The 27th annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium will be held June 14-18, 2021 at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada on the lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples.
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SILS27 will be taking place fully online in 2021.
SILS27will be hosted jointly by Queen’s University; Tsi Tyonnheht Onkwawenna Lanaguage and Cultural Centre, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory; and Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest (KILN) a part of the urban Indigenous community of Kingston, ON.
SILS27 will focus on global perspectives of Indigenous Language Revitalization, as reflected in the Symposium title, “Global Indigeneity: Language from the Four Directions.” In addition to bringing together voices from around the globe, this theme is inspired by the four directions teachings for understanding health and community in holistic perspective, encompassing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. With this in mind, the Program Committee has identified four broad topic areas:
Physical – Technologies and products for language revitalization
Mental – Insights and innovations in revitalization research
Emotional – Community connections for revitalization
Spiritual – Creative arts and language revitalization
For more information about the logistics and format of the conference, we invite you to visit the conference logistics page on our website, or to stop by the Social Rooms and Help Desk space on Zoom, which will be open throughout the conference. All Zoom links are available here on Sched—we ask that you don’t share them with anyone not registered for the conference, but anyone is welcome to register late for the conference, and will get access to Sched within 24 hours of registering.
The Haudenosaunee and Waldorf Initiative (HAWI) is an emerging international, organization of independent Haudenosaunee schools. The mission of HAWI is to strengthen and nurture Haudenosaunee language and cultural revitalization across all Haudenosaunee communities. The vision for HAWI has been developing for many years and in 2021 seed funding was secured to begin formal development of the organization. HAWI's mandate is twofold: 1. to support Haudenosaunee schools wishing to utilize the Waldorf education model as a vehicle for language and cultural revitalization, and 2. to support Waldorf schools in relationship with Haudenosaunee communities. One of the main objectives of HAWI is the training of Haudenosaunee, Waldorf-Inspired educators which will be accomplished through the development of apprenticeship and teacher education programs as well as ongoing professional development opportunities for existing teachers and staff. HAWI is not a governing or management agency. It does not enter into member schools' internal matters or day-to-day operations. Each school has its own governance structure and each is accountable for it's own financial stability and future. In this presentation three independent school directors will discuss how their school operations utilize Waldorf pedagogy in a Kanyen'keha immersion school to strengthen and nurture Haudenosaunee language and cultural revitalization.
