The struggle of one Cree community, the Waskaganish (formerly called Rupert House) in Quebec, to maintain its own language and culture within the larger multicultural Canadian context has led to the creation and development of a linguistic experiment, the Cree Way Project. After a discussion of the Canadian historical context, this report describes Quebec and Amerindian education and the Cree Way Project. The project was a first attempt to help the Cree people remain a nation, introducing Cree syllabic readers for primary grade children. Since 1978 the project has been incorporated into the Cree School Board's curriculum in one community and has begun to be implemented in seven others. There are now more than 500 textbooks printed in Cree syllabics, and a Cree immersion program is in its second year. The school calendar honors Cree traditions such as hunting and ceremonial activities. The school, with its rapidly growing native teaching staff, seeks to meet the needs and maximize the abilities of the Waskaganish community. The Cree experience supports the hypothesis that the education of indigenous people in their own language will further the process of second language acquisition. Contains 18 references. (LB)