{"id":9428,"date":"2023-04-17T09:18:28","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T14:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=9428"},"modified":"2023-04-17T09:18:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T14:18:28","slug":"dr-rosa-kings-journey-through-first-nations-studies-helps-her-indigenous-language-program","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/dr-rosa-kings-journey-through-first-nations-studies-helps-her-indigenous-language-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Rosa King\u2019s journey through First Nations Studies helps her Indigenous language program"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Dr. Yekuhsiyo Rosa King, one of the first graduates of UW-Green Bay\u2019s First Nations Education Doctorate program. (Photo courtesy of Dr. King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each fall, students in the Oneida language immersion program excitedly harvest the bounty from the Three Sisters garden located at their school in Oneida, Wisconsin. What might appear to an outsider as a simple outdoor activity for energetic children is actually much, much more. In fact, it\u2019s a key milestone along a year-long learning journey led by their teacher, Dr. Yekuhsiyo Rosa King, and inspired by her own education journey at UW-Green Bay.<\/p>\n

Beginning in the spring, Oneida students build mounds and plant the Three Sisters seeds (first corn, then squash, finally beans). With each step along the way \u2013 culminating in braiding harvested corn for winter storage \u2013 the children absorb crucial concepts in math, meteorology, agriculture and nutrition. But the process also instills in them their community\u2019s customs, values, history, songs and ceremonial practices and the cultural significance of every action.<\/p>\n

Knowing how natural and valuable the Three Sisters garden project is for the program\u2019s students, it\u2019s hard for King to remember that it didn\u2019t always unfold in such a holistic way. She first started teaching it on a mainstream school calendar that didn\u2019t allow for the summertime experience of caring for the growing plants. Yet once King started her doctoral program in First Nations Education studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, she began to see new and better ways she could advance student learning by using their own language and culture.<\/p>\n

Because of the wisdom and resources King gained from her experience at UW-Green Bay, the young minds in the program now attend their 180 days of school in a year-round configuration that emphasizes holistic curriculum instead of subject segmentation. They are more connected to their culture and more prepared for life inside and beyond their community.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Dr. King\u2019s students use gardening tools as they plant the Three Sisters garden. (Photo courtesy of Dr. King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their lives are transforming before King\u2019s eyes \u2013 not unlike the way her own life has transformed through her UW-Green Bay journey.<\/p>\n

College, Community and Career<\/h3>\n

King grew up in the Green Bay area. Naturally curious and driven, she earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and a master\u2019s degree in tribal administration and government at the University of Minnesota Duluth.<\/p>\n

In addition to her formal studies, she took on the very meaningful personal challenge of learning her native Oneida language with help from a friend in the community\u2019s language department.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first started my language studies, only two out of some 18,000 people spoke Oneida,\u201d King recalls. Because of federal education policies, a lot of the language of the Oneida Nation, as well as most indigenous communities, is being lost and on the verge of extinction. Today, less than .0001% of Oneidas speak the language.<\/p>\n

With such passion for her community and for learning, it is no surprise that King started her professional career working as a Native American advocate at a school district in Northeast Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Dr. King teaches 3\u20136-year-old children in the Oneida language immersion program she created. (Photo courtesy of Dr. King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Language as Identity<\/h3>\n

Her appreciation for the\u00a0endangered Oneida language<\/a> grew during the five years she spent in her advocate role \u2013 and with it, a new determination to ensure its survival. King now understood the impact language and culture could have on her community.\u00a0\u201cProviding people with language gives a strong sense of identity, and when you\u2019re strongly rooted, it guides you in all other areas of your life,\u201d she explains. \u201cThere are a lot of social issues that affect our community, and if we can centralize our language and culture proactively, we can combat things like suicide and drug and alcohol use.\u201d<\/p>\n

King knew one of the best ways to revitalize a language was to instill it in children through immersion education, which means teaching through the use of only the target language. Yet at the time, there was no Oneida \u00a0language immersion program.<\/p>\n

So she started one.<\/p>\n

The Birth of the Oneida Language Immersion Program<\/h3>\n

Since 2018, King has been teaching 3\u20136-year-olds in the Oneida language immersion program she created. Soon after she founded the program, she started looking for a new challenge to tackle \u2013 especially one that would enhance her leadership and teaching abilities within the program she founded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always knew I would get my doctorate degree, but I didn\u2019t know when,\u201d King says. When her education networks started buzzing about a new, innovative\u00a0First Nations Education Doctorate (FNED) program<\/a>\u00a0at UW-Green Bay, it didn\u2019t take her long to decide to jump in with both feet.<\/p>\n

