WINNEBAGO, Neb. (AP) – There are a few things that define a Native American tribe more than its language.

That importance of language is one of the driving forces behind the Ho-Chunk Tribe – also known as the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska – seeking to revitalize its language and see it spoken by more people, part of what is called the Ho-Chunk Renaissance.

“Within a lot of Native American cultures, language and culture go together,” Lewis St. Cyr, language program director for the Ho-Chunk, said “You can’t have culture without language and you can’t have language without culture. The importance of it is who we are.”

The language project currently is being taught in various schools with ties to the tribe, including the Winnebago Public Schoos, the Educare preschool, St. Augustine Indian Mission and Little Priest Tribal College.

However, St. Cyr admits that the amount a brief language program during school hours can do 15 minutes per day – is limited and he is working to see the knowledge of the Ho-Chunk language expand through additional methods.

“Right now, we’re at a point where we’re restructuring the program to fit a lot more things that we can utilize as far as technology,” St. Cyr said. “We have a lot more younger people involved with the program and things like that.”

As someone who has had a longtime interest in the Ho-Chunk language, St. Cyr knows how it feels to want to learn the language and know more about it, but not have many resources.

“I was a person that growing up, I wanted to learn this language and be a fluent speaker,” said St. Cyr, a graduate of Wayne State College. “During that time, when I was really interested in this language – and I still am – I was learning on my own, using materials, books, CDs and things like that. I didn’t really have that access to a fluent speaker. I would come back from going to school from Wayne State and I would look for that person (and I) had all these different questions. “There wasn’t really anything set up – an evening program or a place we could really go. However, I would go down to the program during the time – the HoChunk Renaissance Program – and would just go down there talk to some of the people there.”

The Norfolk Daily News reports that with the Ho-Chunk language being spoke less often and be fewer speakers, the tribe realized that it needed to do something to save the language.

“During that time, a lot of the tribal elders were noticing that a lot of the younger generations weren’t picking up the language and weren’t exposed to the language as much as they were,” St. Cyr said. “It started becoming (something of) an endangered language, so this project – the Ho-Chunk Renaissance Project – started and went through the process of a tribal elder getting that going, (then) the tribal council got involved, told them what they were trying to do and eventually this project started. Over time, it started growing and growing.”

St. Cyr said that he has hired five new employees since he took the reins of the language program in August and plans to hire more as he works to develop a team. He also has incorporated the creation story of the Ho-Chunk language into the Ho-Chunk Renaissance’s company logo.

“We believe that without our language, we’re just a common person. We’re not Ho-Chunk – we’re not who we are – and that’s a part of who we are,” St. Cyr said. “It was a gift by the Creator to use this creator. We believe this is what ties us together as a tribal nation. Each tribe’s language is different, but for us, this is who we are, our language and we’ve used it for many, many years.”

While the Ho-Chunk’s language program currently uses a master-apprentice model, St. Cyr wants to do more with an immersion program, a nesting program and greater use of 21st century technology. St. Cyr said that some sort of college class on the Ho-Chunk language might eventually be made available.

“The way this world is now, technology has become such a tool,” St. Cyr said. “We have our children now that utilize iPads and that are on their phone all night. We try to utilize that. There’s been apps, things like that and language apps. I wanted to start getting into some technology development and also into other different aspects.”

While there has not been a formal survey done, St. Cyr estimates there are approximately 10 Ho-Chunk speakers on the Winnebago Reservation, a number that he wants to see increase. He added that there are three fluent Ho-Chunk speakers working in the program.

“We have a lot of people who can understand it; it’s just that bringing them out to speak it,” said St. Cyr. “That’s another thing that we’re trying to focus on.”

St. Cyr said that the tribe also plans to hire a media production manager and to create different videos in the Ho-Chunk language, something that already has been done for the nursery rhymes “Old MacDonald” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

After years of struggling to find resources to learn about the Ho-Chunk language, St. Cyr is happy to give back to his community and his people.

“I know what that felt like when there was no resource or no availability for anything like that,” St. Cyr said. “Going through that, now I know that there’s people out there in that same boat that want that same opportunity but don’t really have it. Knowing that, in the back of my mind I wanted to bring that out and have that available for the community.”

WINNEBAGO, Neb. – The endangered HoChunk language of Nebraska’s Winnebago tribe will tomorrow take a technological step toward resiliency and revival with the release of the HoChunk Vocab Builder, a new language vocabulary app for both Android and iOS devices.

The free app, which includes 40 categories of HoChunk words and phrases, will officially be released tomorrow during a launch party at the Blackhawk Community Center in downtown Winnebago, said Lewis “Bleu” St. Cyr, director of the Winnebago Tribe’s HoChunk Renaissance Program.

“The Winnebago are seeing that the use of digital tools can be used to enhance our revitalization efforts,” St. Cyr said. “Our staff here at the Renaissance Program are creative, innovative individuals and their contributions and ideas are helping retain and grow the tribal community’s interest in the HoChunk language.”

