Canada History Week 2021: Indigenous History Learning Tool

LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION

THE FUTURE OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Efforts are underway to revive the endangered languages of Canada’s Indigenous peoples.

A student at Kawenni:io Private School. Courtesy Wendall Simon Hill.

SHAWNADITHIT was one of the prime witnesses to the Beothuk language, the customs of her people, and the events and general condition of the Beothuk in the final years when their numbers had fallen significantly. She was gifted with a pencil and sketch-book, and her drawings (frequently reproduced) are especially valuable.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Did you know? Michif is a language spoken by Métis peoples in parts of Canada and the US. Michif is mainly a combination of Cree and French, but the language also borrows from English and other Indigenous languages. It is considered an endangered language.

LEARN MORE about Indigenous languages as well as the tools and programs in place to help support the reclamation, revitalization, maintenance, and strengthening of Indigenous languages in Canada.

Learn more about Indigenous language preservation and revitalization with these videos from Historica Canada.

Jacey Firth-Hagen talks about her complex relationship with her language, Dinjii Zhuh Ginjik, and her language advocacy work through #SpeakGwichintoMe.

This is the story of how Lillian Elias helped many Inuvialuit grow up with a better understanding of their language, who they are, and where they come from.

Jessie Kangok and Janet Evic talk about working on the first radio program in Ottawa by and for Inuit in Inuktitut, as well as urban migration and the importance of language promotion.

7