Tag Archives: Shuswap traditions

Virtual ethnicity – how young people’s cultural identity could be affected when learning Shuswap from podcasts

In January of 2013, I was fortunate enough to have been in the first class ever for ETEC 565G. This was an excellent course where we were introduced to the fact that even though we may think so, online environments and online learning environments are not ‘culture-free zones’. We examined the different signs and tools that allow individuals to construct meaning and interact with the people they encounter. We also looked at the cultural differences between people while working with technology and how there can be communication breakdowns if we are not respectful of each other.

When I think back on this paper by one of the ETEC 565G instructors (Macfadyen, 2006), I remember how important the aspect of cultural identity was and how working online can often be difficult when it comes to respecting ones heritage and traditions. My concerns with young Shuswap students learning their language from recorded podcasts of elders who have passed away are:

Will certain aspects of passing on tradition be negatively affected in the language learning process? If these Shuswap students don’t have physical contact with the elder who is transmitting their language through a recorded podcast, how will this affect their cultural identity?

I know from experience that by sitting with an older person who is telling a story, I not only hear their voice and see their face, but I can hold their hands, sit close beside them, smell the smells of the surroundings and listen and truly feel the environment that surrounds us. Also, if there is a lesson to be taught by the person, such as making something with their hands, if I am beside them, I will experience the same feel of the items/materials/tools that allow me to receive the same hands-on experience as the older person who is explaining their story to me. This type of contact with Shuswap elders plays a huge role in the transmission of culture and language. If this is missing in podcast language recordings, how will young Shuswap students retain the aspects of tradition while they are also learning the language? This also has me asking the following question:

Will the Shuswap people ever be able to revitalize their language so it is strong enough to be communicated without the help of technology? In other words, once the recordings and documented podcasts of elders and language learners have been learned, studied and put to oral practice, will communities be able to speak their language comfortably enough so that they speak 100% of the time in Shuswap while continuing to share their language through traditional oral stories and customs like their ancestors?

References

Macfadyen, L. (2006). Virtual Ethnicity: The new digitization of place, body, language, and

memory. Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education, 8 (1).

Secwepemculecw – Land of the Shuswap

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This site is a much more personal site and deals with the Kamloops Shuswap Indian Band. There are personal stories about language acquisition (before and after residential schools), as well as some of the positive things the residential schools offered (such as getting an education and learning English).

This site (even though it is a bit out of date), shows the different Shuswap tribes. There is a chart showing the populations of each tribe and how many native Secwepemc language speakers are left in each band. Alkali lake has the strongest number of native language speakers with 95 (which is 14% of their population. I’m sure that the numbers are much lower now but it would be interesting to investigate as to why their number of native speakers is so much higher than the other tribes.

In addition, this site offers more information on traditional Shuswap history and their culture.

http://www.landoftheshuswap.com/lang.html

Recording and pronunciation of the Secwepemc language

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The following is a video of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) language that demonstrates what the elder is doing with her mouth in order to pronounce the words. I’ve heard only a handful of words being pronounced here in 100 Mile House but I’ve never actually listened to a recording like this which goes through the basic vowels and shows how to form words. I think it’s time that I start studying videos like this and appreciate learning this local Shuswap dialect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l23LOp0OUys

The woman speaking Secwepemc on this video is from the Splatsin Shuswap nation which is located near Enderby, B.C. The following is a link that explains a little bit about this community.

http://www.splatsin.ca/about/

It must be a real challenge for the young people who are learning this language to be able to learn it and speak it correctly and fluently. When you think of “true immersion”, you need to be surrounded by the language 24 hours a day and not be influenced by other languages, especially English. The French Immersion system experiences the same phenomenon. The majority of the students speak English already before entering the program, so therefore, when they arrive in French Immersion Kindergarten, the teacher is the only one who actually speaks French (which is really not “true immersion). Of course the most ideal immersion would be to take French Immersion students and drop them into a French Kindergarten class in France for a year. Unfortunately for Shuswap (or other aboriginal students), this is almost impossible, unless they have the opportunity to attend a Shuswap language immersion school like Chiet Atahm on the Adams River reserve. However, even under these circumstances, English and other languages are always present, especially once the students leave school. It doesn’t help either that there is a lost generation of aboriginal speakers due to the damaging affects of the residential schools. I sure admire these people for their determination and courage to try to revive their language and traditions in today’s society. However, this is where they are probably very grateful to have the modern technology of video recorders, tape decks or even iPads so that they can record the precious stories of their elders.

