Author Archives: Natascha Wimmer

This resource is invaluable because it explores the experiences and lived interactions of Bear Rock Mountain. Mountain has first hand accounts and insights onto how Residential Schools attempted to erase and forbid Indigenous Languages. Mountain also connects this back to his understanding of identity and demonstrates the powerful connection of language to who you are. Mountain’s story is important because it also demonstrates the cycle of coming to terms with what has happened and figuring out how to move forward. Would that be with angry and hate? Would that be with a hope for the better? Mountain has chosen to reclaim and empower his identity, language and community. Although this is located in the North West Territories, the stories hold connections to experiences of our communities in British Columbia and common themes of identity, language and culture.

Citation for the book:

Mountain, A., 2019. From Bear Rock Mountain : The Life and Times of a Dene Residential School Survivor, Heritage House Publishing. Ottawa, Ontario. Retrieved from https://canadacommons.ca/artifacts/1878314/from-bear-rock-mountain/2627306/ on 20 Oct 2022. CID: 20.500.12592/2chm26.

This journal article, written in collaboration by three authors, explores our place-based BC Indigenous languages. One of the authors, Layla Rorick / Chuutsqa, is a member of University of Victoria and spends a lot of her time creating resources and lessons that can be used to revitalize and share traditional languages. The journal article explains that there are 34 Indigenous languages in BC and all of which are endangered, and explores the risk of losing these languages and there connection to identity, history and appreciation. The author’s suggest an “Indigenized approach to language” that more authentically transfers language from a fluent speaker to a learner. There are key learning “building blocks” that the authors suggest that include shifting from “rote memorization” to a more effective approach of students being able to listen, connect to what they know and also create new words. This demonstrates not only the revitilization of a traditional language but also the act of creation to honour innovation and change.

Journal Citation:

Rosborough, T., Rorick, L., & Urbanczyk, S. (2017). Beautiful Words: Enriching and Indigenizing Kwak’wala Revitalization through Understandings of Linguistic Structure. The Canadian Modern Language Review / La revue canadienne des langues vivantes 73(4), 425-437. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/678834.

This article is exploring the outcome of a survey that asked respondants whether they would like a name change in BC to reflect the Indigenous and traditional histories of the people in our province. This article is particularly interesting because it shows the divide between different populations and ages. Further, it demonstrates that often for change, or “legal” change, it does become somewhat political and requires a large majority to actually make the changes. I think the next fifty years will really show that continued battle between the old stigmatized view of Indigenous communities and our increased explorations of a diverse group of communities. It also ties into my last post where we can say we are supporting the rejuvination of Indigenous languages, but the actual data doesn’t support it. This year, some of my students seemed mindblown when they realized why there is “British” in British Columbia. We tend to move through our daily lives often not noticing how we are contributing to colonization.

Link to article

This article is celebrating two areas of the Sunshine Coast that have been restored to their traditional names. I found this article particularly interesting because it advocated for more use of and empowerment of Indigenous languages yet in the title it chose to use the settler name “Sunshine Coast” instead of the traditional name “shíshálh swiya”. I think it goes to show how even when we hope to support and empower, there are times that we don’t even notice our own colonizing and/or contradictory effect. Whilst advocating for the return to traditional names, that is a perfect time to acknowledge the traditional area of the Sunshine Coast and use the proper name there either in the title or in the article.

Link to the article

Hi all,

Research topic: Place-based name changes

These resources explore the Squamish nation story of the Two Sisters (also known as Vancouver’s “Twin Peaks” and more commonly as the “Lions”). This name change has had a significant impact on the development of our society in ways that we often don’t notice. For example, if you scan our local area, you will notice we have the “Lions Gate Bridge”, the “BC Lions” are our football team, many of my students live in “Lions Bay”. These are corporations, areas, or media that we encounter on a daily basis, often not knowing the history or story behind the name.

In a previous discussion post I provided a youtube link that explains the story. Here is an article from a local blog. 

In honour of Orange Shirt Day as well as Truth and Reconciliation Day I have provided the link to Phyllis’ Story. 

