Departments

Allegany Seneca Language Dept. offers an array of services

by Ja:no’s Bowen, Allegany Language Director

Mission
The mission of the Allegany Language Department, Ögwaiwanösde’ Ögwawënö’–we cherish our language, is to promote Seneca language use.

To increase the use of the Seneca language throughout the Nation, the department:

• works with community members and various Seneca Nation departments to offer Onöndowa’ga:’ gawë:nö’ learning opportunities
• regularly collaborates with other language departments/programs
• actively promotes the use of the Seneca language through social media
• offers online learning opportunities and translation services
• provides web-based learning/teaching tools, hands-on instructional materials, and the audio-visual content required by Seneca language learners and teachers both on and off-territory
• offers professional development opportunities to language teachers/teachers in training

Allegany Language Department
Ögwaiwanösde’ Ögwawënö’ – We cherish our language.

Staff Members as of 12/7/2020
Allegany Language Director
Ja:no’s–Janine Bowen

Senior Master Elder
Gayanogwad–Phyllis Bardeau

Digital Media Developer
“Niya’sgë:ö’”–James Crane

Conversational Apprentices
Daëdzö:n–Jordan Ball
Dewata’se:’–Kelsey Lay
Ga:nowöshe’–Alyssa Schmidt

Media Specialist, assigned to Allegany Language
“Yesga’tgwës”–Lauren Stevens

Services Provided by the Allegany Language Department:
Ögwaiwanösde’ Ögwawënö’-we cherish our language

Language Instruction

The Allegany Language Department works with community members and various Seneca Nation departments to offer Onöndowa:ga:’ gawë:nö’ learning opportunities.

• The Allegany Language Department provides basic Seneca language instruction to various Seneca Nation employees, as well as community members both on and off-territory.
• The department offers tutoring services and department classes, upon request.
• An online class for very beginner / novice low learners can be found at: https://classroom.google.com/c/MzA1OTExMzA3NjFa?cjc=bxtd7n6
• An online class for novice mid – high learners requires students to have passed a small speaking assessment, as it has a weekly conversational component.
• The Seneca language instruction offered centers on providing novice level learners with the building blocks needed to advance to intermediate level proficiency.
• Students must actively participate in speaking activities, in order to practice using Onöndowa:ga:’ gawë:nö’.
• For instructional opportunities, please contact Ja:no’s Bowen, the Allegany Language Director at janos.bowen@sni.org or (716) 945-1790, extension 3171.

Language Resource Creation and Distribution

The Allegany Language Department provides web-based learning/teaching tools, hands-on instructional materials, and the audio-visual content required by Seneca language learners and teachers both on and off-territory

● At Ögwaiwanösde’ Ögwawënö’–we cherish our language, we work hard to create and distribute teaching and learning resources to Seneca Nation Departments and programs, Haudenosaunee language learners and teachers, as well as community members.
• In order to make the language more readily accessible, we maintain the website www.senecalanguage.com, a Facebook group entitled senecalanguage.com, a YouTube channel called Seneca Language, and Twitter feed @SenecaLangauge, which include materials from the Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Immersion Language Departments.
• If you would like to see what more we have to offer, please contact James Crane, our Digital Media Developer by email at james.crane@sni.org or by phone at (716) 945-1790, extension 3173.

Professional Development

The Allegany Language Department offers professional development opportunities to language teachers/teachers in training.

● The Allegany Language Department offers professional development/teacher-training workshops for all Seneca language apprentices and teachers from Seneca Nation language departments, education departments, early childhood learning centers, public school districts and the Tonawanda Seneca Nation.
• Topics include Seneca history and grammar, instructional methods, language revitalization strategies, traditional teachings, and behavior management, to name a few.

Translation Services

● The Allegany Language Department offers small-scale translation services to community members and Seneca Nation departments/programs.
● The department focuses on contemporary Seneca language translations for use in the classroom, office, home, etc.
• The focus of the Allegany Language Department is to promote the use of the Seneca language centered on conversational aspects used today.
• The Allegany Language Department does not offer research services on archaic/ancient forms of the language.

Language Digitization Services

● The Allegany Language Department offers language digitization services to community members and Seneca Nations departments/programs.
• The following Onöndowa’ga:’ gawë:nö’ items can be digitized for safe storage and easier access:
• VHS cassettes
• Audio cassettes
• Old documents
• Books

Language Promotion through Social Media

● The Allegany Language Department actively promotes the Seneca language through YouTube, and Twitter, Facebook.
• The department uses the following to assist in Seneca language promotion and awareness:
• Video lessons
• Language challenges
• Announcements of useful resources created by various Seneca language teachers and programs
• Interactive activities
• Community projects
• Quizlet sets with links
• Google Classroom Updates

Below you’ll find the UPDATED Language Media Request Form