What is the status of BC First nations languages? - First Peoples

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What is being done to revitalize B.C. First Nations languages?The First Peoples’ Council has funded and providedsupport and resources to 34 camps from differentlanguage families, which have benefitted over 75communities.Master-Apprentice ProgramThe Master-Apprentice Program (MAP) is a oneon-onelanguage immersion program. A “master”(a fluent speaker of a language) is paired with an“apprentice” (learner). The master and apprenticespend 300 hours per year together doing everydayactivities using the language at all times. In thisprogram, learners become more fluent which isespecially valuable for languages where very fewfluent speakers are left.The First Peoples’ Council has funded and providedsupport, resources and training to 11 different languageteams, and 18 apprentices have all becomemore fluent.Language Authority and Language PlanDevelopment Program (LAP)In the LAP, all communities with the same languageare asked to come together to collaborate in spiteof geographical challenges, dialect, political andcommunity differences. Communities are askedto work as a team to share resources, knowledge,funding, resource people, infrastructure, andexpertise to develop a Language Authority and Planfor language revitalization.The purpose of Language Authority and LanguagePlan Development is to:• Govern language related initiatives• Approve work done on the language• Develop language-based policies• Take responsibility for the revitalization andfuture of the language• Develop a viable and sustainable plan for communitylanguage revitalization• Plan and implement language revitalizationprojects• Certify language teachersThe First Peoples’ Council has funded and providedsupport, resources and training to eight LanguageAuthority and Planning projects from differentlanguages (including all dialects of each language),which have benefitted 114 communities.Other First Peoples’ Council ProgramsIn addition to these four new programs, the FirstPeoples’ Council offers funding to communities formany different language revitalization strategies.Communities choose the strategy that best fits theneeds of their language and community members.The First Peoples’ Council-funded strategies are asfollows: 31• FirstVoices: Language recording, documentationand archiving using FirstVoices.com technology• Documentation of language• Researching and providing statistical data• Development of resource materials• Language revitalization and planning strategies• Training and certification• Communication systems development• Promotion of traditional approaches to learningand improving community and public understandingand appreciation of First Nationslanguages.• Information Sharing: Organizing gatherings oflanguage families to share ideas and developstrategies for language revitalization and developingmechanisms for sharing information, materialsand other resources among First Nationslanguage groups.31For a more detailed description of language revitalization strategies see the section “Howcan we revitalize B.C. First Nations languages?”26Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages
What are some communities doing to revitalize their languages?We have included three case studies to illustrate in more detail some of the work being done on languagerevitalization in B.C. These case studies give a face to the statistics and information in this report, and theydemonstrate the deep commitment and motivation of B.C. First Nations communities to revitalize theirlanguages. They are by no means the only communities in B.C. doing incredible language revitalization work.We have chosen these case studies because they represent distinct language situations and the diverselanguage needs in B.C.Case Study 1: Nuučaan̓uɫ (Barclay Dialect) 1The Hupač̓asatḥ people are comprised ofthree tribes, the Muh-uulth-aht, Kleh-kootahtand Cuu-ma-as-aht (Ahahswinis)and occupy their traditional territory on centralVancouver Island. 2 Their population is about 300.The Barclay dialect of the Nuučaan̓uɫ language,which belongs to the Wakashan family, is theHupač̓asatḥ traditional First Nations language.Presently there are only about two to three fluentspeakers and about 25 Hupač̓asatḥ members whohave been learning and know some of the language.Fortunately, over the years the Hupač̓asatḥ FirstNation has had an active Language Institute whichworked with the few remaining fluent speakers tocome together to record, document, and talk intheir language. The Hupač̓asatḥ community alsocarried out yearly immersion programs such asboat trips for the whole community through theirtraditional territory, where elders would talk, tellstories, and name and point out the significance ofeach point, cove, peak and beach in the language.In addition, with funding from First Peoples’Council, the fluent speakers have produced ninebooks, a calendar and a DVD with six stories intheir dialect of Nuučaan̓uɫ.Tragically, three of the last few members of theHupač̓asatḥ First Nation able to speak the languagefluently passed away in 2009. Since thesedeaths, and due to tight financial times, theHupač̓asatḥ Language Institute has been at astandstill. There are still a few elderly speakers ofthe language in the Hupač̓asatḥ community, butthere is no money to start up the fluent speakersmeetings that happened once or twice weekly, orto organize immersion boat trips, or create morelanguage materials.The language has gone from severely endangeredto nearly extinct. Many Hupač̓asatḥ communitymembers, including Chief Shaunee Casavant arein a panic to produce more speakers.Although some Hupač̓asatḥ members have beenlearning the language, no one has the skills of thefluent speakers. There is so much cultural knowledgethat is tied up in a language. It took a lifetimefor these elder speakers to learn and accumulateall that they knew. The language is not only theidentity of the people, but also carries thousandsof years worth of stories, protocols and teachings.1We have verified and been granted permission to use this information byHupač̓asatḥ Chief Shaunee Casavant. (January 2010).2Hupač̓asatḥ First Nation, Our History. http://www.hupacasath.ca/our-history.First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council 27
Page 2 and 3: The First Peoples’ Heritage, Lang
Page 5 and 6: Language Resources• Only about 31
Page 7 and 8: Why is it important to act now for
Page 9 and 10: Why are we losing languages in B.C.
Page 11 and 12: Decline of Fluent SpeakersAll First
Page 13 and 14: Table 1: First Peoples’ Council F
Page 15 and 16: They never taught it to my dadUsage
Page 17 and 18: Table 2: Snapshot of the Status of
Page 19 and 20: Age of SpeakersOf the 170 communiti
Page 21 and 22: • University of Victoria: SENĆO
Page 23 and 24: Table 4: Measures of EndangermentB.
Page 25: • Many speakers and learners are
Page 29 and 30: Case Study 2: Sto:lo Halq’emeylem
Page 31 and 32: The Chief Atahm School is a model o
Page 33 and 34: How can we revitalize B.C. First Na
Page 35 and 36: Goal SettingBased on their needs an
Page 37 and 38: What’s next for B.C. First Nation
Page 39 and 40: tween communities sharing a languag
Page 41 and 42: Coast Salish LanguagesShe shashisha
Page 43 and 44: Tsimshianic LanguagesSm̓algya̱x S
Page 45 and 46: Table 12 : Communities and Populati
Page 47 and 48: Table 16 : Language Education for D
Page 49 and 50: Table 19 : Language Education for I
Page 51 and 52: Nuxalk LanguageTable 24 : Communiti
Page 53 and 54: Xaad Kil LanguagesX̱aad Kil / X̱a
Page 55 and 56: Language Authority and Language Pla
Page 57 and 58: APPENDIX CLanguage Needs Assessment
Page 59 and 60: 7) Immersion Class: Do you have imm
Page 61 and 62: Appendix D First Peoples’ Heritag
Page 63 and 64: First Peoples’ Language Mapof Bri

What is the status of BC First nations languages? - First Peoples

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