tsiˀ nu twa·yʌ́heˀ
ukwaˀsatstʌ́hsehl
(Programs)
Skaˀnikú·lat, Inc. applies an intersectional approach in addressing the various issues that affect Oneida People and our local community. We center a decolonial, anti-racist lens and holistic application of Environmental Justice, Racial Justice, Social Justice, Restorative Language Justice, and Educational Equity across all our work.
Onnyote'a ká tsi
niyukwalihó-thse
(Cultural Wellness)
Kunukwehuwehneha
(Haudenosaunee Women's
Development Program)
Oneida Language & Culture Resource Development, Outreach, and Advocacy
Language and cultural resource development
Indigenous research
Community outreach and engagement
Advocacy
Culturally-informed trainings
Ukwehuwehnéha tsi nitwawanó-thse
(Oneida Language medium programming)
Ukwehuwehnéha tsiˀ nitwawʌnó·tʌhse
(Oneida Language Medium Programming)
Teshakonatnʌtshotalhu
(Oneida Language Medium School)
translates to “we are locking arms under the Great Tree of Peace”
The mission of Teshakonatnʌtshotalhu is to create and maintain a safe space for ukwehuwehnéha language learning and speaking that reflects onʌyoteˀa·ká· core values, tsiˀ niyukwalíhó·tʌhse (our ways) and the kayanlʌhslaˀkó (Great Law of Peace). We are committed to fostering a positive learning environment for ukwehu·wé (Oneida) children and their families that advocate a mutual understanding of the importance of language and culture to restore community wellness and support the larger mission of Skaˀnikú·lat.
ʌtwʌhnisla·tékeˀ 'there will come a day'...
We envision a community where ukwehuwehnéha (Oneida language) is heard freely in an intergenerational learning environment led by our community that is grounded in onʌyoteˀa·ká· core values and tsiˀ niyukwalíhó·tʌhse, including: restored kinship practices, environmental stewardship, collective responsibility, reciprocity, radical joy and love, balance, unity, harmony, safety, ongoing generational healing, adaptive, ingenuity, Indigenous social justice, and just-transition advocacy.
What is Teshakonatnʌtshotalhu?
The Teshakonatnʌtshotalhu is an Oneida Language medium school using immersion as the technique for instruction. This means that the school uses only the Oneida language as the medium of instruction to implement a culture-based curriculum based on the Oneida ceremonial cycle beginning with children age 3. Students attend Teshakonatnʌtshotalhu Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm from September to May, which totals approximately 30 hours of Oneida language immersion instruction each week. As the program expands, builds capacity, and adds newly trained staff in upcoming years, the intent is for the program to shift from a traditional school calendar (September-May) to a year-round calendar so that students can engage in cultural summer activities that would otherwise be missed in a traditional school year, such as planting and picking medicines.
Currently, Teshakonatnʌtshotalhu serve children who fall in the prime age of language acquisition, which includes preschool age children. Our new enrollees include children from 3 to 6 years old. This decision was made to positively impact and influence children’s Oneida language speaking abilities during the target ages of early-childhood, which sets a foundation for more advanced Oneida language acquisition as the children age into higher grade classrooms as the program expands in the coming years, adding classrooms for higher grades.
Not only is Teshakonatnʌtshotalhu developed to increase speakers of the Oneida language, but also to impart cultural values and positively impact identity formation. Our cultural values help shape self-awareness, relationships, self-assurance, and success later in life. A strong Oneida identity also contributes to a sense of belonging and connectedness to the Oneida community.
Shakotiwʌnakéhtskwas
(Adult Language Medium Cohort Program)
translates to “they raise up their voices/put voices on them”
The mission of shakotiwʌnakéhtskwas is to provide a supportive and immersive Oneida language learning experience for second-language adult learners, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to pass on the Oneida language to future generations within families and the community.
Shakotiwʌnakéhtskwas uses an Oneida language-medium approach based on a linguistic education and culturally-centered curriculum. This is a full-time cohort program, which runs Monday through Friday, with formal language-medium instruction Monday through Thursday. This program functions as a three-year cohort, where adult learners move throughout the units of the curriculum together, both while learning, studying, and speaking. The first two years of the program are instruction resting on the importance of building a foundation for functional speakership in the Oneida language with workshops and program seminars that train adult learners in decolonization, healing, and Indigenous philosophy. The last year of the program encompasses the application of the knowledge gained within the first two years, with relevant job-placement into strength-based areas within the organization and Oneida community.
Ultimately, Shakotiwʌnakéhtskwas program aims to foster a strong foundation for language revitalization and intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge. By empowering adult learners with the necessary tools and resources, we strive to revitalize the language and preserve the Oneida language for future generations. Our program focuses on building a sustainable network of fluent speakers and educators dedicated to passing on the language to the next generation