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Meskwaki Education Network Initiative (MENWI)
Indigenous to the western Great Lakes
region, the cultural heritage of the Meskwaki (aka “Fox”)
is most closely related to that of the Thakiwaki (Sac/Sauk)
in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and the Kiikaapoa
(Kickapoo) in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Coahuila, Mexico.
Indeed, the three groups speak dialects of the same
Algonquian language. Unlike the Thakiwaki and Kiikaapoa,
and dissatisfied by the prospects of removal, in 1856
the Meskwaki negotiated the purchase of 80 acres of
land in Tama County, Iowa, located just west of Tama
and Toledo. Over the years the Settlement has augmented
its land holdings, which today comprise over 7,395 acres.
Numbering approximately 200 in 1856, enrollment in the
Meskwaki Nation numbered 1,264 in 2000, with more than
650 of that number residing on the Settlement (2000
U.S. Census).
Most Meskwaki adults born before 1960
were raised with Meskwaki as their first language, learning
English only upon entering school. Although Meskwaki
continues to be a common vehicle of communication among
adults, English has made increasing inroads, with the
current generation of students being among the first
to enter school harboring little if any proficiency
in Meskwaki. It has become clear to Meskwaki leaders
that their heritage language has reached a critical
juncture, and with it many aspects of what has been
the Meskwaki way of life.
On the front lines against culture
and language shift is the Meskwaki Language and Culture
Program housed within the Meskwaki Settlement School
located on the Settlement. Having replaced a wood-frame
structure dating to 1937 with a new campus in 2001,
the new facility is thoroughly modern yet designed with
unusual sensitivity to the cultural heritage and learning
styles of Meskwaki students. The effect of the new campus
has been dramatic. Enrollment in the old facility was
116 in 2000/2001, and rose to 218 when the new facility
opened in 2001/2002. With an increase of 102 students
(or approximately 88%), enrollment included the majority
of the approximately 250 children between the ages of
5 and 15 who reside on or in close proximity to the
Settlement (2001 BIA Goals 2000 Report; 2000 U.S. Census).
Although there is optimism the rising
enrollment trend will continue, it is met with a somber
decline in Meskwaki language competence. Rather than
simply reinforcing and enriching their knowledge of
the Meskwaki language, Meskwaki Language and Culture
Program instructors are now confronted with the task
of teaching the language to children who do not speak
it. In turn, the instructors find themselves faced with
a lack of material suitable to develop a Meskwaki language
and culture curriculum. Having assessed the situation,
Meskwaki leaders have concluded only a concerted effort
will permit them to maintain their linguistic and cultural
heritage, hence the emergence of the Meskwaki Education
Network Initiative, or MENWI.
In addition to being an acronym, menwi
is a Meskwaki root word that means the state of a thing
is “good.” A collaborative endeavor between
the Meskwaki Settlement School and the American Indian
Studies Research Institute of Indiana University-Bloomington,
MENWI seeks to network the expertise of both institutions
toward the development of multimedia curriculum materials
for use by the Meskwaki Language and Culture Program
in the School’s kindergarten through eighth grade
classrooms.
Visit the MENWI
website!
Senior Personnel
Douglas R. Parks, Project Director
Philip S. LeSourd, Principal Investigator
Timothy J. McCollum, Project/Production Coordinator
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