Background Content: Language and Culture (13-17)
Exploring Theme: "Indigenous Languages in Canada"
Updates on this page: 40
October 29, 2024
‘My name is Jeannie and I am from Inukjuak’: Inuktitut translators try out Google Translate
This month, Inuktut became first Indigenous language in Canada to be added to platform Suzie Napayok, left, owns and operates Tusaajiit Translations, an Inuktitut translation service. Jeannie Nayoumealuk, right, owns Apatakaa Translations, based out of Nunavik. Both say Google Translate’s new service is helpful for simple translations but not complicated tasks. (Photos courtesy of Suzie...
October 18, 2024
Inuit in Ottawa applaud Google’s latest addition to translation tool
Inuktut to be first Indigenous language spoken in Canada added to Google Translate CBC News: Google Translate is adding a new language to its platform that could serve thousands of people in Ottawa as well as Canada’s North: Inuktut. It’s one of the most widely spoken Indigenous languages across the country, and is the first...
October 7, 2024
Pictou Landing First Nation and Sobeys bring Mi’kmaw language to grocery shopping
Customers can see and hear Mi’kmaw words for more than a dozen food items CBC Indigenous: Walking through the Westside Sobeys in New Glasgow, N.S., shoppers can now familiarize themselves with the original language of Nova Scotia, Mi’kmaw. Customers can scan QR codes to hear the Mi’kmaw pronunciation of 15 items, such as pie’skman (corn), samqwan (water), wisawipuneksit (carrot) and tapatat (potato). The initiative was launched in partnership with...
September 30, 2024
APTN’s new channel wants to boost access to 18 Indigenous languages
Globe and Mail: During the 2021 federal leaders’ debates at the Canadian Museum of History, the team at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network began to wonder if the way they broadcast translations in six different Indigenous languages, including Plains Cree, Innu and Anishinaabemowin, made sense. APTN operated four channels, three of which were regional, which began to prompt...
August 30, 2024
APTN launches new channel dedicated to Indigenous languages
APTN Languages’ fall schedule features 24/7 programming in 18 Indigenous languages. APTN News: Some people have a five-year plan but Anishinaabemowin language keeper and educator, Pat Ningewance, has a 50-year vision. “Five years just goes like that. Fifty years is a better way to look at our time here, maybe even a hundred years,” Ningewance, the...
August 27, 2024
Barbara Nolan launches series of Anishinaabe language videos for children
It’s for the kids’: Beloved Anishinaabemowin instructor unveils colourful, animated videos aimed at keeping the language alive through immersion 1 / 18 Anishinaabe language instructor Barbara Nolan unveiled the first 10 episodes of her Anishinaabemowin children’s videos at Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig Aug. 24. James Hopkin/SooToday NationTalk: SOOTODAY.COM – Barbara Nolan’s interest in teaching Anishinaabemowin has always been deeply...
August 15, 2024
Six Nations language immersion school to finally get a home after council approves funding
‘It’s been a long haul for the school and the joy is immense for everyone,’ says board chair CBC Indigenous: After nearly 40 years, students at a language immersion school in Six Nations of the Grand River near Hamilton, Ont., will get their own building. Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo Private School is the only school in Canada offering Cayuga and Kanien’kéha (Mohawk...
August 12, 2024
How AI can help Indigenous language revitalization, and why data sovereignty is important
‘It’s just going to be like a pencil,’ says one AI language camp co-ordinator CBC Indigenous: Indigenous language experts working in computer science say Artificial Intelligence is a useful tool in language revitalization but communities must prioritize the ownership of their data. “It’s just going to be like a pencil. It’s useful but it’s not...
June 10, 2024
Indigenous language learners share their bright hope for language revitalization at symposium
Dr Onowa McIvor and Aiyana Twigg were presenters at the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium held in Victoria, B.C. June 5 to June 7. Windspeaker.com: The theme of the 30th annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium (SILS) was “Kinship, Connections, & Leadership in Indigenous Language Revitalization.” The international conference was held June 5 to June 7 on...
