Fanshawe College serves up a wide variety of courses, but how about one that could help save a cultural element in danger of disappearing forever? This fall the college is offering The Oneida – Language Immersion, Culture and Teaching program, to help address an urgent need to grow the number of Oneida language speakers. Program coordinator Hubert Antone says less than two dozen people in his community can speak and understand the language, due to a couple of critical factors.
And, time is running out warns 70-year-old Antone of Oneida Nation of the Thames.
Antone adds it will be an intensive program requiring students to attend each lesson and take advantage of the many opportunities to practice right in the Oneida community.
It’s something that needed to happen years ago. And hearing students learn to speak his language – one of the most difficult in the world to learn – will be music to Antone’s ears.
The three-year course expands on an earlier program – the Twatati Program – designed by and delivered in the Oneida community.
Fanshawe College is now accepting applications for the September intake. Anyone interested can contact academic advisor Bev Antone-Collar at bantone-collar@fanshawec.ca for more information.