In addition to the HoChunk vocabulary app, which was developed with the assistance of the Native American language rescue non-profit The Language Conservancy, the Winnebago have also been utilizing tools like Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud and virtual gaming to facilitate HoChunk language revitalization, St. Cyr added.

“We are also restructuring our language curriculum at various levels, from pre-school and elementary to high school and college-level, in addition to preparing to act as hosts for structured community courses within the next year,” St. Cyr said.

The app contains over 400 words and phrases with audio pronunciation and visual aids for each; HoChunk-to-English and English-to-HoChunk word match quizzes; proficiency tracking; and a points-based level-to-level achievement program that uses repetition as a learning strategy. Four fluent HoChunk speakers of the Winnebago tribe assisted with development of the content used in the app.

HoChunk Renaissance project manager Michelle Lamere said the app launch event at the Blackhawk Community Center would run from 3-7 p.m. and that visitors would be able to receive help downloading the app and with assistance using it. Expect a festive environment, as gift bags and t-shirts will be given away, there will be face-painting and a balloon-twisting artist, along with games and food.

“We’re looking forward to having a fun and successful launch,” Lamere said.

The app is available at both the Google Play store and at Apple’s iTunes store by searching for HoChunk Vocab Builder.

Wil Meya, executive director of the The Language Conservancy, said the new HoChunk app was designed for versatility and ease of use. The non-profit so far has developed language apps in both Android and iOS formats for the Arikara, Crow, Hidatsa, Lakota and Mandan, and apps are currently in design for the Assiniboine, Omaha and Yanktonai Dakota tribes.

“This is a culturally-relevant learning tool that you can use on your own, in coordination with a language learning class or as a learning tool for use by parents, caregivers and teachers,” Meya said.

The United Nations estimates that of the world’s 6,000 different languages, over 40 percent – about 2,571 – are endangered, including 191 in the United States.

HoChunk Renaissance is a language and culture program of the Winnebago tribe of Nebraska that  provides accessible language-learning tools and resources – textbooks, apps, dictionaries and more – to help preserve HoChunk. Twitter: @hochunklanguage.

The Language Conservancy (TLC) is a nonprofit organization based in Bloomington, Ind., that is leading the revitalization of endangered Native American languages across the U.S. by providing critical support to tribal education departments, schools, and by increasing public awareness on the crisis of disappearing languages. Twitter: @LangConservancy

Hello, I greet you! I would like to introduce myself, my HoChunk name is Wanik Co (Blue Bird) and my English name is Lewis “Bleu” St.Cyr. I am a proud member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and also a member of the Bear clan. As of August 2015, I have been serving as the Program Director for the HoChunk Renaissance language program. Founding in 2003, the HoChunk Renaissance Language program is the official tribal language program of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Although we have been a community resource for cultural information, our mission at the program is to specifically focus our efforts in revitalizing the HoChunk language. I would like to update our tribal membership regarding the latest projects and accomplishments at HoChunk Renaissance.

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Daily HoChunk Classes

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Our language instructors are teaching daily at the local educational facilities which include Winnebago Public Schools (WPS), St. Augustine’s Indian Mission, and Little Priest Tribal College (4-credit hour class). At WPS and St. Augustine’s, our teachers are allowed approximately fifteen (15) minutes in each class a day to teach the language. It is evident that language learning requires much more time. This method has shown to be effective in our recent data but not in a way that can produce a fluent speaker. With this in mind, we have been developing and implementing innovative projects to speed up the process by providing miscellaneous language learning materials suitable for all ages.

One concern we found is that the child/student would learn the language at school, but would return to the non-speaking home and find rare to none language interaction, that shows the language stops at school. To tackle this issue, it is our goal to implement a community educational course available for families and all tribal members. Our participants will be active in language learning and it could strengthen language usage in the home. This will be a free opportunity for all to learn more of the HoChunk language.

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Community Education

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In the past we have provided language classes to the community but would have retention issues. After reevaluating the last classes, which were done approximately 7-8 years ago, the conclusion was that there was no clear direction or objectives to each class. The learner did not have a clear path of understanding on what they were going to accomplish at the end of the language class. However at this time, we are pleased to announce, we will be returning with our structured community language classes with an official individual name, a curriculum featuring hands-on activities, a workbook, and incentives. Further detailed information will announced soon. Our project manager is currently working on finalizing this project and it is our intent to have our classes fully operational in early 2018.

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Curriculum & Language Development

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In addition to all the extracurricular activities and projects we host, we are also investing into our next generational speakers. Our language apprentices are currently studying daily terms and phrases corresponding with our unique curriculum development. To best describe our actions, our Language Apprentices and Curriculum Coordinator are laying the tracks while the train is moving. In order to teach these challenging phrases, it is crucial that our Language Apprentices learn them beforehand. Our curriculum structure is generated by using the American Council of Teaching Foreign Language (ACTFL) guidelines. The ACTFL guidelines are used within many world language curriculums and allow for language to be evaluated and learned more quickly. However, we have the task to adapt everything to our HoChunk language, which is also can be time consuming.

