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of Victoria
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Faculty of Graduate Studies

Lisa Crowshoe

  • BEd (University of Lethbridge, 1991)

  • MEd (University of Lethbridge, 2004)

Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Topic

Niitsitapia’pii – Improving Well-Being in Blackfoot Youth Through Niitsi’powahsin (Speaking Blackfoot Language)

Department of Indigenous Education

Date & location

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Onowa McIvor, Department of Indigenous Education, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

  • Dr. Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins, Department of Indigenous Education, UVic (Member)

  • Dr. Eldon Yellow Horn, Department of Archaeology, SFU (Outside Member) 

External Examiner

  • Dr. Dwayne Donald, Department of Secondary Education, University of Alberta 

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, School of Nursing, UVic

     

Abstract

Niitsitapia’pii – Improving Well-Being in Blackfoot Youth Through Learning Niitsi’powahsin, begins with the premise that Indigenous language learning can improve youth well-being. Niitsi’powahsin is speaking the language of the Blackfoot people. Niitsi’powahsin is a powerful means of connecting to Niitsitapia’pii (Blackfoot values and ways of knowing). This research explores a method for Blackfoot youth to improve their well-being while learning values-based Niitsi’powahsin. Blackfoot Elders and Knowledge Keepers chose a Niitsitapia’pii value and offered an accompanying values-based Niitsi’powahsin language lesson. Each recording included an introduction, values-based language lesson, and related story (personal, traditional, historical). The audio-recordings were used to create podcasts. For Piikani Elders and Knowledge Keepers, this was a new way to combine Niitsi’powahsin language lessons, Niitsitapia’pii – values-based learning, and storytelling. The voices of the Elders and Knowledge Keepers are shared in the podcasts, additionally responses to questions are written in this dissertation. Upon completion of the language podcasts, Blackfoot youth were selected to listen to and respond to the podcasts. Their responses to the podcasts are shared thematically in the dissertation. Blackfoot youth responses were overall positive however, the technological aspect of the podcasts required improvements such as sound quality. It is the intent of this Indigenous language revitalization research to provide a method for Blackfoot youth to connect with language – Niitsi’powahsin – in a way that would explicitly teach a Blackfoot value in the larger context of Blackfoot storytelling.

 Keywords: Blackfoot language, Niitsi’powahsin, values-based, youth, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous, language revitalization.

 

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