amendment, which states that “[Montana] recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians” and “is committed in its educational goal to the preservation of their cultural integrity.”

• 2022: Indian Language and Immersion Program Application
• 2022: MILP in action!: Ft. Peck Star Quilt Ceremony (photo) | Ft.Peck Start Quilt Ceremony #2 (photo)
• 2021: MILP moves under the Office of Public Instruction -- THIS LINK MAY NEED UPDATING:

  • Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy, a D-Crow Agency, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, and Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton, worked together to craft a plan to restore the funding and move the program under the Office of Public Instruction instead of the state Department of Commerce. The subcommittee's unanimous voice vote restored the full $750,000 in funding and requested the program move under the OPI's budget. Stewart Peregoy, who sits on the budget subcommittee, said there's been a long-term discussion about moving the program to the Office of Public Instruction so it could have a larger impact on the school system. Stewart Peregoy said with fewer people speaking Native languages, it's vital to teach kids. "It's critical to invest in school-age children. ... You're investing in younger families so that there's intergenerational interactions happening," Stewart Peregoy said. Having language programs in schools also allows for bilingual immersion education, Stewart Peregoy said.

• 2013: Montana Indian Language Preservation (MILP):
  • Montana Indian Language Preservation program was established in 2013 and maintained in the Department of Commerce. In 2021, MILP was moved under the Office of Public Instruction where we will work with the Tribal Nations and digitize materials for improved access and usage as they see fit. The initial pilot program was created to help preserve Native languages that are traditionally spoken in the state. Each of the eight tribal nations produce preservation products that help memorialize their languages while at the same time help to perpetuate language usage. Each of the tribes has their own schedule and prioritization of goals and activities for the year. The activities include digitizing language products, recordings of stories and book publishing, online classes, development of interactive language dictionaries and other language learning activities and summer language immersion classes among other priorities.
    • Montana Indian Language Preservation Pilot Program - Report to the 64th Legislature October 2014
    • Historical Context: Tribal Language Preservation Strengthen Communities But Needs Consistent Funding

Contact at Montana Historical Society:

Government Records, (406) 444-7427

Access the Tribal Products and Information at MT Historical Society: Montana Department of Commerce, State Tribal Economic Development Commission, Montana Indian Language Preservation Pilot Program Records, 1975-1976, 1997-2019 -- THIS LINK IS BROKEN

1. The Montana State Archives receives the deliverables that each tribe produces with the MILP grant funding once the Tribes produce it.
2. The MT Historical Society then stores the materials in a secure location (The archival stacks) and the Government Records Archivist, Hannah Soukup, processes them into an archival collection.
3. Once the materials are processed and organized for access, the created guide to the collection is available -- THIS LINK IS BROKEN by clicking this link or the MHS logo above. Researchers and the public have a chance to see what’s been sent to them and anyone who visits the Research Center at MHS can request to see the physical / digital materials.
   1. If unable to visit MHS, they do their best to facilitate remote access by scanning pdfs or making photocopies. However, each tribe holds the copyright to the materials and we adhere to copyright / intellectual property laws when creating reproductions.

At the Office of Public Instruction, we will work with the Tribes and MHS to help digitalize these powerful efforts to make available to the Tribal Nations and state at the Local Education Agency (LEA) and District.

Accessibility to these products will provide direct connections for our children and people to uphold Indigenous languages for current and future generations.

Indian Language and Immersion Program (ILIP): The program is established in 2015 to support efforts of Montana tribes to preserve and perpetuate Indian languages in the form of spoken, written, sung, or signed language and to assist in the preservation and curricular goals of Indian education for all pursuant to Article X, section 1(2), of the Montana constitution and Title 20, chapter 1, part 5. *

Indian Language & Immersion Program Application

Recipients:

November 2021 (FY 2022):

• Browning Public School District
• Hardin Public School District

November 2022 (FY 2023):

• Browning Public School District
• Hardin Public School District
• Hays-Lodgepole
• Box Elder

• Blackfeet Nation Tribal Directory
• Ft. Belknap Departments Link
• Séliš-Ql̓ispé Culture Committee
• Ksanka Culture Committee -- THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING

• Aaniiih Nakoda College
• Blackfeet Community College
• Chief Dull Knife College
• Fort Peck Community College
• Little Big Horn College
• Salish Kootenai College
• Stone Child College
• American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) -- THIS LINK NEEDS UPDATING