This is a summary of the conversation that took place between our research team members in response to the contributions made by each of us to our annotated bibliography. It follows a five-part structure, as outlined below in section one.
1. Introduction
Our team’s intervention strategy is founded on the belief that language shapes the way we think and the way we see the world. Inspired by the article “Watersheds” by Rita Wong, we have focused our research on Indigenous languages and their connectedness to land.
Indigenous languages have a deep, spiritual connection with land; but, after years of colonization and discrimination, Indigenous people are suffering because their connections to their roots – their land, their families and traditions and their languages themselves – have been taken away from them. As a result, Indigenous people are not able to have the same spiritual connection to land as they did before colonization. The connections binding the people to the land and the people to each other – connections which are vital to Indigenous culture – are slowly disappearing. This is where our intervention strategy comes into play. We believe that there are ways to revitalize Indigenous languages and reading of success stories such as that of the Maliseet Language gives us hope that Canadians can build the connections once again between land and language. Our team has focused our research on education, but there are other areas which can also contribute to the success of language revitalization (such as government legislation).
The dialogue summary that follows will be comprised of key points; quotations and commentary; conclusions on possible intervention strategies; and, finally, thoughts for future research. We hope that through our research we can engage and inspire people to contemplate the language landscape of Canada – how it came to be, the current situation, how language affects our relationships to others and to the land, as well as opportunities for developments in this landscape. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous cultures and languages, believing that they must be preserved, though not frozen in time: it is our hope that they will continue their journey into the next century through engagement in dialogue.
2. Central Points
- The preservation of language is essential to the preservation of culture, and there have been methods to encourage new speakers. There have been many problems, including lack of interest and translatability.
- Is the modernization of language essential to its survival?
- Is there hope for a positive change in the attitude toward Aboriginal culture and language? Currently we assume that they have the same needs and desires as the rest of Canadian society, but is that too callous? Are Canada’s rights and freedoms indeed ‘universal’? How can this kind of language affect and perhaps isolate cultures who do not agree? How can we reconcile these differences?
- How can we turn this dichotomy into a duality? Because Canadian culture seems to imply that we are each living in our own worlds, yet sharing the land, how can we bring the cultures together so that every culture and language may thrive?
- Language changes from culture to culture, and focusing on English alone might be extremely limiting in our understanding of other, non-Western cultures. Many words do not translate into English because the English language does not share the same worldview as other languages. Once a story is written and translated into English, its significance is often lost, but English is so paramount to survival in our society that other languages fall by the wayside.
- This becomes an issue when the dominant language limits our attitude towards environmental policies.
- Many problems in the preservation of language stem from our education system. We seem to be emphasizing all the wrong things: school curriculum is centered around English, and everything is viewed through an occidental lens. We are inevitably disconnected to many of Canada’s rich cultures because we only talk about difference, rather than similarities. There appears to be little concern about bringing Western and Aboriginal cultures together to create a sense of togetherness and friendship.
- Western and Indigenous education have always been seen as separate and different, creating a rift between the two sides and an “Us vs. Them” mentality.
3. Dialogue Quotations and Commentary
“I think people frequently forget that languages are not meant to be passed down from one generation to the next as if they are images set in stone. By their very nature, languages change as they are transmitted and as time goes on.” – Lauren
The evolution and modernization of language is necessary to its survival and resurgence in both Indigenous and Euro-Western landscapes. In this way, we must embrace change in language as positive progression and allow these changes to alter our perspectives, specifically in reference to reclaiming our deep-rooted connections to the natural environment.
“I think a key to evolving a language, and making it more attractive, is by getting more speakers, including outside speakers. Like ‘Rory and the Coyote’ emphasizes, friendship and understanding leads us to pay more attention, and connects us in ways we would not otherwise.”– Florence
“Rory and the Coyote,” by Lauren Hjalmarson, allegorizes the importance of Western/Indigenous cooperation in the preservation of Indigenous language and culture. This connection, in turn, will have a mutually beneficial effect on the land that we share. After learning to howl like Coyote, Rory – as representative of the settler population – recognizes the importance of sharing language as one of the deepest ways she and Coyote can connect and thrive on common ground.
“The Indigenous culture is so in tune with language connecting with natural land and experiences. I don’t get the same impression when dealing with Western languages such as English. I think the main way in which we can revitalize Indigenous languages is through the implementation of education. Knowledge is power, and if we were to include these pressing issues in our [Western] curriculum, it could definitely spark change for the better.” – Rajin
Canada’s Euro-Westernized education system remains ignorant to the importance of language and land in First Nations’ culture. Generally not discussed are the benefits that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students are capable of experiencing with the integration of Indigenous teachings into the Western curriculum.
“I think by adopting this educational model to integrate Indigenous words into the Western conscience, we would encounter a similar impact. Indeed, this platform could be expanded beyond the K-12 education system to foster the resurgence of Indigenous words into national discussions of environmental protection and restoration.” – Ali
The syntactical and contextual differences between Indigenous and settler languages foster profoundly different approaches to interacting with the land. With this knowledge, we comprehend the limitations that become inevitable when environmental policy is negotiated strictly by settler languages and perspectives.
