HHC Sua:m Mashath

November 16, 2018

Huhugam Heritage Center

Gila River Indian Community

On Oct. 17, HHC’s Language Program held a Language Class Appreciation Event at the District 4 Service Center to celebrate the completion of the Shelma O’otham Ñeo’ok Language Immersion class. On that day thirty ‘e mamshchamtham (students) were awarded Certificates of Completion, given celebratory gifts, and shared a meal together to commemorate the ending of the twelve-week language immersion course. The class was taught by Ms. Henrietta Lopez, Lead Instructor and Mrs. Eugenia Apkaw, Mentor Instructor.  The Language Immersion sessions were managed by Robert Johnson, Language Specialist of the HHC Language Program. The immersion sessions focused on teaching everyday language on various subjects spoken in the home on a daily basis. The lessons included traditional gender roles and responsibilities; I:mig, O’otham relationships within each family, O’otham Kwintha Hemako-Sia:nth;  the song ‘Hevel ‘o Mel’ a lesson about the weather; and several other topics.  Many families attended together and learned their Akimel O’otham language by the HHC fluent O’otham speaking teachers.  Forty-three certificates total were awarded to students from Us Ke:k, Ge’e Ki:, Va’aki and San Thañ Districts.  Some students made the long commute from Florence village.  This was the first language immersion sessions taught in District 4. 

On Oct. 24, HHC’s Language Program held a Language Class Appreciation Event at the District 6 Health Center to celebrate the completion of the Shelma O’otham Ñeo’ok Language Immersion class. On that day fifteen ‘e mamshchamtham (students) were awarded certificates of completion, given celebratory gifts, and shared a meal together to commemorate the ending of the twelve-week language immersion course. The class was taught by Mrs. Barbara Parsons, Lead Instructor and Ms. Ernestine Nelson, Mentor Instructor.  The Language Immersion sessions were managed by Miss. A. Joyce Hughes, Senior Curator-Language of the HHC Language Program.  The immersion sessions focused on teaching everyday language on various subjects spoken in the home on a daily basis. The lessons included traditional gender roles and responsibilities; O’otham kwintha from hemako to sia:nth; The song ‘Hevel ‘o mel’, a  lesson about the weather; and several others topics.  Many families attended together and learned their Akimel O’otham language by the HHC fluent O’otham speaking teachers.  Twenty-one certificates total were awarded to students from the villages of District 6 with a few members from District 4.  

Sixty-four total certificates were award for both classes.  For some members of the District 6 class this was their fifth Akimel O’otham Language Immersion Course.