There are three main blocks within the curriculum structure. These blocks are called Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. Within each block there are three individual levels called low, mid, and high. (Ex. Novice-low, Novice-mid) Our curriculum team is currently designing and also being evaluated monthly through the Novice-Mid level. This requires our Language Apprentices to expand outside of basic nouns and begin using sentences and phrases. Our Curriculum Coordinator, Language Apprentices, and Eminent Speakers have been working hard collectively to assure we will have our next generation speakers ready to teach out of a curriculum they are also designing.

We also are proud to announce we have completed our Novice-low curriculum. Our curriculum now features daily lesson plans, activities, objectives, material boxes, supportive binders, and online & digital resources such as PowerPoints and Quizlets. These are currently being used in our classes at the local schools. This is a proud accomplishment by the staff as there was never a firm HoChunk language curriculum developed before. Now we have a foundation and are building toward a comprehensive curriculum for our future generations. It is taking a lot of time investment but we are on our way!

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Online Resources

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Our Language Apprentices are also seeking innovative ways to expose our audiences to the HoChunk language. We currently have an online resource called “Quizlet”. With the help of Quizlet, you are able to access a database of categorized language terms and phrases. Quizlet allows you to turn these language categories into quizzes and study guides, and it is possible to even create a virtual game with the quizzes. This is a project our Language Apprentices have been dedicated and working hard on these past years. To access it, search: www.Quizlet.com and type in HoChunk Renaissance in the search box.

Our Media Production Manager has also developed and maintains our online language resources. These include Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud. Not to mention, the unique cultural & language videos that are posted on our Youtube. Our Media Production Manager is also a graphic artist and creates all our flyers, posters, and artwork.

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Our Accomplishments

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There are many other projects and concerns we have, which include creating traditional and digital materials (both instructional and promotional), preservation (recording, transcribing), teaching classes daily, social media, prepping and grading for classes, learning teacher instruction, strengthen individual HoChunk fluency, fulfilling external requests, and so much more.

However, since my inheritance of the program in August 2015, our program team has accomplished quite a number of goals. Some highlights include:

• Beginning curriculum development – Novice-Low completed
• Strengthening social media relations – Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Quizlet
• Hocak Vocab builder app – Available on IOS & Android devices
• The “Hocak hoit’era” Vol. 1 language book & Audio drives
• Community & cultural events including: 2017 HoChunk Youth Summer camp, Language baseball tournament, Haunted House fundraiser, HoChunk Christmas Carols, Family Game Night, Easter Egg Hunt, Jack-o-lantern contest, Waboxiri contest.
• Digitized older audio materials for database
• Created new HoChunk words to describe modern items,
• Apprentice language fluency evaluations
• “Who wants to be a Millionaire” – Computerized language game.
• Street “Stop” signs & Banners
• And so much more!

In today’s society, technology is growing and changing every day. We feel that we need to utilize these technological tools to help retain the interest in our younger generation. By working in conjunction with the Language Conservatory, we launched our “HoChunk Vocab Builder” app in November 2016. This opportunity further expands our language learning in the digital era. Not to mention, our tribal members who reside off the reservation now have exposure to our sacred language. We are pursuing further opportunities to expand our efforts in the technology realm but must first consider many factors before doing so. These include the potential risk of exploitation of our language and culture within non-HoChunk communities. It is our intent to provide our off reservation relatives access to the language but we must consider all protective measures first. Before we pursue any major projects, it is important that we always seek the approval of our elder fluent speakers that are employed within the program, two of which are veterans.

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The Future of HoChunk Renaissance

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With the decreasing amount of fluent speakers, our language team has been on a race to revitalize our tribal language by teaching our tribal membership and by hosting other educational activities for the community. In part of our efforts, we hope to implement more opportunities for language learning in the near future. We have also begun slowly shifting our efforts & focus in a way that our children will become first language speakers of the HoChunk language. This shift will occur as we finalize our curriculum and develop our Language Apprentices as our next generational speakers and teachers. It is also our intent to expose stronger cultural pride in our community. You will see us implementing unique projects like incorporating street signs in the language, billboards with culture, banners with tribal designs, and much more in our local community.

In conclusion, we look forward to minimizing our existing obstacles and face new challenges with revitalizing our sacred language. We tend to think of creative ways to implement language for all our tribal members. We ask that you continue to support our tribal language revitalization efforts by getting involved, attending language & culture events, downloading or seeking our resources, and importantly speaking, which will keep our language alive. It is important for all tribal members and all HoChunk people to do their part in contributing to speaking our language on a daily basis. It was once said, if our language is gone, we will lose our identity as HoChunk people. We strongly feel that it takes the whole tribal community (not only the language program) to strengthen a language and we believe if our people come together, our language can flourish once again. Our language team is ambitious and every day they take the initiative to lead our people through a “HoChunk Renaissance” with our tribal language. However, we need your help. On the other hand, if you need any cultural or language resources, we will gladly help in the best way we can as well. It is our duty to serve as a cultural resource for all our HoChunk people. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to offering you many more HoChunk Renaissance language projects and events in the future.