Although I could summarize the story for you, I think it is more powerful to go and read the story that is written in Phyllis’ words (as opposed to a settler summarizing what I think the key points are). In preparation for Thursday and Friday, classrooms in our school are starting to have this conversation about what those days really mean. If you are unsure of the origin of the story, why we wear orange or you want to use Phyllis’ authentic words, you can access them here.

Phyllis’ experience is a powerful recollection of power, assimilation, separation and identity. 

You can also access additional videos and information detailing the history and purpose.

Friday is not just a day off so make sure to do your research!Link: https://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html

It is hard for me to put into words how much I love this map.

This is an interactive map that explores the language, communities and culture (including artists) of certain areas. This map is specifically for BC but there are maps of Canada as well.

I love exploring different areas and finding out the community and language statistics of specific areas. For example, my school district is on Squamish Nation land. I used this map to trace the Squamish language as well. Through this, I was able to discover what language family Squamish is from, others that share the same family, as well as specific information including the number of fluent speakers (only 6!), the population, the approximate number of language learners, etc. 

If you are unsure of what Indigenous communities land you work, live and play on, I really suggest exploring this map! There are so many languages and communities I have never even heard of in my local area. 

Link: https://maps.fpcc.ca/languages

Hello ETEC 521,

This blog post is about the name change from the settler known area “Queen Charlotte Islands” back to the Indigenous name of “Haida Gwaii”.

This article is important because it demonstrates the power and connection of land, language, rights and governance. I was reminded of this event while reading about the “Fishing Wars”. This name change is a clear demonstration of how settler power changed and overtook the landscape, while Indigneous communities (specifically the Haida in this instance) are fighting to get that language, space and power back. 

I am hoping, with continued restorations, this will help Haida language and community flourish in that area. The more we use the proper language, the more we are able to acknowledge the communities that already existed before our own, acknowledge Indigenous rights and history and acknowledge Indigenous communities as legitimate, empowered peoples that occupy and have ownership over space and language. 

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/daajing-giids-queen-charlotte-renamed-1.6456473

M1 P2

Hi everyone,

Perhaps a controversial post…

I recently came across this video and thought it was an interesting representation of what a lack of knowledge and respect can look like. The first 15 seconds demonstrate how “leaders” in the Commonwealth reacted to two Inuit Throat Singers. 

Please note, this video is over 5 years old and I am hoping there was some growth since then. I would like to give Charles and Camilla the benefit of the doubt and say that they lacked knowledge and that this was a new experience (rather than making assumptions about discriminatory practices). But I also wonder if that is the settler in me trying to empathize… perhaps it is better to not give it the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a representation of continued racism in our commonwealth. 

I thought this video was important because it helps to show the continued struggle that Indigneous communities face when it comes to gaining respect, equity and understanding from the government; a group and organization who’s values are vastly different from Indigenous Communities. It is also a representation of how “seriously” our government takes Indigenous communities, their culture and their forms of governance.

How did this video make you feel?

Link: https://youtu.be/lWMd3rQPJ8Y

Hello everyone,

My first blog resource post is providing the link to the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) that outlines the principles used to transfer knowledge and learning in Indigenous communities. These principles provide a clear example of the guidelines educators can follow to share Indigenous knowledge. If you compare this to our BC Curriculum, you will notice the difference right away between the BC Curriculum focus on content (ex. Facts and information) while the FPPL focuses on ways of learning. 

In 2015, changes made to the BC Curriculum are beginning to reflect the “process based” learning similar to FPPL. This includes focusing on competencies and skills including problem solving, building on others ideas, asking questions and creating new solutions.

One of the key principles that is important, and sometimes hard for a settler to understand, is that some knowledge is sacred and has certain protocols for sharing that information. To build on that, I have learnt it is not only knowledge, but some stories, ceremonies, physical artifacts and other items that are sacred as well. 

*Please note all Indigenous communities are diverse and may have different terminology or different takes on each of these principles*

Link: http://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/