Illustration by Hawlii Pichette 

Words to live by: Canadians preserving and revitalizing Indigenous language

By Sara Kae 

Aa a member of the Kiskahikanisihk, Charlotte Ross was raised speaking the Woodland TH-dialect. But when she and her brother were taken into foster care due to family trauma, she no longer had anyone to converse with in her language. It wasn’t until Ross attended her first Cree language class at the University of Saskatchewan that she had the chance to reclaim her language as well as her cultural identity.

In Canada, Indigenous peoples continue to face challenges when it comes to preserving and rebuilding their language, as well as rediscovering their cultural heritage. Residential schools banned Indigenous languages as part of a systematic attempt to assimilate Indigenous children into the European way of life — an act that resulted in the loss of Indigenous languages and culture with consequences that still resonate today.

In 2021, just 13.1 percent of the Indigenous population reported being able to speak one of the more than 70 Indigenous languages in Canada well enough to conduct a conversation, which is 8.3 percent less than what was reported in 2006.

The Indigenous Languages Act passed by Parliament in 2019 was a significant win for Indigenous peoples fighting for their right to learn their languages. For those who wanted to reconnect with their heritage, the legislation provided more opportunities to do so. But learning a language poses major challenges, which is why many Indigenous peoples have turned to community leaders and educators for help.

Ross is now in the final stages of completing her PhD in Indigenous language revitalization at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia. “I get to enjoy what I am doing,” she says. “I love to support language speakers and language programs that are in my area.” For Ross, education has also provided opportunities to advocate for Indigenous culture. She plans to be involved in similar initiatives, utilizing the research and education she has gained through her post-secondary journey to teach others and help keep her language alive.

It must be noted that learning and teaching Indigenous languages come with a particular set of challenges due to the lack of written documentation, along with limited funding and resources for educators. In 1991, the University of Alberta’s Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute (CILLDI) was created to support language learners and teachers working within their communities. CILLDI’s director, Jordan Lachler — a non-Indigenous associate professor in the linguistics department — became aware in the early ’90s that many of the world’s Indigenous languages are in danger of disappearing and decided to use his educational background to help mitigate the crisis. It’s a commitment he considers key to his responsibility as part of the reconciliation process. “[Considering] the role that the education system played in bringing these languages to the state that they are in,” says Lachler, “it’s only fair that those of us in the system do whatever we can.”

Meanwhile, Mira Kolodka, a Métis person from Winnipeg, discovered her connection to the Michif language when she stumbled upon language classes during post-secondary schooling, which opened her up to a community she didn’t know she was missing. Kolodka was inspired to learn more. In Brandon, Man., she participated in a mentor-apprentice program (MAP), which provided an intimate immersion experience and taught her to speak Michif conversationally. She was offered full-time employment at the program, and when its funding ended in 2023, she returned to Winnipeg to continue learning and sharing the Michif language. “There’s a real desire a lot of people have to learn their language, but there are so few resources available,” says Kolodka, who is now working on a program to offer beginner Michif classes at the Winnipeg Public Library.

It’s this reclaimed interest and pride in their cultural heritage that shines through in each and every initiative across Canada to preserve Indigenous languages, contributing to the collective goal and hope that the voices of Indigenous peoples will be heard and their stories will be shared well into the future.