Seeing as ancestral languages play such a crucial part in First Nations’ teachings and culture, I wanted to search for ways in which Indigenous peoples were using technology as a way to encourage the learning and revitalization of their ancestral languages.
Learn Mi’gmaq Online is a self-guided site that offers users the ability to learn how to speak Mi’maq, either individually or as a classroom supplement. A Mi’gmaq Partnership between Listuguj Education Directorate, McGill University, and Concordia University developed the site and content.
The website consist of lessons that are categorized into units, varying in themes and topics of conversations. Each lesson provides new vocabulary and audio recordings of Mi’gmaq speakers, so you can listen and practice as you work through the lessons.
The site is very well organized and introduces users not only to words, but also touches on the importance of pronunciation and rhythm of the language. I found this website to be a great example of how technology can help facilitate the revitalization of languages, thereby helping Aboriginal people restore a sense of identity.
In my search, I also came across the Mi’gmac Mi’kmaq Micmac Online talking dictionary. The aim of the project is to develop an online resource for the Mi’gmaq/Mi’kmaq language, and so far they have posted over 3500 entries in the dictionary. You can do a simple English word search and it will generate a list of Mi’gmaq words that correspond to it.