Media.Knet.Ca

Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre is hosting a conference for Immersion teachers and Native language teachers and it will be taking place on Feb. 13, 14, and 15 at the Sunset Suites in Sioux Lookout.

Day 1 of this conference will be a training session on how to use the Phraselator P2 Language Companion. The Resource Centre is purchasing a number of these units and two trainers will be coming from California to do this session. For more information on the phraselator, check out the Thornton Media website at http://ndntv.com 

Click here to also read the CBC news about these devices being used in Alberta on KNews.

Day 2 and 3 of the agenda will focus on assessment.

Please call Charlotte at 807-737-7373 or 1-866-326-1077 ext 21 if you would like to register for this conference.

Sandy Lake First Nation Nation Presents:

Youth Invitational Hockey Tournament

March 1, 2, 3 & 4 , 2007

Margaret Angeconeb, from Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre, reports ... We are purchasing 10 phraselator units (7 to go to our Immersion schools, and 3 for our Centre).

From http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/01/18/language-device.html

First Nation uses translation machine to save language
January 18, 2007 - CBC News

A translation device developed for the U.S. military after the Sept. 11 attacks is helping an Alberta First Nation and other aboriginal groups across North America preserve their languages.

The Phraselator (http://www.phrasalator.com/products.aspx), used by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, translates English phrases into the language chosen by the user. The hand-held device, about 10 by 18 centimetres, is programmed with thousands of phrases deemed to be useful in a specific situation.

When a person speaks English, it repeats the phrase in the programmed language.

A teacher at the Siksika First Nation just east of Calgary said young people in particular could be helped by the device.

"Siksika is one of the languages that is decreasing. It's not being taught at home anymore," said Herman Yellowoldwoman. "The only people that are teaching the language are the schools, and very little is being taught at home."

Developed by VoxTec International of Maryland for military use in Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001, it has now been adopted by U.S. law-enforcement organizations and aboriginal groups.

Thornton Media of California, owned by an American Indian, has worked with more than 40 tribes in the U.S. and Canada to help them control their own language destiny, the company website said.

"If your kids aren't learning the language, it doesn't matter how many speakers you have. If your kids aren't learning it, then your language is in trouble," Don Thornton said.

Most Siksika speakers older 

On the Siksika reserve, about 40 per cent of residents are fluent in the language, but most of them are over 45. Yellowoldwoman said even teachers have a hard time giving lessons to students.

"One of the biggest things is the sounds. When you write and read the Siksika language, the sound is not correct. And the only way they can ever get the correct sound is by listening."

The Phraselator has the sounds. And the machine can be programmed.

"You can also enter songs or words," Thornton said. On its website, Thornton Media promises the hardware, software and training so users can program "in YOUR language" — at $3,300 US a unit.

On the Siksika reserve, teachers want to use the tool one on one with students. They like the idea.

"It's [the language] a very important part of our culture. We want to keep it alive before it slowly disappears," said Larissa Calfrobe, 18.

Staff at the medical centre will also use the Phraselator so they can better communicate with patients who are more comfortable using their mother tongue.

Algorithms key to device

The Phraselator uses speech recognition algorithms, but is based on a different concept from most machine translation systems, the VoxTec website said.

Most efforts over the past 50 years of intense research have been based on the problem of recognizing phonemes — the smallest phonetic units that convey a distinct meaning, such as the "b" in bat — and universal translation.

Progress on the phoneme front has been slow, but VoxTec went at the problem by looking for a way to deal with phrases, recognizing that for most situations, there is "a specific lexicon that can effectively be communicated using a pre-defined, well-organized set of functional phrases."

Phraselator uses modules, groups of phrases in a given language designed by experts for specific uses such as disaster relief, the military or law enforcement, and then translated by linguists from the region where the language is spoken.

The modules advertised on its website range from Albanian to Vietnamese.

Don Thornton (and his wife) will be at our office on Monday, Feb. 12 to show us how to use the units and to start recording voices. We have invited a couple of elders to join us and we will be getting them to input some phrases.

