Charli Fortier

Charli Fortier at the Neqweyqwelsten School

Last week I went to the Simpcw First Nation north of Barrier and talked with students and staff at the Neqweyqwelsten School. One of the people I talked to was Charli Fortier who is the Secwepmectsin materials developer.

Here is some excerpts from our conversation that I felt were relevant to this process:

“I work with anything and everything to do with language whether it be booklets to send home with the kids and parents or translating certain things, curriculum development, any little project that I can do to increase Secwepmectsin speaking in school.”

“We grew up having an elder in school that would come in a few days a week... That was Ida Matthew... and she along with a couple other elders and knowledge holders would come in every once and awhile, as much as they could and teach up you know animals, colours, body parts and we’d do basket making and drumming and all sorts of cultural activities so they’ve been without an elder or a Secwepmectsin teacher for a couple of years now so it’s up to the teachers who are community members, they married into the community, to learn as much as they can and to teach the kids so it’s kind of nice to have the kids learning from someone who is Simpcw and grew up with the language so that’s pretty scary but important role.”

“I find myself very fortunate to be growing up a part of the school here. I wouldn’t have experience anything like this in public school. This school was started up, my parents were a part of it and I wouldn’t have been able to learn the language or the culture. It was something that wasn’t very prominent in our parents’ generation at all so we had the elders who grew up with the language having to teach up so I wouldn’t gotten that aspect of that teaching at home so I found myself, I was happy to be here and be part of that.”

‘Going to this school really helped with my self-esteem, you know cultural pride. I entered public school and the world knowing who I was and where I came from. It built a foundation because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to experience the things I did and go the places I’ve been.”

 “It really helped me accomplish what I wanted to accomplish. I always knew that I wanted to potentially come back here and teach what I could.”

“It’s great to see the kids’ reaction to see someone who’s already been through the school and to come back.” “They react in such a positive manner and also to know that the teachers are so happy to have us come back home, you know that was the goal.”

 “(The school has) a huge role. For one, it’s a school that was established by the parents as separate from chief and council, which I think is a great thing. The parents control what they teach their kids, how they want to learn it, who they want teaching their kids, curriculum development and to have this school right here in the heart of the community with the band office attached to the school, you know the kids are involved in all sorts of community activities.”

“it’s kind of a ripple effect because there’s still parents who didn’t get the opportunity like we did so the knowledge of language and the knowledge of culture and tradition still isn’t there, there still learning too so to have the kids learn it here and to be so enthusiastic and to bring it back home, it’s helping everybody”

“We started off here as one of the earlier school and now the teachers here go off and mentor other schools”

“It’s a huge towards reconciliation because we’re in control. We get to control what the kids learn and how they’re being taught and incorporating culture and language to instill that pride again, that’s a pretty huge step”

“To go to gatherings and to be able to be one of the few to introduce myself in my own language, it’s a good feeling and you see the look on other people’s faces like they really want to learn their own language and do that too.”

“Unfortunately, public schools aren’t quite doing the job yet that they should be so to teach people, to help people with this type of program or this way of teaching is a huge step in helping ourselves, not depending on anyone else. We know the job we need to get done in education so why not do it ourselves?”

Fortier’s not ready to settle down in the community yet because she feels that the world has more to offer than just life on the reserve. She hopes to bring her language and her culture to the world and then the world back to her culture.

Her takes on education are important in how bands might come to see the role of education in the community and I think that no one knows how well a system works like someone who has lived through it.