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Akwiratekha Martin

Roles and responsibilities

I am a Research Council Officer in the Multilingual Text Processing (MTP) team at NRC Digital Technologies, specializing in Indigenous languages. I am a proud Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) person, from Kahnawà:ke. I work in the Indigenous Languages Technology (ILT) project Canadian Indigenous languages technology project - National Research Council Canada, where I supply both linguistic and educational expertise. My experience as an educator has been as a teacher of Kanien'kéha (the Mohawk language), but I have broad linguistic expertise (see below). Though I only became an NRC employee early in 2022, I was working with the ILT project team as a contractor from 2018 onwards.

Kerihwí:saks nok kheiatia'tará:ni ne Thia'tekawén:nake Kahiatónnion Kawennarahsthà:ke Tehatiia'toréhtha' (MTP) tsi nón:we ne NRC Ronnón:nis Kawennaráhstha' Aoia'takehnháhtshera' tánon' Tsi Nikaweienò:ten's (DT), onkwehonwehnéha wakateríhonte' akerihwisáksheke'. Kanien'kehá:ka na'tia'tò:ten', wakera'sè:se' se', Kahnawa'kehró:non. Kawennaráhstha' Aoia'takehnháhtshera' Wátston ne Onkwehonwehnéha Aorihwà:ke (ILT) ttià:tare'. Onkwehonwehnéha kawennisá:kon tánon' karihonnienníhtshera' tekheiatka'wén:ni. Kanien'kéha owén:na' kherihonnienníhahkwe', nek tsi é:so tewakatohétston tánon' wakateweiénston ne akawennisá:kon tsi niiakwawennò:ten'. 2018 shiiohseratátie' ILT takatáhsawen' taiakwaié:na' nok 2022 shiiohserá:te' wa'onkéhnha'ne' ne akwáh aontió'teke'. 

Current research and/or projects

My initial role with the ILT project involved helping Anna Kazantseva to create a version of the Kawennón:nis online verb conjugator that worked for the Kahnawà:ke (Eastern) dialect of Kanien'kéha – the original version was built for the Ohswé:ken dialect (see Project to develop verb conjugators and speech synthesis technologies for Indigenous languages - National Research Council Canada). Though I am still working on Kawennón:nis – I am testing and problem-solving all the exceptions to the rules for accent and pitch patterns (e.g., length and tone) of Kanien'kéha verbs – my role has recently expanded, and especially since the inception of the speech generation sub-project (Speech generation for Indigenous language education - National Research Council Canada). I now also coordinate collection and quality control for large corpora of both text and speech in Kanien'kéha.  

Né: tiotierenhtòn:ne ILThne Anna Kazantseva taionkeniienawa'kónhake' Kahnawa'kéha Kawennón:nis aiakeníhsa', néne Kanien'kéha atoriahnerónhkwa' tekawennateniónkwas - Nok né: tiotierénhton Kawennón:nis Ohswekèn:'a rotíhson. Shé:kon ki' watio'tátie' ne Kawennón:nis - katewennatken'sénions, ke'nikonhraientahstánions tetiehstahsiónkwas tánon' khiatonhkwahseronniánions tsi nikawennò:ten's iah tekontíhsere's tsi nikaianerenhserò:ten's. Ó:nen ki' sénha ontio'tenhserésha'ne', ase'kénh ó:ia' tsonkwatio'tenhseraherá:ni, ionkwateríhonte' ne kawennaráhstha' akawennahnotónnion' (TTS) ne onkwehonwehnéha (Kanien'kéha, Ratihrhakón:ha tsi nihatiwennò:ten' nok ne Skanón:tati tsi nihatiwennò:ten'). Tkeniarotáhrhos ne Kanien'kéha akhiatonhserarò:roke' tánon' akhiatonhkwahseronniánion' ne TTS aorihwà:ke.

Research and/or project statements

I am a language activist who works for the revitalization of Indigenous languages. Ideally, the ILT project will make the development of new technologies a communal effort that will help us support language learning. Projects like these should provide hope and a clear and supported path toward language stability and confidence. We Indigenous people want our languages to live and thrive.

Onkwehonwehnéha kewennanónhstats naiá:wen' se' ne shé: akatátieke'. ILT eniakhiia'takehnhénhake' tsi tenionkwaienawa'kónhake' ne onkwehonwè:ne rotiwennaio'tátie' shakotirihonnién:ni rontewennaweiénstha'. Kí: naho'tèn:shon ionkwaio'tátie' taontonhóntsohwe' aontóntka'we' ne iohrhá:rats tánon' aiakoia'takéhnha' ne sénha aiewennahní:rate' oh naiá:wen'ne' ne aiako'nikonhrahnirónhake'. Iationkwehón:we teionkwatonhontsó:ni ne tsi niiakwawennò:ten' aiónhnheke' tánon' akatátieke'. 

Education

  • 2018-2019: Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre - Montréal, Qc. Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Program; American Sign Language (ASL) program Level 103-106.
  • 2018: Native Montréal - Montréal, Qc. Wendat Language: Level 1.
  • 2016-2017:  Tsityónnhet Onkwawén:na - Tyendinaga, On. Part-Time Advanced Kanien'kéha Adult Immersion Program
  • 2008-2012: Concordia University - Montréal, Qc. Bachelor of Arts - Major in Linguistics
  • 2006-2007:  A.S.L. Teaching Services - Winnipeg, Mb. American Sign Language Level 101 & 102.
  • 2005-2007: University of Manitoba - Winnipeg, Mb. Studied in Bachelor of Arts program - Major in Linguistics & Minor in Icelandic Studies & Native Languages (Cree). Dean’s Honour Roll, 2 years (Transferred to Concordia University, Montréal, Qc. in 2008).
  • 2002-2003 Kanien'kéha Ratiwennahní:rats Immersion Program - Kahnawà:ke, Qc. Kanien’kéha Language Certificate
  • 2001-2004:  Vanier College Montréal, Qc. Communications: Art, Media, and Theatre. D.E.C. (Diplôme D’études Collégiales)

Awards

  • 2006:  Anna and Snorri Olson Memorial Scholarship – University of Manitoba. Academic achievement and outstanding accomplishment in Icelandic Studies
  • 2005: Canada Iceland Foundation Inc. – University of Manitoba. Kristin Stefanson Memorial Scholarship. Academic achievement and outstanding accomplishment in Icelandic Studies

Key publications

Martin, Akwiratékha'. “Tekawennahsonterónnion, Kanien’kéha Morphology”, Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na' Raotitióhkwa' Language and Cultural Center, (2016 and 2018).

Previous work experience

  • 2003-2020: Taught at Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (Community courses and Kanien'kéha Ratiwennahní:rats Adult Immersion Program), Kahnawà:ke Education's Kahnawà:ke Survival School, and also at Native Montréal.
  • 2020-2021: Curriculum developer for language teaching at Kahnawà:ke Education Center.
  • 2007 – 2016: Voice actor for a variety of companies - Rezolution Pictures, Mushkeg Media Inc., Ubisoft Divertissements Inc. (for “Assassin’s Creed 3” and "Assassin's Creed Valhalla), etc.
  • 2007 – 2021: translator & voice coach for a variety of companies - Ubisoft Divertissements Inc., CBC, Rezolution Pictures, National Film Board, etc.

Akwiratekha Martin

Research Council Officer, Indigenous Languages Specialist
Digital Technologies
6100 Royalmount Avenue
Montreal, Quebec H4P 2R2
Preferred language: English
Telephone: 438-465-3892