National Indigenous Languages Day

map of Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages from Native Land Digital

Every year on March 31, Canada celebrates National Indigenous Languages Day. This day recognizes and honours the more than 70 Indigenous languages from 12 distinct language families spoken in Canada. 

In the last census, 189,000 people reported speaking an Indigenous language as their first language at home, and 237,420 Indigenous people reported speaking an Indigenous language well enough to conduct a conversation. These statistics indicate that many people are learning Indigenous languages as a second language. Learning a second language, however, is a lifelong undertaking that takes dedicated practice and attention.

Supporting Indigenous language learning is integral to Canada’s truth and reconciliation process and is the focus of Calls to Action 13–17 released by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This blog post highlights some of the ways Indigenous communities are encouraging students to learn their language and provides some suggestions for supporting second-language learning in your classroom!

How does language learning happen in Indigenous communities? 

Indigenous-run schools in many communities employ language speakers to teach students their language as part of the curriculum. In many cases, these language classes are the only way Indigenous youth can learn and access their language. Because of the ubiquity of English and the disruption of natural language transmission, many families don’t speak their language at home. 

Consider trying these strategies to create supportive language-learning environments in your school:

1. Focus on Content-Based Instruction.

Learning grammar rules can help students understand how a language works. However, too much focus on grammar often leaves students disinterested in their learning. This approach also positions language as something you learn about instead of something valuable to your everyday life. Teaching language through a topic more closely mimics natural language acquisition, which always occurs in context and is never divorced from meaning. Language skills increase when students learn about a topic, because it emphasizes relevant, meaningful, and complex content, rather than focusing on the language itself.

2. Teach Survival Phrases.

Survival phrases are basic phrases and vocabulary that people use in their day-to-day lives. Some classroom survival phrases include greetings and farewells, asking to use the restroom, getting a drink, and asking for items like pencils, pens, and paper. Survival phrases give students more practical opportunities to use their language skills.

3. Create Immersion-like Environments.

One of the most significant barriers for second-language learners is having places to practice their oral language skills. You can increase students’ opportunities to practice language skills by working with a language teacher to integrate language use across other subjects. For example, having other teachers learn similar survival phrases can increase their use across various classes, while having math teachers prompt students to say numbers in their language can help students practice using different vocabulary.

How can I support Indigenous languages as a non-Indigenous person?

Even if you don’t speak an Indigenous language, there are things you can do to highlight, support, and promote Indigenous languages in your classroom. 

  1. Use Native Land Digital to identify whose ancestral territory you occupy. Then, search for online resources that might help you learn a simple greeting or basic conversational terms in the language(s) local to your area.
  2. Invite a language speaker to teach simple greetings or phrases in your classroom. If you’re unsure who to invite or if no one in your network knows an Indigenous language, consider contacting a Friendship Centre in your area and asking if someone would be interested in coming to your classroom. Remember to follow proper Protocols to compensate them for their time in your classroom. Ensure you ask what these Protocols are.
  3. Make your classroom bilingual, even if you’re not! Language teachers often transform their classrooms into language nests. Follow their lead, and do the same! If you have numbers on a bulletin board, add their translations in one (or more!) of the languages local to your area. Each week, highlight a different Indigenous language from your local area or farther afield.

Where can I learn more?

Explore the following resources to learn more about Indigenous languages in Canada. 

  • FirstVoices is a platform run by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council in British Columbia. It’s an interactive platform where Indigenous communities manage, curate, and share their languages. Explore this website with your students, and encourage them to learn more about an Indigenous language in Canada. 
  • Learncree.ca is a Cree language-learning website run by the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Saskatchewan. Try learning some Cree words with your students! 
  • The Indigenous Languages Revitalization website is run by the Indigenous Leadership Development Institute Inc. This site highlights different communities, groups, organizations and individuals working with Indigenous language revitalization. The linked page contains some sample activities and lesson plans you can try. 

What strategies do you use to support language learners? Share your ideas for integrating Indigenous languages in your classroom! We’d love to hear from you!

Image: Still from the Native Land Digital interactive territories, languages, and treaties map.

Lunaape Language Resources with Munsee-Delaware Nation

Munsee language resources

Learning Bird recently had the opportunity to work with the Munsee-Delaware Nation to create this short video that highlights the names of 11 animals, insects, and amphibians in the Munsee Lunaape Language. This video is part of a series of language videos that we are creating with the Nation.

The Lunaape (Munsee or Delaware) language is endangered, with only one first-language speaker and fewer than 100 second-language learners who understand the language at various levels. It is on UNESCO’s critically endangered language list.

