This is the fifth instalment in a special series prepared by Black Press Media. You can find more of the series and other articles on truth and reconciliation online at or in this weekB次元官网网址檚 edition of Greater Victoria papers.
The Saanich Peninsula ranks among the leading regions in Canada when it comes to reversing one of the central legacies of the residential school system B次元官网网址� the loss of Indigenous languages.
However, this assessment from Policy Options (a publication that tracks policy proposals and legislation) should neither distract from the historical damage the residential school system has done nor downplay the future challenges that lie ahead.
While the deliberate destruction of Indigenous languages happened through instruments of the Canadian state, their revitalization is happening through the joint efforts of local institutions such as the First PeoplesB次元官网网址� Cultural Foundation, based in Brentwood Bay, and individuals like J,SINTEN John Elliott.
Long before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada identified the revitalization of Indigenous languages as a key to reconciliation, regional efforts were taking steps toward this goal and perhaps no one personifies these efforts better than Elliott, a First PeoplesB次元官网网址� Cultural Foundation board member and SENCOTEN language teacher and speaker.
Building on the ground-breaking development of a unique SENCOTEN writing system by his late father David Elliott, the younger Elliot and his sister Linda Underwood have been leading current efforts to revitalize and spread SENCOTEN among local Indigenous peoples.
B次元官网网址淥ur main goal is to have parents and children speak the language at home once again and we havenB次元官网网址檛 reached that yet,B次元官网网址� he said.
Elliott is not blind to the challenges that lie in that goal. For one, he and like-minded individuals have to overcome the historical legacy of the residential school system. As he said, B次元官网网址渁 planned and organized way to disconnect us from what was our right and our God-given rights to the interpretation of words and language that are holy and sacred to our People,B次元官网网址� nearly wiped out SENCOTEN, along with other first languages, and the remaining number of fluent speakers is dropping.
As the third and latest edition of the report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages (2018) noted, the number of individuals who fluently speak first languages continues to decline with the B次元官网网址渓oss of many of our aging first language speakers.B次元官网网址�
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According to the report, almost 52 per of the 4,132 self-reported fluent speakers across British Columbia are aged 65 and older. Leaving Elliott fighting against time.
B次元官网网址淰ery few Elders are remaining,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲hen I first started like 40 years ago, we had 18 fluent first language speakers that myself and my sister worked with. We still have about three or four of them that we still work with and help us to keep the language clear and true the way it is naturally spoken.B次元官网网址�
But that same report also speaks of successes. While younger fluent speakers aged zero to 24 make up 2.8 per cent of fluent speakers, the number of younger fluent speakers reported has increased since the 2014 report, as has the number of learners (13,997) with almost eight out of 10 within that youngest age category. The report has also found that more and more adults are learning first languages.
These rising numbers reflect the growing educational options for different age groups, as offered through the WSANEC school board, including immersion programming at the pre-school, kindergarten and Grade 1 to 5 levels. The school board has also partnered with the University of Victoria to offer a diploma in Indigenous Language Revitalization, designed to improve the teaching of first languages.
Technology is also changing the delivery of programming. Founded almost 20 years ago, FirstVoices, an initiative of the First PeoplesB次元官网网址� Cultural Foundation, serves as an online platform that allows communities to work on language revitalization.
B次元官网网址淭he idea is that Indigenous communities document their languages and their language data online and it is fully controlled by the communities,B次元官网网址� said Daniel Yona, FirstVoices development manager. As such, the platform serves as an online dictionary but also as a repository for cultural information, he said.
Learners cover a wide range. The majority of the siteB次元官网网址檚 15,000 monthly visits comes from Indigenous people who are trying to reconnect to their language. B次元官网网址淎nd then we really have a lot of demand from teachers B次元官网网址� both formal and informal teachers B次元官网网址� who use it to create curriculum and use it to educate people, to create fun activities with the site,B次元官网网址� Yona said.
Another large category of users is non-Indigenous members of the general public, who want to learn a specific phrase and its pronunciation, B次元官网网址渨hich is really great,B次元官网网址� Yona added.
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The First PeoplesB次元官网网址� Cultural Council also recently launched the First PeoplesB次元官网网址� Map of B.C., an interactive online map featuring information about Indigenous languages, arts and cultural heritage in the province.
B次元官网网址淥ur hope is that this map will help non-Indigenous people to better appreciate Indigenous perspectives as one small step towards reconciliation,B次元官网网址� said Karen Aird, acting CEO of the First PeoplesB次元官网网址� Cultural Council at the time of the mapB次元官网网址檚 release. B次元官网网址淏y combining all of this rich information together in one place, the map reflects an Indigenous perspective by braiding important cultural elements together with the land.B次元官网网址�
Drawing links between language and land is also something that animates Elliott, whose father once described language as the voice of the land. So what would that voice be saying now?
B次元官网网址淭he voice is changing right now,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淥ur connection with the land has been inhibited by the loss of culture, the loss of land base.B次元官网网址�
By rebuilding their language, local First Nations are then in a way also reclaiming ownership of their land in giving language learning a significance that goes beyond the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar for the purpose of communication.
Elliott said students start to realize that language is more than just about speaking to one another.
B次元官网网址淭hat is the way a lot of our people are starving for,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey are starving for that acknowledgment of connection to our homeland and territories.B次元官网网址�
Elliott knows it will take time to strengthen that connection, to repair what decades of official policy have destroyed. More work lies ahead, but Elliott also has time to reflect on what has been achieved.
B次元官网网址淎lthough it has been a long, long struggle, it has been a very meaningful long struggle to get to the point where we are now.B次元官网网址�
Support for survivors and their families is available. Call the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066, or 1-866-925-4419 for the 24-7 crisis line. The KUU-US Crisis Line Society also offers 24-7 support at 250-723-4050 for adults, 250-723-2040 for youth, or toll free at 1-800-588-8717.
Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.
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