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14TuesdaySeptember242013ByMARIACHURCHForVanceSandersonCreelanguagemanagerfortheNorthwestTerritoryMtisNationkeepingtheCreelanguagealiveandhealthyismorethanhisjobitshispassion.CreeandIrishbybirthSand-ersonhadatraditionalupbring-ingintheFortSmitharea.IwasraisedinthebushandmygrandmaalwaysspokeCreetomeandIal-wayswantedtospeakitSandersonsharedwithTheJournal.GoingthroughschoolIwaslosingitbutIdidntwanttoloseitsoIkeptlearning.EventodayIsometimesspeaktomyselftokeeppracticing.NowworkingfortheMtisNationsCreeLanguagePro-gramheadquarteredinhishometownSandersonworkstowardstrengtheningthelan-guageinthecommunityandsurroundingarea.SandersonandhisteamhavepublishedaCreetranslationbookonhealthabushCreedictionaryandacookbookamongotherresources.Theirmostrecentpublicationcom-binesmanyaspectsoflanguagetranslationincludingdifferentdialectsintoonetitlecalledtheTheLanguageBookorIspiki-skwehkMasinahikan.Everythingisre-editedandbetterSandersonsaid.Itsmoreconvenientnowpocket-sized.Iwantedtodonewthingsandtrytoapproachanewbookinasmallerfashionsoitsbettertocarryitwithyouandyoudonthavetoworryaboutluggingaroundabunchoflargerbooks.TheLanguageBookincludeswordsandphrasesinCreeEnglishandMichifadialectSandersondescribedasaMtisslangcombiningFrenchCreeandEnglish.IncludingMichifwasre-allyimportantbecauseitsbeenstressedatmeetingsthatthereisntmuchdoneaboutit.Thisprojectisallforlanguagere-vitalizationtobringitback.ItsimportantforthesurvivaloftheMichiflanguagehesaid.IntotalthereareninedifferentAboriginallanguagesspokenintheterritory.Creeanditsdiffer-entdialectsaremainlyspokeninthesouthernhalfoftheNWTandinnorthernAlberta.DistributionofTheLanguageBookhasbeenfocusedintheSouthSlaveregionoftheNWTbutinteresthasbeengrowingfurthersouthinareassuchasFortChipewyanandFortMc-MurraySandersonsaid.Wearewillingtosharewithanyonewhosinterestedinlearning-whoeverwantsacopySandersonsaid.TheCreeLanguageProgramalsorecentlylaunchedanotherofitsCreelanguagecalendars.ThecalendarbeginsinSeptemberoronocihitowipisim2013andspanstoMarchorniskipisimof2015.EachmonthfeaturesaphotobylocalFortSmithphotographers.FundingfortheCreelanguageprojectsaround30000wasprovidedthroughliteracygrantsfromtheGNWT.WithhiscurrentfundingandbudgetSander-soncandistributefreecopiesofboththebookandcalendar.Peoplethathavelivedhereandmovedawayitsreallyspecialforthemtoseesome-thingmadefromtheirhome-townanditsreallygoodtosendthemmaterialstokeepupthelanguagehesaid.EvenifyourenotCreeitsalanguagethatisbeautifulandopenanditsforeverybody.WithsuccessfulfeedbackfromthelanguagebookandcalendarfuelinghimonSand-ersonsfutureprojectsincludecomicbooksretellingCreehis-toryandthelivesofimportanthistoricalguresaswellasalocallylmedcookingshowwhichwillbepostedonthelanguageprojectsnewYou-tubechannel.ThecookingshowisgoingtoteachpeopletraditionalwaystocookandatthesametimeidentifyingredientsandfoodsinCree.Ithoughtitwouldbeaneatwaytogettheoralsound.Creeisbetterlearnedorallythanwrittenhesaid.SandersonhasalsolaunchedaprojecttocreateCreelanguagehockeycardsfeaturinglocalminorleagueandrecreationleagueplayersintheSouthSlaveregion.Submissionsarecurrentlybeingacceptedandthecardsareexpectedtobeoutbynextspring.TheNWTCreeLanguageProgramrecentlycreateditsownFacebookpageatface-book.comNWTCree.Tolearnmoreaboutthepro-gramvisitwww.nwtmetisna-tion.caandclickontheCreeLanguageProgram.LanguagebookaimstokeepCreeliteracyaliveNWTCreeLanguageProgramlaunchingbookcalendarcookingshowLiteracyWeekResourcesOutsidehisofceinFortSmithVanceSandersonholdsupthelatestproductsfromtheNWTMtisNationsCreeLanguageProject.Localphotographyisshowcasedinthecalendar.TheLanguageBookincludesBushCreeandMichif.PhotoMariaChurch