“I think in Canada the great thing and also the challenging thing is how far apart we are from each other. Due to this expanse of space, it becomes more challenging for a language to evolve. I think a hopeful view of language in Canada would be to integrate more Indigenous words into our everyday life. But how can we do that if we don’t know any Indigenous people and we are not surrounded by them? Perhaps we could go to camp! I would love to go to a camp and learn an Indigenous language!” – Qihui
As a means of fostering an environment that simultaneously preserves Indigenous languages and inspires a Euro-Western connectedness to the land, Florence and Qihui propose a platform where non-Indigenous learners, by invitation, go to “camps” or other durational programs to be immersed in various Indigenous languages and cultures. Jeannette Armstrong discusses a similar model, where non-Indigenous populations are invited to the reservation to participate in Okanagan seed-planting and land-restoring traditions. Indigenous teachings, in this way, become integrated into Euro-Western practices.
4. Conclusion
While there are undoubtedly a number of methods through which Canadian Indigenous languages can be assisted in their struggle for resurgence, our research team believes that it is paramount that Indigenous languages be willing to adapt to the modern times and cultural landscapes in which they find themselves. In order both to attract new speakers and to function effectively in the day-to-day reality of the twenty-first century, it is imperative that aboriginal languages expand their vocabularies. There are a number of ways in which a language’s vocabulary can be expanded, and our team discussed several of them. Lauren suggested the employment of linguists in helping to create new words for indigenous languages, as this would allow for their character and purity to be retained while the languages expanded their horizons, however other team members pointed out that it may be just as useful for aboriginal languages in Canada to absorb words from English and French in order to grow and evolve. Florence mentioned an article by Leanne Hinton that Qihui posted in our annotated bibliography which referenced Hawaiianized English words as an example of how an indigenous language can grow through adoption of outside words, and Qihui expanded her thoughts on this means of language growth through linking us to an article about how the English language itself evolved by borrowing words. Simultaneous with this discussion of the means for language growth our research team was dialoguing on the possibilities of an educational interface between Western and indigenous traditions in Canada. Currently, North American curricula in general incorporate very little of the knowledge of this continent’s Indigenous peoples, however if this were to be changed it might be exceptionally beneficial to the survival of Indigenous languages as well as the proliferation of their perspectives on the importance of healing and protecting our natural environment. A greater degree of friendship, understanding, and exchange between settlers and indigenous peoples in Canada was generally called for throughout our discussion, and Florence and Qihui suggested the potential for programs like Explore to be created through which settlers could become immersed in indigenous cultures and thereby become allies in the preservation and evolution of these cultures and their languages. Our dialogue concluded by resting on the possibilities inherent in an increase in Western and indigenous cultural and language exchange, particularly in the field of education.
5. Future Research
An important area that can be focused on in order to promote the revitalization of Indigenous languages is through the education of Canadian children. The Canadian elementary school curriculum is very Western-European based in the sense that English and French are the main languages being taught to our youth. Jessica Ball, a professor at the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria, emphasizes the importance of educating youth on the significance of the connection between land and language in the Aboriginal culture. Canadian, westernized languages such as English does not have the same connection to land and culture as does Indigenous languages. It is important for western, non-indigenous cultures to understand the spiritual connection that Indigenous languages have to their land, and the importance of maintaining this connection for the growth of their culture. A question that can illicit further research regarding this issue can be phrased like the following: How can Canadians come to understand the unique relationship between Indigenous land and culture? This question is vital in terms of our research topic because it directly contributes to the revitalization of Indigenous languages. In direct correlation with this topic, another specific area to focus on is in the progression of Indigenous languages, and trying to research ways in which they can adapt to modern, westernized views of connections between land and language. The main objective is to create an environment in which Indigenous language and culture can prosper, and a mutually beneficial relationship must be created between Indigenous cultures and other Western cultures in Canada, in order for our goal to be reached. The question remains how? Can Indigenous languages be revitalized in a context that does not harm their relationships with Western Canadian cultures? Our group believes this goal is attainable, through the fluidity and malleability of Indigenous languages. An important area of research remains in how Indigenous cultures can expand the vocabulary of their language, and manipulate the relationship of land to language in order to better fit the laws of the modern society in which they are a part of. The goal is to create an environment in which Indigenous languages can co-exist with Western concepts of language and land, and our group definitely thinks this goal is within reach as long as the First Nations culture works with the Canadian cultures in order to create a mutually beneficial environment for all cultures to be involved in.
Works Cited:
Armstrong, Jeannette C. “En’owkin: Decision-making As if Sustainability Mattered” in Ecological Literacy: Educating our children for a sustainable world” ed Michael K Stone and Zenobia Barlow. Sierra Clubs Books: 2005. Print.
Ball, Jessica. “Incorporating Indegenous Knowledge in Indegenous Early Childhood Programs”. Early Childhood Development Intercultural Partnerships. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 March. 2015. < http://www.ecdip.org/culture/>
Canada. Dept. of Canadian Heritage. “What Is Explore?” My Explore. Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, n.d. Web. 15 April 2015. <http://www.myexplore.ca/en/page/?description>
Gamer, Chris. “Transforming the Teacher in Indigenous Education.” YouTube. TedxDarwin, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMfBeotD8gc>
Hinton, Leanne. “Learning and Teaching Endangered Indigenous Languages.” Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer: US, 2008. SpringerLink. Web. April 2015.
Hjalmarson, Lauren. Rory and the Coyote. Lake Country: Lake Publishing Society, 2015. PDF file. <http://bit.ly/1FwAJBw>
McWhorter, John. “Txting is Killing Language. JK!!!” TedTalks 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk?language=en#t-99324
Waheed. “20 Words the English Language Borrowed from Others.” dakwak. dakwak, 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 April 2015.
Wong, Ria. “Watersheds.” Canadian Literature 204 (2010): 115-7. CBCA Complete. Web. 9 April 2015.