To further stimulate the creativity and commitment-to-cause so visibly communicated by practitioners during our interviews, the resource directory also includes an annotated collection of Aboriginal literacy initiatives (Chapter Six) recently funded by the National Literacy Secretariat housed within the federal department of Human Resources Development Canada. Practitioners and coordinators are invited to mine this resource-rich field for both ideas and the funds required to implement them! Finally, we offer concluding observations and ideas (Chapter Seven) generated by countless hours of discussion and interviews with program coordinators and practitioners including a detailed proposal which has emerged to gather together the front-line professionals who labour long and hard in this field.

All of us involved in this initiative have been both moved and impressed with the dedication and commitment that practitioners have brought to their Aboriginal literacy program initiatives. Many have toiled above and beyond the call of duty working to serve the needs and aspirations of learners — and they have done so in circumstances that have been challenging and difficult. We sincerely hope that The Language of Literacy: A National Resource Directory of Aboriginal Literacy will provide additional threads in what may become a strong strand of linkages and networks among Aboriginal literacy practitioners and coordinators and their colleagues across the country.

In concluding our investigative trek among the scores of Aboriginal literacy programs across the country, we were impressed, time and again, by the "splendid solitude" within which practitioners walk the path of learning with their students. These initiatives are indeed like snowflakes on a winter window — all different each from the other with distinctive characteristics. We hope that in some small way this resource directory will serve as connective lacing among these precious, sometimes delicate jewels of learning opportunity.