We are honoured to be working with the Nation to help them develop resources to support their Lunaape language revitalization.

Your Role in the International Decade of Indigenous Languages

Four people walking in a field of high grass

Following the success of the International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019, the United Nations, and the over 50 member countries, believed they needed to do more for Indigenous languages and Indigenous human rights. The result was the Los Pinos Declaration in 2020, which announced 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. What does that mean for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, and how can you get involved? Keep reading to find out!

What are the goals of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages? 

In an interview with CBC, Chief Leroy Denny of Eskasoni First Nation, the largest Mi’kmaw-speaking community in the world, said, “If an elder passes away, it’s like a library burns down, I was told.” Language is closely linked to identity, traditional knowledge, worldview, and ways of being. Each language is like a distinct universe. Unfortunately, many Indigenous languages are at risk of extinction. The loss of these languages results in a significant loss of human rights. Language loss restricts freedom of expression, access to services, and participation in cultural life, among many other rights. 

Protecting Indigenous languages is paramount to upholding Indigenous human rights. It also guarantees the success of all people in the future. The Global Action Plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages aims to ensure “Indigenous languages are preserved, revitalized, promoted and used across all socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and political domains and are drivers for building peace, justice, development and reconciliation in our societies.”

The Decade for Indigenous Languages is an opportunity to support Indigenous Peoples as they strengthen their languages. It is also an opportunity to find new ways to work together for a more inclusive future. Making sure Indigenous languages survive is an endeavour that requires respectful relationships and genuine partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples. 

What about Indigenous languages in Canada?

You may (or may not) be shocked to learn that over 260,550 people reported being able to speak an Indigenous language in Canada’s last census. Indigenous People in Canada speak over 70 languages from 12 distinct language families. A Canadian Language Museum publication, Indigenous Languages in Canada, includes a map of Indigenous language families in Canada.

Many Indigenous languages across Canada are undergoing revitalization. The number of speakers is greater than the number of people whose first language is an Indigenous language. That means more people are reawakening their language through second language learning.

What is happening in Canada to support Indigenous languages?

Several things are happening throughout the country to support the continued use of Indigenous languages. Provincial governments are finding different ways to take action. In Nova Scotia, the Mi’kmaw Language Act will enshrine Mi’kmaw as the official first language with the promise of a multi-year revitalization strategy. The Canadian government enacted the Indigenous Languages Act in response to the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. This act aims to provide long-term funding for Indigenous languages and a commissioner, Dr. Ronald Ignace, to oversee its implementation. 

Many Nations did not wait for the Canadian government or UN to begin their language reclamation and revitalization efforts. Meanwhile, others are just embarking on this journey. Indigenous language speakers’ efforts include creating language nests, developing language and culture curriculums, and building resources to support these curricula. Haisla Nation is a shining example of what language reawakening projects can look like. Part of Haisla Nation’s language revitalization includes partnering with the First Nations Education Foundation to lead rapid word collection activities and rapid story collection workshops as the foundation for language development. The Nation has a project to build K-12 language and culture curricula for their and nearby public schools.

For years, the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) has assisted communities in their language revitalization efforts. The governments of Canada and British Columbia undertook a recent initiative to develop accredited language programs. Following British Columbia’s language development template, First Nations in BC can create a language curriculum to replace French as a second language. 

What can I do to support the International Decade of Indigenous Languages?

How can you join the Decade of Indigenous Languages and beyond? Funding is available for individual Nations and schools to assist with developing and implementing Indigenous language projects. First Nations communities and organizations may access federal funding through the Department of Canadian Heritage. Regional funding is available through the First Peoples Cultural Council (FPCC), First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres (FNCCEC), and other regional and local groups. Assessing community needs, evaluating strengths, and identifying goals for growth is a great place to start initiating a language project.

At the individual level, we can encourage learners to use their language in our classrooms. Invite Indigenous language speakers to share their knowledge. Consider learning an Indigenous language yourself. Some of the funding available for Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization has resulted in many options for learning Indigenous languages, including a virtual reality game that teaches Blackfoot. You can also find an app for many languages and dialects, including Anishinaabe, Cree, and Inuktut! Learning an Indigenous language positively impacts you and your learners and is an important act of reconciliation.

How can you begin? A great first step is using Native Land Digital to learn whose ancestral territory you occupy. Then, try learning a basic greeting in the local language(s)! If you’re interested in learning an Indigenous language, you can also check out some of these language resources. 

How will you encourage learners to contribute to Indigenous language revitalization? Will you be, or are you already, learning an Indigenous language? We’d love to hear from you!