April 17, 2024
Anishinabemowin instructor proud, hopeful as she helps pass language to next generation in Interlake
Lillian Traverse nearly lost her 1st language in youth amid teasing in school. Now, she’s teaching it to kids CBC Indigenous: Lillian Traverse from Pinaymootang First Nation has been speaking Anishinabemowin most of her life, but there was a time in her youth when she nearly lost touch with her first language, as she was being teased by other...
March 31, 2024
Grand chief pens children’s book to promote Cree language, and address bullying
‘We all have to work together to address bullying,’ said Mandy Gull-Masty, grand chief of Cree Nation CBC Indigenous: The Grand Chief of the Eeyou Istchee is now a published author. Mandy Gull-Masty just released her first book, called Minnie and Monica Make New Friends. The children’s book tells the story of two dogs, Minnie and Monica, that...
March 28, 2024
We can all help save Indigenous languages
Every one of us has a role to play. Indigenous people and settlerCanadians can contribute to a healing chapter in our shared story of Indigenous languages removal, recovery and revival Decades of hard work have been restoring and protecting the Indigenous languages that are such a vital part of Kanata’s history. Yet, the urgency of...
March 19, 2024
Indigenous Languages Have a Permanent Place at WAG-Qaumajuq
NationTalk: Winnipeg, Manitoba: The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq is pleased to announce that the Indigenous Language Sovereignty: Article 13 Experience is now open to the public. Visitors can hear directly from the Language Keepers and Language Learners who named the spaces of Qaumajuq with a new self-guided tour in the Gallery, alongside a new virtual...
January 19, 2024
Sask. cultural camp using Cree immersion to revitalize language
Cree Academy of Excellence program uses immersion, land-based lessons to teach youth their language CBC Indigenous: The kâniyâsihk Cultural Camp’s Cree Academy of Excellence program is using land-based teachings to revitalize language. The camp has been running for 21 years on Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation, southwest of Meadow Lake, Sask., and was registered as a nonprofit in 2015. It...
December 5, 2023
Indigenous language reclamation journey: Dinjii Zhuh Ginjik
Reviving Indigenous languages in Northern communities APTN News: Cynthia Pavlovich actively uses Dinjii Zhuh Ginjik, one of the official languages of the Northwest Territories, in her everyday life. She marks household objects with language labels, greets her loved ones in the language, and engages in audio lessons on a regular basis because reconnecting with her...
November 29, 2023
Qualicum First Nation celebrated for the official reawakening of their pentl’ach language
Nationtalk: W̱JOȽEȽP, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF W̱SÁNEĆ NATION / BRENTWOOD BAY, B.C. — The First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) celebrates the Qualicum First Nation for its success in reawakening their language, pentl’ach (pronounced punt-lutch), which has been considered a “sleeping language” since the 1940s and has now been officially recognized by the Province as the 35th...
November 27, 2023
Naming streets and buildings with Indigenous languages an act of reconciliation: activists
Changes acknowledge ancestors’ contributions to communities: Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway CBC Indigenous: You may have noticed more Indigenous languages appearing in the names of public buildings on streets in Saskatchewan. Just last week, the Mitakuyé Owâs’ā Centre, a new recreation centre, opened in Regina’s Heritage neighborhood. The name is a Dakota phrase that translates roughly to “all my relations.”...
November 26, 2023
Wolastoqey first, English second: Kehkimin launches new curriculum
Language is coming full circle for the Wolastoqey community This is part of a series called Ann’s Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You can see more Ann’s Eye pieces by clicking here. CBC Indigenous: Ann Paul thinks in English first, but she hopes the same won’t be true for her...
November 18, 2023
Hundreds expected in Fredericton for weekend conference on Wabanaki languages
Best practices for immersion programs will also be discussed at 3-day conference CBC Indigenous: Natasha Simon didn’t grow up speaking the Mi’kmaw language. Although her mother is fluent, she was raised with the value of excelling in English and the Western knowledge system. “I could read by the time I was three years old. And...
