Indigenous sisters developing video games to revitalize Mohawk language
Two Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk) sisters from Montreal are on a mission that is close to their hearts: to save the language of their ancestors.
Kahentawaks and Wennekerakon Tiewishaw are from Kanesatake, about 40 minutes northwest of Montreal.
They learned to speak Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk language) in elementary school, but with few chances to practice, they ended up losing it.
"Our mother and father don't speak at all, but our grandmother and grandfather spoke fluently, but they didn't pass it on to their kids," said Wennekerakon.
The sisters hope to revitalize the language through Indigenous video games called Revital Software. A demo of the game Karihonniennihtshera is available online.
Their goal: to make learning fun and engaging for everyone young and old.
The games are based on well-known Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) legends, stories steeped in tradition they heard growing up.
"There is something about Indigenous languages that will teach you how to think of yourself in relation to nature and in relation to other people in a more respectful way," said Kahentawaks. "Today, the Mohawk language has fewer than 4,000 speakers worldwide: most of them are elderly."
Kahentawaks said she has lost sleep over the thought of her language being lost, which spurred on the desire to work on the games.
Karihonniennihtshera by Revital Software"It's a great motivator to continue to motivate us to work on these projects because we want to be able to help the teachers in our communities," said Wennekerakon. "Hopefully, it will remind ourselves a lot more about how to speak and how the right intonation and communicate with each other eventually."
Once these games are off the ground, the sisters want to expand to other Indigenous languages, as they fight to keep a crucial part of their identity alive.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.