Individuals who speak Dane-zaa and are interested in becoming a Dane-zaa Language Instructor within the public school system have the opportunity to receive certification without having to complete a degree at a post-secondary institution. The BC College of Teachers requires that First Nations Language Teachers must be certified by a local Language Authority prior to application.

If you are interested in becoming certified by the Dane-zaa Language Authority, you may contact Shona Nelson to assist you in the process. We have four Elders who form a team to certify for Dane-zaa:


From left to right: Billy Attachie of Doig River First Nation, Maisie Metecheah of Halfway River First Nation, Mary McKaanacha of Prophet River First Nation, and Max Desjarlais of West Moberly First Nation

» Download a profile: Billy Attachie (450Kb PDF)



Language proficiency and cultural knowledge:

• The Candidate will be required to pass an oral examination consisting of a five to ten minute presentation in Dane-zaa. Suggested topics will be given a week or two beforehand to allow the candidate to prepare for the presentation. In addition, the candidate will be required to successfully answer questions in Dane-zaa during a follow-up interview.
• The Candidate will be required to pass a written exam involving translation from Dane-zaa to English or vice versa, or
• The Candidate will be required to prepare a composition/project in Dane-zaa with a follow-up question and answer period with the Language Authority members in Dane-zaa.

The exams will be conducted and reviewed by at least two members of the Authority with the same dialect who will assess the candidate for comprehension, pronunciation and grammatical fluency. The Authority may use a linguist to form part of the assessment team.



Candidates who fail to complete the requirements noted above may receive a special exemption which will allow them to co-teach a class with either another "special exemption" language teacher or a fully qualified language teacher.

Special exemptions are granted under two circumstances: the first (detailed in A below) pertains when a potential language teacher needs classroom experience prior to completing formal requirements; the second (detailed below in B) pertains when a particularly fluent speaker who lacks literacy skills may assist either a qualified teacher or language teacher trainee as a classroom resource person.

A. Provisional qualification: In lieu of requirements 1 and 2, a potential language teacher may receive a recommendation for temporary certification by special permission of the Authority and on receipt of a letter undertaking to complete the requirements by the end of the temporary certification period.

B. Special expertise: In lieu of requirements 1 and 2, a potential language teacher with strong oral fluency may be qualified as a language resource teacher, at a level equivalent to that of a fully certified language teacher, on receipt of a letter of intent to continue taking adult courses in language instruction.

The candidate may be required to take or have taken a Language Teaching course offered at a BC College or University with grade of no less than C+. The candidate must also be approved by the Authority and the employer as a competent teacher and appropriate role model for students in the school system.

Upon completion of these requirements, the Authority will recommend that a First Nations Language Teacher Certificate be issued by the BCCT.



Following recommendation by the Language Authority, candidates may apply through the BC College of Teachers.
» Complete an application online