October 23, 2023
Mi’kmaw language users can now text with new Apple keyboard
New keyboard will help the next generation use the language, says Mi’kmaw speakers CBC Indigenous: Apple users can now text their friends with a keyboard tailored for Mi’kmaw dialects and one fluent speaker thinks that will help the next generation of language learners. The Mi’kmaw language keyboard, which rolled out Friday as part of Apple software updates,...
October 6, 2023
Jeremy Dutcher’s debut album blew up. His next one is even more ambitious
The 2018 Polaris Music Prize winner discusses his highly anticipated sophomore album, Motewolonuwok CBC Indigenous: “Oh my God, that’s such another interview.” Jeremy Dutcher and I are nearing the end of an hour-long chat on the rooftop of Toronto’s Array Space, and he lets slip that he had considered quitting music a couple of times...
September 19, 2023
First Nations Working Together to Protect and Revitalize Their Languages
NationTalk: WENDAKE, QC – The Regional Committee on First Nations Languages is proud to organize the first-ever Forum on First Nations Language Rights in Quebec, an historic event to be held on September 19 and 20 at the Manoir du Lac Delage. This initiative is an important part of the Committee’s commitment of recognizing and respecting the rights of First...
September 12, 2023
First Nation in northwestern Ontario celebrates new school and Oji-Cree immersion program
Land-based learning, language classes a focal point at John George Martin Memorial CBC Indigenous: It’s not just a new school year for students in Wunnumin Lake First Nation — it’s also their first semester in their new school. Students and teachers were joined by community members and dignitaries at the grand opening Friday of John George...
September 7, 2023
Beyond two-spirit: Indigenous people look to revive traditional LGBTQ terms
Research shows 150 Indigenous communities acknowledge multiple genders; colonialism introduced idea of binary CBC News: For Benny Michaud, learning how to explain their identity has been a lifelong journey. They always knew they were neither a boy nor a girl, but finding the right words to help people understand how they view themselves has taken...
August 22, 2023
The Revitalizing Power of Indigenous Typography
Typefaces express sovereignty. Here’s how Musqueam found just the right type for its language. The Tyee: On the Musqueam reserve, Vanessa Campbell used to holler across the band office whenever she came across a character that wasn’t on the computer keyboard. “How do I type a schwa?” “Alt-four!” her boss would reply. Over years of practice,...
August 11, 2023
Number of people speaking Atikamekw language growing in Quebec says Statistics Canada
The 2021 volume contains over 13,000 words and has been a hit with both students and teachers from the communities of Manawa, Opitciwan, and Wemotaci. Photo: APTN. APTN News: The Atikamekw Nation has been involved in language conservation projects for about a decade now, and their efforts seem to be paying off. New data from...
July 31, 2023
The Case for Changing Powell River’s Name
A new name won’t erase history, and it isn’t ‘cancel culture.’ Instead, it offers a hopeful, shared way forward. Janet Newbury, Rachelle Harvey and The Name Matters TodayThe Tyee The Name Matters is a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous volunteers who advocate for respectful and inclusive place names in the qathet region that reflect these lands’ oral history and the...
June 29, 2023
Fort William First Nation explores language reclamation within the community
Print Friendly | Contact the EditorPosted on June 29, 2023 In Anishinabek, News NationTalk: FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — Fort William Chief Michele Solomon and a group of councillors recently spoke about looking into changing some place names and the name of the community after their swearing-in ceremony on June 11. “As you know in most communities across Canada, communities...
June 22, 2023
Ottawa’s Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway renamed Kichi Zībī Mīkan
One of the leaders pushing for change says it ends a ‘truly painful’ reminder CBC News: The National Capital Commission (NCC) board of directors voted Thursday to rename the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway as Kichi Zībī Mīkan. The Ottawa River Parkway was renamed in 2012 after Canada’s first prime minister, who oversaw the centralization and expansion of the country’s residential school system....
May 31, 2023
Reconciliation, one keystroke at a time
A new font to typeset Salish languages is the result of a unique collaboration between UBC, Musqueam and Syilx First Peoples Law Report: UBC News – What does reconciliation actually look like in practice? It’s often seen through policies, ceremonies or strategic plans. But in practice, it’s a process that unfolds slowly, through a whole...
