Woodland Cultural Centre

Published purpose

The Woodland Cultural Centre’s Dwadwęnaga:da:t Language Centre is a member of Sweetgrass First Nations Language Council Inc. (Sweetgrass), which is an incorporated organization made up of members from Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek language groups, schools and centres across Ontario. Sweetgrass members have identified a need for a series of virtual workshops in the areas of archiving, digitization and audiovisual collections management, tailored specifically to the preservation of sacred and sensitive First Nations language collections. In addition, the Dwadwęnaga:da:t coordinator has identified a collection of 110 audiocassettes that is a high priority for digitization. These cassettes recorded in the background during the original recordings of our Sacred and Sensitive Collection from 1986 to 1988. These tapes, the only existing copies of these recordings, contain high levels of language and provide vital context for the Longhouse materials, making them indispensable for the next generation of Faithkeepers to access.