Native Languages Center

LANGUAGE PROGRAMS ›

Salish Kootenai College

Flathead Reservation; Pablo, MT
skc.edu ➚
Culture & Language Studies Dept. ➚

Languages

Salish, Kootenai

Academic Programs

Intensive Salish Language Certificate of Completion
AS in Native Language Teacher Education
BS in Native Language Teacher Education

Language in the Community

The Salish language is taught throughout the community at all levels from pre-K through elementary and high school and at the college. Language is also taught at summer camps, community evening classes, and at the local immersion school.

N’kwusm ➚ is a Salish language immersion school that provides instruction for children in pre-K through to 8th grade as well as the adult language program.

SKC offers their Intensive Salish Language classes in partnership with Séliš Ql̓ispé Culture Committee and and N’kwusm Salish Language School. SKC also collaborates with Salish language programs and schools throughout the northwest.

The Ksanka Culture Committee ➚ is housed in the cultural center of the Ksanka community. Their mission is to protect, preserve, perpetuate, and enhance the language, culture, and traditional lifestyles of the Kootenai people. The Ksanka Elders Advisory Committee and the Ksanka Language Apprentice Program are housed here.

Languages

The Séliš language is part of the Salishan (also Salish) language family, which are a closely related family of languages spoken in the Pacific Northwest in areas of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The Salishan family consists of twenty-three distinct languages. They are well-known for the complex structures of their words, often allowing for words featuring no vowels.

Kutenai (Kootenai) or ʾA·kⱡukaqwum is the language of the Ksanka people of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana. Ktunaxa refers to most other bands in Idaho and Canada. Kootenai or ʾA·kⱡukaqwum is a language isolate, meaning that it is not related to any other Native language. There are only slight dialect differences between the bands.

Teaching Requirements in Montana

To teach Native languages in Montana, a Montana Class 7 American Indian Language and Culture Specialist Licensure ➚ is required. Verification by the authorized representative of a Tribal government that an applicant has met the tribal standards for competency and fluency is a requisite for applying for Class 7 certification.

Explore More Language Programs

The map below shows the locations of the 37 TCUs across the country. To learn more about each TCU and the language programs offered within those institutions, hover over each pin on the map.

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