How the Seminole tribe learnt from kura kaupapa about immersion schools
It’s been 40 years since the birth of kohanga reo, and from there came total immersion schooling - kura kaupapa Māori. Both have been a driving force in the regeneration and revitalisation of the language.
Ohinga visited the Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School, a Native American total immersion school in Florida and spoke with their cultural immersion co-director Kayla Osceola.
“It feels like you guys have it all together - and I’m sure you probably feel like you don't - but from our perspective, you guys invented immersion,” she says.
The Seminole tribe created the total immersion school based on their research and the success of kohanga reo and kura kaupapa.
The progress that we’ve made in Aotearoa has shown other indigenous cultures that it is possible to re-instill your language into future generations.
“It’s nice to know that somewhere in this world an indigenous group pushed back,” says Kayla.
“It’s inspiring, really.”
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