Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Jan 25/02) - While a Slavey immersion school may be several years away, Joachim Bonnetrouge and others are ready to begin planning for Dene language camps.

As part of a pilot project, Slavey teachers and elders would be employed to teach young children, ideally ages six and under, the Dene language.

"The ultimate professors will be the elders ... mother nature will do the nurturing," Bonnetrouge said. Other basic subjects such as math and spelling would not be forsaken, he said. "They (the children) will eventually learn English anyway."

The elders have advised that the Dene language can only be saved if children are immersed in the culture and living off the land, said Bonnetrouge. Youngsters should be weaned off television and video games, he said.

The Deh Cho First Nations have applied to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment for $28,000 in funding for developmental planning. The actual pilot project, which could be seasonal or year-round, will likely cost $200,000 to $300,000 for transportation, supplies and salaries, Bonnetrouge said.

A location for the Dene language immersion project has yet to be selected, but it could be a remote area such as the Horn Plateau or Redknife, or just outside a community like Fort Liard, where the Dene language is still strong, he explained. A Slavey school, which will likely take four to five years to establish, could also be located away from distractions, he said.

"With technology today and the communications systems, you can pretty well go anywhere."

The challenges will be finding enough qualified Dene language teachers, getting insurance coverage for students and staff in a remote area and receiving consent from the school board to have children placed in the camps for months, Bonnetrouge acknowledged.

"Families will start redefining what are the traditional values. It can only add to the defining of a Dene government."