Give the Gift of Language
Support the Dwadwęnada:da:t Language Centre this GivingTuesday

November 23rd, 2023 – Brantford/Six Nations, Ontario – The Woodland Cultural Centre is asking for your help to support the Dwadwęnada:da:t Language Centre this GivingTuesday. The Centre’s goal is to raise $15,000 on Tuesday, November 28, in support of the Centre’s efforts to strengthen and revitalize Hodinohsho:ni languages and cultures.

Since its inception in 2012, GivingTuesday has grown into a global movement that promotes radical generosity and a commitment to doing good. This day symbolizes a collective effort to foster a world grounded in shared humanity and generosity.

Woodland is also excited to announce that for the fourth consecutive year, it is being supported by The Dufresne-Ray Family Fund at Hamilton Community Foundation. The Foundation has generously pledged to match the first $5,000 of donations received on GivingTuesday.

The Dwadwęnada:da:t Language Centre at the Woodland Cultural Centre plays a vital role in preserving, revitalizing, and promoting Hodinohsho:ni languages, including Cayuga, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca, and Tuscarora, along with other Indigenous languages such as Wyandot, Lenape, Tutela, and Neutral. The Centre’s core activities include:

• Offering language resources in the Museum Gift Shop.
• Preserving and restoring valuable audio recordings of language excerpts.
• Maintaining an accessible database of Hodinohsho:ni stories, speeches, and songs.
• Collaborating with educational stakeholders to develop teaching methods suited to the unique needs of Hodinohsho:ni languages.
• Organizing community language events in collaboration with Six Nations of the Grand River, Wahta, and Tyendinaga.
• Working with consultants and vendors from Six Nations to preserve these critically endangered languages.

More information about the Dwadwęnada:da:t Language Centre and its resources can be found on the Indigenous Language section of Woodland’s website.

Woodland Executive Director, Heather George, shares what the Dwadwęnada:da:t Language Centre means to her, “Like many Indigenous people, I am on a path to reclaim cultural and linguistic understandings that support our mental health, well-being, and sense of self. Wa’tkwanonhwerá:ton’ for your support of the work we do at the Woodland Cultural Centre, as it allows us to change hearts and minds, and allows us to embrace kindness, empathy and healing. Like our languages, your support is sending forth good energy into the world.”

Lisa Byers, owner of LJ Turtle Aromatherapy, is a committed supporter of the revitalization work being done at Woodland and supports the department by generously fundraising through her business and donating her acorn diffusers to the gift shop. She has firsthand experience with the work of the Woodland Language Department, and recognizes not just the benefits of its work, but its need: “There are six Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report related to Education, Language and Culture. My language, Ojibwemowin, was not passed down to me…I feel very passionate about fundraising for this important initiative.”

By donating to the Dwadwęnada:da:t Language Centre, supporters become allies in the mission to reconnect and re-establish Hodinohsho:ni people with their cultures, languages, and ceremonies. This mission is crucial in healing the wounds inflicted by historical warfare, the residential school system, and assimilation policies.

Woodland invites everyone to support this initiative. Donations make a significant difference in the lives of the Hodinohsho:ni community and in the preservation of their rich linguistic heritage.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit https://woodlandculturalcentre.ca/support/donate/.

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Contact:
Trisha Kelley
Development and Marketing Manager
Woodland Cultural Centre
519-759-2650 x 232
tkelley@woodlandculturalcentre.ca