Since the birth of their daughter on 1er March, Indigenous parents are denied administrative registration of their baby’s first name “Alíla7” because the province does not recognize “7” as a valid character.
Salia Joseph is Squamish and her partner Joseph Currie Cree. Both wanted to name their child in the Squamish language to honor their heritage and continue the work of recovering and revitalizing Indigenous languages.
Born in North Vancouver on 1er March, their baby girl is named Alíla7, which means wild raspberry. For the past month, her parents have been trying to register her birth and name but, as CTV News revealed on Friday, they’ve hit a snag. British Columbia does not recognize “7” as a valid character.
“My partner and I are both aboriginal,” said Ms.me Joseph. “We are raising our daughter in Squamish territory. I am a language learner and advocate. Our language is really important to me.”
Salia Joseph is the Executive Director of the Sníchim Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to language learning and revitalization. For her and her partner, giving their daughter an Indigenous name and raising her to speak her language is part of a larger effort to ensure Indigenous languages are not lost.
“The 7 is very important in our language. It’s very different from Squamish, and I really didn’t want to compromise on that. I thought it would be OK because everyone has a seven on the keyboard,” she said.
The young mother relied on Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which specifically deals with the use of indigenous languages, writing systems and names.
“Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and people”, one can read.
Mme Joseph says she hopes sharing her story will pave the way for those changes, saying it’s an essential part of reconciliation.
“My dad is a day school survivor, my grandparents are residential school survivors. Same with my partner. It’s the same with natives everywhere. Their ancestors weren’t allowed to speak their language and as a result so many of our family members don’t,” she said.
“The Squamish have been told for generations that their language is backward, that they are stupid, or that their language is outdated. To see people claim it, to see it speak openly, to see people proudly claim it is truly healing – and cannot be underestimated,” she said.