Tshieuten Vachon writing in Naskapi at FIrst Peoples Festival 2016, Montréal

«Language is more than a tool for expression. It is a bond to our ancestral cosmology, it reveals a profound understanding of our place in the world, with Mother Earth, and with each generation it regenerates the connection between all living beings »

Ellen Gabriel, President of Quebec Native Women Inc. Mohawk Nation

Language is an essential element in building identity, as it is through words that a culture constructs its world vision, and further develops by passing on written and oral knowledge. A strategy implemented by the colonial system to oppress and assimilate Indigenous peoples, was the interdiction to speak their languages. Children and youth in boarding schools were physically punished when they spoke their native tongues, while the older generations restrained themselves to protect their families from further suffering. Nowadays, the Canadian governement is supporting the revitalization of Indigenous languages and some urban Indigenous organisations offer classes in various languages, especially for youth. But the consequences of these destructive cultural policies still left their marks.

Each Nation has its own language, which may differ slightly from community to community. During this research project, I mostly worked with the Atikamekw, Abenaki and Wolastoqiyik Nations in Quebec. As displayed on the diagram below, the two latter belong to the various similarities. The status of language in these particular Nations varies extremely: in the three Atikamekw communities, the language is strong at home and at school. Here students are being taught until the age of 8 or 9 exclusively in the local tongue. The Abenaki Nation has only a few fluent speakers, mostly elders, even though language classes have been ongoing since 1960. The Wolastok language is extinct in the province of Quebec. The University of New Brunswick hosts the Mi'kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre. They develop an app "Wolastoqey Latuwewakon" to promote language learning. Read more here

Want to know more? Read the interview with Monique Nolett Ille, former teacher in Abenaki language, or listen to songs.