SENĆOŦEN Materials Inventory-Project Outline

Over many years, SENĆOŦEN language materials have been developed within the community by various fluent speakers and organizations; however, most of these materials have not been compiled into a useful inventory format that would enable SENĆOŦEN teachers, language students and researchers to know what materials are available and to access those materials.

The SENĆOŦEN Materials Inventory Project is currently compiling materials that will be used to create a resource file and database framework ready for a comprehensive teaching package.


The goal is to compile resources and materials that have been developed over an approximately 25-year period in the Saanich community. The inventory will serve as a multi-use reference:

1) Template for a SENĆOŦEN comprehensive Teacher Training package.

2) Leading to begin to work out a plan for a Developmental Standard Term Certificate (DSTC) program.

3) The inventory will also serve as an extremely valuable tool, in developing an Integrated Resource Package (IRP’s) for the local school district 63, on the Saanich Peninsula.


The project has several stages reflecting its various objectives:

1) Compilation of resources and materials from the past 40 years of work on SENĆOŦEN.

2) Organization of these resources and materials into a usable inventory.

3) Transferring of materials and resources, where relevant, into formats that will make them more usable and more available.

4) Making the materials available to teachers and to community members. This may include the following:

• A resources package that can be sent out to local schools

• An index to the resources that is available with information on how/where to access the resources

• A Teacher-Training Package

SENĆOŦEN Coffee House-Project Outline

The SENĆOŦEN Coffee House is a place where Saanich community members come together, in a casual environment that is safe, familiar, comfortable, and fun, to practice the SENĆOŦEN language (youth-adult). This portion of the Saanich-CURA encompasses knowledge mobilization and promotes community inclusion.

This evening activty is designated time to share, familiarize and socialize in the SENĆOŦEN language. Community members can be presented with the opportunity to practice and receive mentoring from semi-fluent SENĆOŦEN students and teachers.

Community members can simply wear a button on their lapel when entering the room. A color-coded system could be used, for Elders and semi-fluent speakers to identify skill levels. E.g.: Red = Beginner Blue = Progressive Green = Fluent etc.

The goal for this project is to create a unique community approach to practicing SENĆOŦEN as a way to support and complement formal SENĆOŦEN studies. The SENĆOŦEN Coffee House can be a place for this much-needed activity to occur on a regular basis.

SENĆOŦEN Teaching Grammar-Project Outline

The SENĆOŦEN Teaching Grammar is the first CURA project to take shape in the Saanich community. The SENĆOŦEN Teaching Grammar is the base for the sequential priorities and projects outlined. The number of fluent SENĆOŦEN speakers and teachers is extremely limited. Their time and resources are taxed to maximum levels. The rationale of the SENĆOŦEN Teaching Grammar is to organize written materials into units, one unit per month, to coincide with the school year calendar.

The greatest resource any community has is a fluent Elder teacher and mentor. The priority is to organize information into materials that can be taught by competent student/teachers in a contemporary school setting. Many of the concepts described in the SENĆOŦEN Teaching Grammar can be fully understood through immersion, so there are suggested activities for teachers to develop short immersion situations in the classroom. The material may be validated and recognized to a greater degree, due to the partnership between a fluent Elder curriculum writer and a university linguist. The SENĆOŦEN Teaching Grammar is the core project of the 5 outlined Saanich CURA projects.

CURA – Saanich Priorities and Projects 2005-2008

The following is a list of priorities developed during a session with the Saanich Native Heritage Society group, Spring 2005. At this stage, projects began to emerge. Once projects started to take shape, time and budget would be the constant parameters. And, the people that would ultimately bring the projects to life would be priority number one for consideration in the 2005-2008 work plans.


Priority #1)

1-1) SENĆOŦEN-Teaching Grammar: 9 Immersion Units leading to Teacher Training program, Development Standard Term Certification recognized.

1-2) SENĆOŦENHA’UTW – SENĆOŦEN Coffee House.

1-3) SENĆOŦEN Teacher Training Program (Comprehensive Package for teachers and students)


Priority #2)

Digitizing Existing Materials, including cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes, etc. from community sources.


Priority #3)

3-1) Inventory existing SENĆOŦEN language materials

3-2) Comprehensive SENĆOŦEN teaching package for adult classes

3-3) Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) between Saanich Native Heritage Society (S.N.H.S) and the Saanich Indian School Board (S.I.S.B.) Reason: To recognize continued development of the SENĆOŦEN curriculum


Priority #4)

4-1) Training and mentoring longhouse public speakers in SENĆOŦEN

4-2) Developing SENĆOŦEN CD for community leaders, including Alphabet, Sounds, Phrases and frequently used prayers (Knowledge Mobilization)


Priority #5)

SENĆOŦEN Newsletter


Priority #6)

6-1) SENĆOŦEN Survival Day Celebration

6-2) Prayer CD


Priority #7)

Workshop: To develop new SENĆOŦEN words

Keep the Fire Burning (Setting Priorities February 2005)

February 2005. I became the newest member of the Saanich-CURA team. It was clear from the beginning I had my work cut out for me. Saanich is known for a never give up nor give in attitude toward revitalizing the SENĆOŦEN language and everything else for that matter... I have also known this attitude to be referred to as "Keep the Fire Burning..."' (Meaning: It's later than we think, the fire is a cinder, the time to act for our SENĆOŦEN language is now!)

Collecting priorities for project ideas was not going to be any different. Our community never really knows when the financial support is going to be available. So, when we have the opportunity to work on language we have to turn every dollar into two and create greater materials out of smaller amounts of time. In the back of your mind at all times you have to take on the task like there is not going to be a tomorrow for the SENĆOŦEN language…

When we sat down to begin, I felt it was important, as a fresh set of eyes and ears, that I facilitate the session. The Saanich group had been living with this project for well over a year at this point. Like an artist working on a painting, the closer we become the harder it is to be objective. The first logical step was to get together to set priorities. I find it is at times painful to try and put even four or five on a page. In this case, working with the Saanich group we had to stop… We had more than enough and later discovered we had too many priorities for one year.

Saanich People

The Saanich people have lived on what is known today as the Saanich Peninsula, amongst a series of small islands now known as the Gulf Islands near the southern most tip of Vancouver Island for hundreds and thousands of years. This can be determined through the ancient language called SENĆOŦEN. Within the SENĆOŦEN language are the keys, blueprints, technologies, and sciences to what was once sustainable living in this highly diverse bio-region. Each place and island had a SENĆOŦEN name prior to European contact and our people had relationships with every mountain, valley, landscape and sea place, which provided everything we needed through hunting, gathering, harvesting, ceremony and ultimately a good Saanich life...