Description
Tyowennatyerénhton - First Words is an introductory Kanyen’kéha (Mohawk)/English vocabulary book celebrating the language, land, and culture of the Mohawk people. Accompanied by captivating photographs, numbers, colours, feelings, traditional foods, and other aspects of the natural world important to the Haudenosaunee come alive on the page, engaging families, teachers, students, and readers of all ages to explore the beauty of the Kanyen’kéha language. An audio download is included to support word pronunciation, along with a primary-grades activity guide to inspire readers to make connections to nature and Mother Earth.
For educators: This resource supports provincial curriculum connections across the grades in media literacy, visual art, science, history, geography, healthy living, and language revitalization, along with entry points to introduce land-based learning and environmental stewardship into every classroom. Educator guides for Primary/Junior/Intermediate and Secondary teachers will be available in Fall 2023.
Gail Brant-Terry (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory) is a mother, nanny, wife, sister and educator. She has over 34 years of experience in education as a teacher and administrator at the school, board and provincial levels. Gail is a retired board principal of Indigenous Education and is Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of Ridge Road Training & Consulting. Gail was the recipient of Indspire’s 2020 Guiding the Journey Award for Leadership in Indigenous Education.
Dianne Sedore-McCoy is an educator with over 25 years experience as a classroom teacher, Curriculum Coordinator in Indigenous education, and a cultural advisor at the board level. She graduated from Queen’s University Mohawk Language and Cultural program in 2020, and is certified in Specialized Expressive Arts Therapy through CiiAT (Canadian International Institute of Art Therapy). Dianne is an Honourary Lifetime Member of the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario.
Gail and Dianne are committed to supporting Indigenous language revitalization efforts and honouring their responsibilities to be stewards of the land. The majority of the pictures featured in the book were taken by Gail and Dianne on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee. This book is truly a labour of love to honour the present and future. Gail is honouring the birth of her first grandchild and Dianne is honouring the gifts shared by her Kanyen’kéha language teachers.