Secwepemc Cultural Education Society

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Still on topic of the Shuswap people and the importance of conserving aboriginal languages, I came across this site which is excellent because there are many newsletters (in English as well as the Secwepemc language). This site contains archives of newsletters and currents issues that are posted and can be easily read on-line. The Secwepemc Cultural Education Society (SCES) is a non-profit organization devoted to preserving and promoting the language, culture and history of the Secwepemc people. It is vital for the Shuswap to maintain their language and values (before they are lost forever), and I feel that societies such as this are the key to helping to support this endeavor. This reflects the reading by (Hare, 2011), where it is quoted:

“Indigenous languages are important. When talked about in English, you miss out on the meaning. Language has a direct relationship with the land”. In order for the Shuswap to hang onto tor their values, it is vital that they know their language.

Their Vision Statement

The vision statement of the Secwepemc is Metéltwecw-kt Es Knúcwetwecw-kt
“Everyone come together to help one another.” This emphasizes the concept of family and community instead of focusing on the individual, which (Hare, 2011) also discussed in his article.

http://www.secwepemc.org/node/61

Within the site I came across this declaration (written in both English and in Secwepemc). I am very interested in the topic of collecting and recording the memoirs of the elders. This has now given me some more ideas to see if I can find some podcasts to listen to and to see what fluent Shuswap sounds like. Also, in this declaration, are the signatures of 17 Shuswap Band Representatives, our local Canim Lake Band included. It’s fun to see that Elsie Archie is the signature here from Canim, probably the grandmother, mother or aunt of the incumbent chief, Mike Archie.

http://www.secwepemc.org/files/Shuswap%20Declaration%2004.pdf

Reference

Hare, J. (2011). Learning
from Indigenous knowledge in education. In D. Long and O. P. Dickenson
(Eds.), Visions of the heart, 3rd Edition (pp. 91-112). Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Adams Lake Indian Band

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In furthering my interest into the Chief Atahm Shuswap Immersion school, I wanted to look into some general information about the Adam’s Lake Indian Band and to read up on their history.

http://www.adamslakeband.org/?q=node/1

Within this site I checked out some of the upcoming events on their calendar. One that caught my eye was the Dream catcher conference that is held in September. The conference this September will be their 5th annual meeting. I have included a Youtube video link that shows some highlights of the conference which is aimed towards aboriginal youth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTAD-9WqXU8

When watching this video, I realized the overwhelming influence of the English language and how, especially in the popular entertainment industry, our First Nation youths are totally immersed. Many of them chose to perform popular English language songs at their fun talent show. There were some who sang in Secwepemc and played drums and sang, which offered and eclectic, comfortable atmosphere for the youth. One boy, who sang O Canada, even made fun of the words in the song by repeating after the lyrics “Glorious and Free”….”o so free”. Which got me thinking of the recent graduation ceremonies at my school in 100 Mile House just last weekend. When the chief of our local Canim Lake Band (also Shuswap), Mike Archie, got up to sing the traditional welcoming and play his drum, I was wondering why the non-aboriginal students didn’t know these traditional songs. Just then, I heard patches of voices in the crowd starting to sing along with Mike. It gave me shivers. I then looked up at the graduates and many of our First Nation grads (who were all easy to find since they are all wearing nice, white stoles with the Canim Lake Band symbol embroidered onto them), were singing their hearts out along with their chief. If everyone knows O Canada, then I’m sure that all of us could learn some traditional songs. I can just picture the graduation ceremonies with the entire crowd belting out the Shuswap welcoming song together. That would be amazing.

Also, what I liked about this conference was that it worked with youth on traditional Shuswap activities such as cleaning and smoking fish and paddling a canoe, which are so important when trying to allow these youth to discover their identities. This reflects the video discussion with Dr. Lee Brown, when he stresses the importance of “emotions organizing themselves as values, and values identify themselves as identity. Getting the youth emotionally and physically involved with their heritage with help them to feel good about themselves and how to develop healthy self confidence.

One final thing about this video from the conference that I noticed was that along with the traditional aspects of Shuswap life, students were welcome to use their modern western influences, especially with technology (working with cameras and video, using projectors, singing in microphones with music accompaniment etc.). I feel that this is extremely important because it allows these aboriginal youth to be proud of their heritage and also allows them to share with and participate in activities positively with the dominant, non-aboriginal mainstream culture.

Me7 qilqeltes te su7ec, have
a nice day