NationTalk: The Government of Saskatchewan is partnering with First Nations University of Canada to revitalize and preserve Indigenous languages in Saskatchewan. The province is providing $50,000 annually to fund new scholarships for students studying Indigenous languages at the First Nations University of Canada.

“The First Nations University of Canada is a leader in Indigenous languages education,” Advanced Education Minister Gordon Wyant said. “The goal of these scholarships is to increase the number of Saskatchewan students pursuing Indigenous languages programming.”

The funding will be allocated to three new scholarships administered through the First Nations University of Canada:

• The Solomon Ratt Indigenous Language and Language Literacy Scholarship
• Indigenous Language Revitalization Entrance Scholarship
• First Nation Language Instructor Certificate Scholarship

“Language teaching is critically important, especially as many Indigenous languages are, or are becoming, endangered,” President of the First Nations University of Canada Mizowaykomiguk paypomwayotung Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann said. “At First Nations University of Canada we strive to protect and preserve Indigenous languages which are inextricably tied to our cultures and our identities as First Nations people. With this new Indigenous Languages scholarship funding from the Province of Saskatchewan, more students can begin and finish their languages studies here at FNUniv, and that is so important for the preservation and continued use of our traditional languages here in Saskatchewan.”

The First Nations University of Canada offers programs for five Indigenous languages, ranging from certificates to graduate programs. This funding will help train more Indigenous language teachers across Saskatchewan and will benefit approximately 40 students each year.

“Our languages hold complex knowledge systems and are a gift from our ancestors,” Indigenous Languages Program Coordinator and Lecturer Andrea Custer said. “Despite efforts to eradicate our languages, our grandfathers and grandmothers held on to them for us younger generations. As part of the First Nations University of Canada’s mission we are here to support the Indigenous peoples of Saskatchewan who want to reclaim their languages, through a variety of language programs. The new scholarship funding provided by the Government of Saskatchewan will further support students in their determination to reclaim their languages.”

Students can apply for the scholarships through the First Nations University of Canada. For more information and to learn how to apply, visit fnuniv.ca or saskatchewan.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Kate Thiessen
Advanced Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0355Email: kate.thiessen@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-510-2570

Rebecca Morris-Hurl
First Nations University of Canada
Regina
Phone: 306-790-5950 ext. 2512
Email: rmorris-hurl@firstnationsuniversity.ca