Even though she had spent most of her life in the Green Bay area, King\u2019s only experience with UW-Green Bay until that point was watching her mother earn her degree. Now, just a few years after her mom\u2019s graduation, King herself was a Phoenix. She quickly realized she had made the right decision.<\/p>\n

The 54-credit FNED program consists of core courses that address topics such as ancestral leadership, indigenous pedagogy, First Nations law and policy, generational healing and indigenous research methods. An applied dissertation project is the culmination of the doctoral program, and the students can direct their efforts into any area of their choosing. King\u2019s focus? Indigenous language immersion education.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I was already doing the work, I needed an educational foundation in how to set up an immersive program so I could incorporate best practices into it,\u201d King notes. \u201cI got so much guidance and tools from my professors. No one else in our area is doing this, so they introduced me to things I never even knew existed!\u201d<\/p>\n

Flexibility and Financial Support Make the Difference<\/h3>\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Dr. King holds her diploma and poses with fellow student Dr. Artley Skenandore at graduation. (Photo courtesy of Dr. King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Balancing King\u2019s career with her doctoral work was manageable because of the flexibility of the program. Classes meet only on weekends, and the students can tackle individual or group assignments on their own schedules.<\/p>\n

UW-Green Bay also helped King with the financial aspect of pursuing higher education \u2013 as they do for 80% of first-year students at the university. \u201cI received some monetary support from my community, but also from the university. They wanted us to be successful, so they were always there to help to reduce those financial barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though she worked full time throughout her doctoral pursuit, King earned her degree in just four years. In May 2022, she and her three fellow cohort members (Crystal Leah Tourtillott Lepscier, Artley Murray Skenandore Jr. and Vicki Lee Young) became\u00a0the first cohort to graduate with an education doctorate in First Nations Education<\/a>. Because King was the first to defend her dissertation, she was technically the first to graduate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Legacy of a Quality Education<\/h3>\n

The support King had come to rely on from UW-Green Bay didn\u2019t end when she walked across the graduation stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m even more connected to UW-Green Bay now than I was when I was in school!\u201d laughs King. \u201cI stay in touch with the cohorts that are pursuing their degrees to give guidance, but I also am in touch with so many of the new people I met during my doctoral work. I am now networked with other immersive programs around the world, so we share information and techniques to help strengthen and grow our programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, King recently attended the prestigious and influential National Coalition of Native Language Schools and Programs Summit. There, King learned from the industry\u2019s top experts as a representative of the Oneida language immersion program \u2013 one of only 25 schools in the country invited to the event.<\/p>\n

In this way, she says, UW-Green Bay\u2019s FNED program is making an impact both locally and globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs someone who works in education, I know it\u2019s all about quality \u2013 never quantity,\u201d King muses. \u201cI was not just a number at UW-Green Bay; quality is the foundation there. It\u2019s unmatched, and what I was able to do is so unique. I literally could not have done it anywhere else! I\u2019m so grateful I was able to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising Up<\/h3>\n

Before King arrived on campus, she was already a full-fledged trailblazer. With a doctoral degree in hand, she\u2019s started to chart the next course.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the decisions I\u2019ve made have directed me to where I am today,\u201d she says. \u201cMy experience in the doctoral program was part of my journey and path. The support, mentorship and direction I got from UW-Green Bay helped me navigate this terrain I was building in my own community through language.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also helped me do a lot of inner work and crystallize what I value in this world: education and social justice. These are now at the forefront of my work as both a professional and as a person, and I\u2019m doing it unapologetically so that I can make the path easier for others to walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many words can be used to describe the trail King is blazing: inspiring, impactful and impressive, to name a few. The same can be said for so many other Phoenix who \u2013 like King \u2013 use the incredible educational empowerment available at UW-Green Bay to chart their own unique courses toward personal and professional fulfillment.<\/p>\n

Learn more about an\u00a0Ed.D. in First Nations Education<\/a>, degree options in\u00a0First Nations Studies<\/a>\u00a0and how they\u2019re\u00a0empowering students<\/a>\u00a0to rise to their career potential.<\/p>\n

This article was originally posted in the UW-Green Bay\u00a0Alumni Spotlight<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Written by Kristin Bouchard<\/p>\n

Link to story on UWGB’s site: https:\/\/news.uwgb.edu\/featured\/03\/26\/dr-rosa-kings-journey-to-and-through-first-nations-studies\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each fall, students in the Oneida language immersion program excitedly harvest the bounty from the Three Sisters garden located at their school in Oneida, Wisconsin. What might appear to an outsider as a simple outdoor activity for energetic children is actually much, much more. In fact, it\u2019s a key milestone along a year-long learning journey […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":9437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[111],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-9428","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-green-bay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/9428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=9428"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=9428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}