NLC, Doig River First Nation host language revitalization event in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Many residents from across northeast B.C. and beyond attended the first revitalization language event ever to take place in the region on March 14th and 15th at Northern Lights College in Fort St. John.

“The Reawakening of our Language Gathering” was organized through a partnership between NLC and Doig River First Nation and took two months to plan and implement from conception to completion.

The event featured workshops, keynote speakers, discussions and other activities dedicated to preserving languages such as Cree and Beaver.

The keynote speech from Christopher Parkin of the Salish School of Spokane was one of the event’s highlights. Parkin educated attendees about the Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System.

Founded in 2010, the Salish School now instructs students from Kindergarten through Grade 8, ensuring the preservation of language to a generation of Indigenous youth.

According to NLC Indigenous Education Director Michael Calvert, hosting the event was pivotal due to First Nations being the original “cultural piece” of Canada.

“It’s kind of ironic. We consider Canada a cultural melting pot,” said Calvert, who is of Métis heritage. “We have to make sure we recognize an important cultural piece before that term came about.”

“Indigenous culture is something we all as residents of this country should honour.”

Workshops included traditional storytelling, youth engagement, as well as reimagining what the future could look like for Indigenous heritage and the preservation of languages.

There was an emphasis on bridging the gap between Elders and youth, as the younger generation is taught the ways of their descendants.

“Don’t reinvent the wheel,” said DRFN’s cultural and drummer coordinator, Trail Acko, who hosted the workshop on youth engagement.

“We’re trying to have cultural camps and have younger ones out to learn our heritage to show them what being Indigenous means.”

Stella Johnson, also known as Grandmother Stella, taught Cree Syllabics Aerobics and was very enthusiastic about what future events such as this could mean.

“Our families feared what teaching our languages would mean in the past,” said Johnson. “That is why our heritage and culture were not taught. There was a fear about showing us our ancestral ways.”

“I’m happy for such events, as it now allows us to display our language and culture.”

The two-day event wrapped up with a ceremonial tea dance on March 15th.