Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Aug 03/01) - With the language abilities of youths lacking, a draft of a plan to set up a Dene language school was prepared.

"The vision is to have a full-slated learning institution in an appropriate environment. The elders will be the professors," says Joachim Bonnetrouge of Fort Providence.

A break came recently when he was able to bend the ear of Premier Stephen Kakfwi, who suggested writing a proposal for a pilot program.

"We still need to check out a number of things," Bonnetrouge said.

One of the most important decisions will be choosing the community. It could be that two schools would be set up in two communities, he said.

Discussion of a Dene school was one of several agenda items there was no time for at June's Deh Cho Assembly in Kakisa.

"If we're going to be serious, you're looking at big dollars," Bonnetrouge points out.

He and others worry the language is being lost as elders get older. Those elders "are advising that you can't separate language from culture. You have to deal with them together."

Bonnetrouge uses his own 19-year-old son as an example of what's happening to their language.

"He was top of his class in Slavey until age 12. Then something happened. It was like he just shook his head one day and there was no more interest. His marks and attitude toward Slavey changed."

Dene language assessment surveys completed last year document a language being lost.

An analysis says, "One very interesting factor is that the youth are strong culturally but they use the English language when applying culture."

It also says the language is dying because parents are not passing it on and the schools are not promoting the language or the culture.

Of 46 young adults between 18 and 24 interviewed in Fort Providence, just one preferred speaking Dene with five equally favouring Dene and English. The remaining 40 would rather use just English. Adults between 25 and 50 fared a little better. Of 164 asked, 72 prefer English. Eighty-eight like to mix Dene with English while three preferred speaking just Dene.

Among elders (over 50 years old), the picture is different, with the vast majority preferring to speak only Dene. Just nine of 70 asked favour English and 16 prefer mixing both languages.

The surveys also revealed some encouraging news. Asked if they think in Dene, the same respondents reported yes 144 times for adults, of the 164 asked. Thirty-four of the 46 young adults said they think in Dene.