NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, aboriginal language, Tlîchô

Objective(s): To develop a bilingual Tlicho-English recipe and instruction book with focus on measurements, their grammar and use in recipes, and the relations between them and the substance measured.

Project Description: There are two research objectives: 1) to develop a bilingual Tlicho-English recipe and instruction book with collaboration from Tlicho language and culture experts and community members. This will be a community resource. (There may be instructions relating to cooking that are not exactly recipes, but the research team will refer to them as “recipes” in what follows.) 2) The research focuses on measurements, their grammar and use in recipes, and the relations between them and the substance measured. This aspect of grammar can be compared with other grammatical patterns in the language. In addition, the research will highlight verb patterns in Tlicho. This objective will continue documentation of the Tlicho language. The main research involves requesting recipes. This research topic has been discussed with some employees of Tlicho Community Services Agency and has met with approval. Members of Tlicho communities will be interviewed about their recipes. Some participants may give recipes without preparing the dish; others may prepare the dish. Interviews could be with individuals or small groups of people. In all cases, the researchers will ask to record the session for accuracy of information, though a recording is not necessary. The main product of the research will be a recipe book in the Tlicho language (with translations into English) that reflects cooking techniques and terms so that others can successfully prepare the recipe. Audio or video recordings, or photographs may be taken, according to the wishes of the interviewee. Some information may later be clarified in personal interviews or by Skype or phone. This project aims to produce a collection of recipes from Tlicho people, which will be a benefit to the community in terms of the knowledge (recipes) contained in the book, potential for literacy development, and publication of Tlicho social and cultural knowledge. The research will be carried out in the community of Behchoko and neighbouring communities. One of the research assistants, working in her role as a Master's student of the University of Victoria, is a Tlicho person, and therefore the project also contributes to her educational journey. The recipe book will be published and made available free to community members and other interested people. The team also anticipate that it will be published on-line. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 6, 2017 to December 31, 2017.