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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
An educator from Fort Simpson has been honoured for his work in promoting and revitalizing the South Slavey language.

Andy Norwegian, left, stands with Jackson Lafferty, minister of education, after being inducted into the Education Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Yellowknife on May 30. - photo courtesy of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment

Andy Norwegian, an aboriginal language specialist with the Dehcho Divisional Education Council, was among seven people inducted into the NWT Education hall of fame during a ceremony in Yellowknife on May 30. Created in 2010, the Hall of Fame identifies and celebrates outstanding commitment to education in the territory. The previous inductees from the Deh Cho include Margaret Field and Margaret Thom, both of Fort Providence.

Being named to the hall of fame came as a surprise to Norwegian.

"It took me a while to reflect on it," he said. "It's certainly an honour to be recognized by my coworkers at the Dehcho Divisional Education Council."

Norwegian, originally from Jean Marie River, has spent 33 years in education. He began by teaching in his home community for two years starting in August 1980.

He then spent four years teaching at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson. Even then, Norwegian was involved in language, having been asked to co-ordinate the school's language program part time.

In 1986, Norwegian was hired to co-ordinate the regional language centre and has been there ever since. The centre became the teaching and learning centre and was incorporated into the Dehcho Divisional Education Council when it was formed in 1991.

Curbing the loss

Revitalizing South Slavey (Dehcho Go'tie Zhatie) and curbing the loss of its use have been the driving goals in Norwegian's career. A desire to defy what happened in residential school may be partially behind this focus, Norwegian said.

"I really wanted to make a difference in that area," he said.

While in residential school at Lapointe Hall in Fort Simpson, Norwegian and the other students were forbidden to speak the Dene language. Ironically or fittingly, Norwegian's first office in the regional language centre in 1986 was in the same building.

Changes he witnessed in Jean Marie River also drove him to specialize in language teaching. In the 1960s, all of the students in the community spoke South Slavey and were learning English as a second language, he said. When he returned to teach in 1980, out of a class of 14, only two students were bilingual in English and South Slavey. Four students could understand South Slavey, but not respond in it and the rest only spoke English.

"That's how much of a language shift had taken place in 20 years," he said.

Norwegian said he feels there has been more of a focus placed on the Dene language. When he was teaching, students only received one hour of language instruction a week. Some students today get 30 minutes a day adding up to 2.5 hours a week of aboriginal language instruction. The Dene language immersion program that Deh Gah School is offering in Fort Providence is also encouraging, Norwegian said.

Directions about required aboriginal language teaching are coming from the Department of Education down, today, not from the language community up, he said.

One project Norwegian said he's been proud to be a part of is the creation of the Dene Kede curriculum that is used in the territory. The creation of the curriculum provided an opportunity to work with elders and other educators who work in different Dene languages.

"It opened our eyes to see some of the topics and see from the Dene perspective of the elders," he said.

Norwegian has also worked on a number of other documents that assist people teaching South Slavey. He was the co-editor of A Dictionary of Verbs of South Slavey and the writer and editor of the South Slavey Topical Dictionary. Norwegian also developed a teacher resource manual for teaching South Slavey.

"People find that the materials he's developed are very useful," said Terry Jaffray, the superintendent of the Dehcho Divisional Education Council.

Jaffray wrote the nomination for Norwegian to be included in the Hall of Fame.

"He's very passionate about language and about culture," she said, and sees that the two can't be separated.

In the region, Norwegian works with both teachers and students and is a valuable resource, said Jaffray. People are always phoning to ask for assistance, often with translations, she said.

Norwegian is also a good role model, said Jaffray. He speaks South Slavey every opportunity he gets and goes out in the bush and can talk about his experiences there. Norwegian is also a lifelong learner and has taken a number of courses in linguistic studies from a variety of universities.

As his career has progressed, Norwegian has also given back to the field of education. He's been part of a number of advisory committees related to aboriginal languages and teacher education.

"It's really nice to see people recognized for the work that they do," said Jaffray.

With more than three decades in education, Norwegian said he is still passionate about what he does and has no immediate plans for retirement.

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