INAC press release

Federal Government Announces $2.46 million in First Nations Economic Development Investments in Northern Ontario

Backgrounder

DRYDEN, ONTARIO (January, 18, 2007) – Mr. Rod Bruinooge, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, is pleased to announce approximately $2.46 million in investments towards economic activities that will advance development opportunities for First Nations peoples in Northern Ontario.

Speaking in Dryden, Mr. Bruinooge said, "We are working with native leaders and communities to improve opportunities and provide real results for Aboriginal people. Maximizing First Nations participation in economic opportunities is important to ensure a prosperous economic future for all Canadians. Robust economic opportunities are essential to the development of sustainable, healthy communities, and Canada's New Government is pleased to be doing its part to make this happen."

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has committed to support the following projects in 2006-2007:

• $745,000 to the Attawapiskat/Fort Albany/Fort Severn First Nations to develop opportunities linked to diamond mining in Northern Ontario;
• $560,000 to the Pikangukum First Nation for the Whitefeather Forestry Project (Sustainable Forestry License);
• $317,500 to the Eabametoong First Nation for community-based resource planning at Eabametoong and Mishkeegogamang;
• $200,000 to the Seven Generations Education Institute for a Community Economic Development Officer Training Course;
• $141,900 to the Big Grassy & Ojibways of Onigaming First Nations for activities related to the Assabaska Ojibway Heritage Park;
• $100,000 to the Pic Mobert First Nation for a Forestry Situational Assessment;
• $100,000 to the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation for the Two Feather Forest Products Business Development initiative;
• $64,700 to the Ojibways of Onigaming for a Water Bottling Manufacturing Feasibility Study;
• $48,000 to the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (formerly known as Sand Point) to explore forestry initiatives;
• $48,000 to the Ochiichagwe’Bagigo’Ining Ojibway Nation to explore economic ventures;
• $40,000 to the Mattagami First Nation for mining strategy initiatives;
• $40,000 to the Pic Mobert First Nation for a Mining Sector Opportunities Assessment;
• $31,900 to the Batchewana First Nation for a Fisheries Management Plan; and,
• $25,000 to the Nishnawbe-Aski Development Fund for a Hydro Project Development Workshop.

More information on each project can be found at the INAC web site at http://inac.gc.ca

In 2005-2006, INAC Ontario Region invested approximately $15 million in economic development funding to assist First Nations to improve their socio-economic conditions to help close the gaps between First Nations peoples and other Canadians.

For more information, please contact:

Linda Britt, Communications Officer
INAC Communications
(807) 624-1559

Chief Andrew Solomon
Fort Albany First Nation
(705) 278-1044

Chief Roy Gray
Fort Severn First Nation
(807) 478-2572

Chief Bobby Kelly
Ojibways of Onigaming
(807) 484-2162

Chief Esther Pitchenesse
Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation
(807) 938-6684

Chief Charlie O’Keese
Eabametoong First Nation
(807) 242-7221

Chief Connie Gray-McKay
Mishkeegogamang First Nation
(807) 928-2414

Mr. Mike Fox, Sector Specialist
Nishnabe-Aski Nation Development Fund
(807)623-5397

Mr. Delbert Horton
Seven Generations Education Institute
(807) 274-2796

Chief Charles Pascal
Pikangikum First Nation
(807) 773-5578

Chief Jeffrey Florent Desmoulin
Pic Mobert First Nation
(807) 822-2134

Chief Vernon Barry Henry
Ochiichagwe’babigo’ining First Nation
(807) 548-5876

Chief Dean Sayers
Batchewana First Nation
(705) 759-0914

Chief Albert Comegan
Big Grassy First Nation
(807) 488-5614

Chief Willis McKay
Mattagami First Nation
(705) 894-2072

Kristen Sills
University of Windsor
(519)256-3113 ext 25

Ms. Audrey Gilbeau
Economic Development Officer
Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek
(807) 623-2724