Lethbridge College announces Blackfoot Speaking scholarships

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on June 22, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge College launched an award Tuesday that recognizes the Blackfoot language as a key part of Indigenous culture, the Aiitsi’poyoip Blackfoot Speaking Award.
The award will be fully funded by the college and will provide five Indigenous students of Blackfoot descent each year with $1000. The awards will be given to students who have participated in the preservation of Blackfoot language and culture.
Lethbridge College Indigenous services manager, Lowell Yellowhorn, said students will be tasked with seeking out mentorship opportunities explaining how they engaged in the community to learn the language.
“It’s an opportunity for our students to preserve their Blackfoot language speaking abilities and give them opportunities to learn more about not only the Blackfoot language, but the Blackfoot culture,” said Yellowhorn.
He said the loss of the Blackfoot language is of critical concern for their community.
Students who intend to apply for the Aiitsi’poyoip Blackfoot Speaking Award will be encouraged to spend time learning more about their culture and language by working with one of the college’s Blackfoot Grandparents or an Elder in their community as mentors.
Lethbridge College interim president and CEO, Samantha Lenci, said the college is funding the awards by taking money from their operations, as it is important that the money came directly from them.
“We’re investing in our students, which is our first priority but at the same time as part of that truth and reconciliation walk and commitment, that we’re taking the funds needed to come from us, not from others,” said Lenci.
She said it needed to be sourced in a way that they could make sure that it lived on without always looking for outside money.
“This is about the heart of a scholarship and the intention behind the scholarship,” said Lenci.
She said they pinched back in a couple of areas to make sure that they were able to come up with the funding.
“Maybe there’s a little less paper, maybe there’s a little more electronics involved, maybe there’s something like that, but at the same time it still sits to the heart of the scholarship,” said Lenci.
The awards were announced Tuesday as part of Lethbridge College’s National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations.
Recipients will be selected based on video submissions, where the students will have the opportunity to showcase their Blackfoot speaking abilities.

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