May 16, 2023
Listuguj First Nation immersion classes help families learn Mi’kmaw together
Less than 300 people in Listuguj speak Mi’kmaw as their first language, most fluent speakers are over 60 CBC News: In a colourful classroom surrounded by forest, Brenda Germain is teaching her kindergarten students the Mi’kmaw words for animals they might find in the woods around them. Ten years ago, she only knew a few words...
May 9, 2023
N.B. community with racial slur to be renamed, signs already removed
‘It was an embarrassment,’ resident says of community’s name Warning: This article discusses an offensive slur. CBC has chosen to only use it once for context and censor it in later references. CBC News: Tanya Warren has always been embarrassed by the name of the community in which she was born and raised. She said...
May 7, 2023
Ceremony held to honour N.B. river amid name controversy
St. John River, or Wolostoq, is at the heart of local Indigenous community A traditional ceremony honouring the St. John River in the culture of Indigenous people took on greater significance Saturday amid ongoing debate over the river’s name. A ceremony of songs honouring the Wolostoq, the traditional name of the St. John River, took...
April 28, 2023
‘No intention’ of changing St. John River’s name to Wolastoq, cabinet minister says
Aboriginal affairs minister says province won’t enact change sought by Wolastoqey chiefs, racism commissioner CBC News: New Brunswick’s minister of Aboriginal affairs says the province won’t change the name of the St. John River to the Wolastoq, saying it’s not a priority. First Nations chiefs have been calling for the name change for years. Last...
April 16, 2023
Cultural classes aim to make Mi’kmaw language thrive on P.E.I.
‘You don’t really think about it, you just absorb it’ Island Morning; Mi’kmaw language class to help in sharing culture Click on the following link to access the audio: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-mikmaw-language-drumming-classes-1.6809806 Ten-year-old Sophia Bourque already speaks more Mi’kmaw than most adults. That’s because few adults speak Mi’kmaw, and even fewer speak it fluently. “Kwe’ n’in teluisi amalgat...
January 23, 2023
Alberta First Nation school finds textbook way to keep traditional language alive
The Globe and Mail: The Stoney Nakoda First Nation in southwestern Alberta is using the written word as a way to preserve its traditional oral language. “This is needed because we are at a crucial time for language revitalization, especially for Indigenous languages here in Canada,” Cherith Mark, the language and culture co-ordinator for Stoney...
January 17, 2023
Trailblazing Indigenous language program brings Ojibwa into schools
A new language platform aims to create the next generation of Anishinaabemowin speakers across the Northwest NationTalk: NWOnewswatch: A new way of learning Anishinaabemowin is rolling out to schools across the Northwest. The new web and app-based language learning platform was developed in partnership by the Seven Generations Education Institute, the Rainy River District School...
August 30, 2022
Typotheque typography project aims to protect Indigenous languages from “digital extinction”
NationTalk – Dezeen: Type foundry Typotheque has created a series of new typefaces and proposed changes to the way that digital characters are encoded to make it easier for Canadian Indigenous communities to write digitally in their own languages. The North American Syllabics project saw the Dutch studio work in close collaboration with groups that use Canadian Aboriginal syllabics...
August 17, 2022
Census records fewer Indigenous-language speakers, but bump in youngest generation
Toronto Star: OTTAWA – The number of people who speak an Indigenous language has fallen overall in Canada, but the figure grew for the country’s youngest generation, new census data suggests. Statistics Canada released data from the 2021 census that shows about 243,000 people reported being able to speak an Indigenous language, which is a...
January 1, 1970
Indigenous Languages
More than 70 Aboriginal languages were reported in the 2016 Census. These languages can be divided into 12 language families: Algonquian languages Inuit languages Athabaskan languages Siouan languages Salish languages Tsimshian languages Wakashan languages Iroquoian languages Michif Tlingit Kutenai andHaida Table 1 below identifies Aboriginal identity population who can speak an Aboriginal language, by language family, main...
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