(C) 2005 Darrell Curl [Moon over Wilburn Bay, NWR Road]

The CURA Project

Knowledge and Human Resources for Innu Language Development is a 5-year CURA project.

What does CURA stand for?
CURA stands for Community-University Research Alliance.

Who funds the CURA?
The CURA project is funded by SSHRC (the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada).

Additional assistance is provided by the following partner organizations:
Memorial University, the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation, l'Institut culturel et éducatif montagnais (ICEM), and Carleton University, NL Legal Aid Commission.

What is the aim of the CURA?
Under the direction of Principal Investigator Dr. Marguerite MacKenzie, the CURA aims to consolidate and extend existing linguistic documentation and applied materials in Innu-aimun. It also aims to link and build on virtually all basic and applied research on the language, making Innu-aimun accessible to community members and others in various forms (e.g., through literacy training, the Internet).

The CURA seeks to provide sophisticated print and electronic facilities for modern communication in Innu-aimun, and to collaborate with and train Innu community members for on-going development in local linguistic research, literacy teaching and development, pedagogy, interpreting and translating, media (radio, print), and community leadership in research.

PROJECT GOALS

What are the specific goals of the CURA?

WWW.INNU-AIMUN.CA
This website, to serve as an archive of Innu language resources

DICTIONARY
An integrated Innu-French-English dictionary for Labrador and Quebec (still in progress)

INNU LESSON BOOK AND CD
Lesson book and accompanying CD, Sheshatshiu dialect (currently available for purchase here. For a preview of the text and CD [click here])

INNU CONVERSATION CD AND MANUAL
CD and accompanying manual of conversational phrases in Sheshatshiu-aimun, Mushuau-aimun, English, and French (CD and manual currently available for purchase here. The manual is also available as a free download on this site here.)

INNU-AIMUN LITERACY TRAINING
Workshops in Innu-aimun literacy for teachers, Innu staff, and teacher aides in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish

INNU VOCABULARY WORKSHOPS
Workshops to collect and develop vocabulary in the areas of education, justice, toponymy, health, social services, geology, environment, governance, and traditional culture

LANGUAGE AWARENESS
Promoting awareness within Labrador (both with Innu speakers and other Labradorians) of issues around the use, development and maintenance of Innu-aimun as one of the few viable Aboriginal languages in Canada

INNU LANGUAGE MATERIALS
Developing additional Innu language materials

19 nissi-pishim^u 2013