Have you noticed that Michel Jean, Innu news anchor and author, opens the TVA news bulletin every day with a “Kuei everyone”? The initiative, far from being trivial, is intended to be a first in a French-language newsletter. Something like this 10 years ago might have sparked an outcry when today, in 2022, Mr. Jean says he has received nothing but congratulations, thanks and words of encouragement. “I thought about how Aboriginal people could feel more included in society and what I could do at my level. The answer seemed obvious to me,” he says when asked about this original way of starting his newsletter.
Posted at 10:00 a.m.
The year 2022 also marks the start of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032 as decreed by UNESCO. This decade aims to protect, perpetuate and revive these languages from all over the world.
You should know that there are nearly 4,000 Aboriginal languages on the planet, including about 90 in Canada. Here, Inuktitut sits at the top of the most spoken Aboriginal languages.
Other languages on this short Canadian list, however, are dying or have already disappeared. Sometimes they die out in two or three generations within the same family. So how do we ensure that all these languages can still resonate at a time when our world seems to shrink? There is no miracle recipe, but the first thing is probably to collectively realize their importance. Indeed, indigenous languages are not only means of communication, they carry the secrets of the land and the nature that surrounds us, of a vision of the world and an identity that too often seeks a place.
The language of my ancestors, Wendat, has not been commonly spoken since the very beginning of the 20th century.and century, or even a little earlier. A lot of factors explain this: the proximity to the surrounding towns, the imposition of French-language education, the fact that we were more focused on trade, then tourism, and that speaking French was essential. However, few people know that the language of the fur trade at the beginning of the colony was not French, but Wendat! In short, this beautiful language, a cousin of the Kanien’keha (Mohawk) language, came very close to being wiped off the map.
In 2007, my community signed a research alliance with Laval University with a mission of nothing less than reviving our language. We knew the task would not be easy.
Some linguists even suggested that we learn the Mohawk language instead since it was still alive. Only problem? It’s not our language. Today in 2022, after many efforts, Wendat is taught at our elementary school and adult classes are also offered. So how do you revive a dead language or ensure that a language survives? We put the necessary effort into it, collectively. We make it a priority. We dust off old lexicons and dictionaries, we go for it, we learn it and we speak it. But (there’s always a but), doing all of this takes years, tons of resources and, of course, adequate funding.
However, this funding has never materialized. In 2006, when I took the first steps with Université Laval, the funding granted by the federal government for language in Aboriginal communities was $2.50 per person. We were 2500 in my community. The calculation is not difficult to do. It was like that for years and it hurt. Dozens of indigenous languages have greatly weakened or died out due to lack of resources and funding. According to UNESCO, if a big push is not given, 90% of languages will probably disappear during this century. And time flies…
Ten days ago, Aluki Kotierk, Inuk representative on a UNESCO working group created as part of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, called for Canada to list Inuktitut as one of the Canada’s official national flags.
In 2019, the Indigenous Languages Act has yet received royal assent and an annual budget of $333.7 million over five years has been set aside for this purpose. I welcome it. So why such a demand? Because in Nunavut, 70% of the inhabitants speak Inuktitut, but federal public services are only provided to them in English or French. Because the language of instruction is still English. Because, according to the Assembly of First Nations, funding based on the real needs of the communities should be three times higher.
Canada’s aboriginal languages, those that have been tried to be silenced for centuries, must be recognized by everyone. Because it is only in this way that the indigenous nations will have the necessary real, financial and political means to protect and speak their languages. Because that’s also how we’re going to be able to heal ourselves and tell our truths, with our words.
Walking in the paths of our ancestors, knowing the depth of our languages, we will make them sound as loud as our drums.