The issue of language among Native peoples of Canada is an important one. In the past Natives passed on traditions and histories to their children through oral teachings. This still goes on today, but not as much as it did in the past. One of the reasons for this is due to the decreasing number of Natives across Canada that do not speak their traditional language. I guess the issue that I?m trying to bring up is that the loss of language is more than just losing a certain way of speaking. The loss of language also spells the loss of culture. Without language, which is one aspect that makes a culture distinct, Native culture will not be distinct or unique anymore. Canada will just have a large population of Natives who speak English.
One reason for the loss of language among Natives is a result of Residential schooling. My Grandfather was fluent in Ojibwa before he went to a Residential school, but he was punished for and banned from practicing his language while attending the school. It can be fair to say that he was made to feel bad about speaking his language. Years later he started a family and had 13 children including my father. Today only one of my uncles can speak Ojibwa and that?s only because he was taught when he was much older. The reason that none of my uncles and aunts can not speak Ojibwa is because my grandfather never attempted to pass on his language to his sons and daughters. Due to the way he was punished in the schools for speaking his language, he never taught any of his children the language. Then in 1980 I was born. Today I?m 26 years old and a member of Nipissing First Nation, but I can not speak Ojibwa. I know more French than I do Ojibwa. This is a direct result of my Grandfather not passing the language on to my father who could not pass it on to me. This is known as the residential school echo.
For the longest time when ever anybody asked me if I spoke Ojibwa, I always used the Residential School Echo as my excuse for not speaking it. Then as I got older and my reserve started teaching Ojibwa language classes, my excuse did not seem good any more. What I?m trying to say is that it is up to me to try and learn my language and quit hiding behind excuses.
I consider myself lucky that my reserve is offering Ojibwa Language course because not all reserves offer these types of courses. What needs to start happening is that older generations of Natives who speak their Native languages need to become enthusiastic about passing on that part of their culture. The younger generations need to be informed about the dangers of losing their language and become motivated into learning their language. I believe all reserves across Canada should offer course that teach their traditional languages. This is not an easy task to carry out, but maybe through government sponsored programs this can become a reality. This is just one suggestion to try and save Native languages across Canada.
My question to you is are there any other ways in which Native languages can be preserved in Canada?
Bill Couchie
Re: Loss of Language
Truth has to be accepted to correct any problem native people have. Without its acceptance nothing can be corrected.
Its apparent that suggestions based on real solutions which can be easily instituted by our people without direct cost to native families aren't very important to the peope that run this site.
Especially when it based on the use of indigenous native systems of education that are already being employed by traditional spiritual organizations to strengthen their own societies.
When in fact all the knowledge these lodges possess and the way to cull it from the natural world was given to them by the Creator God to keep our people and cultures strong.
Especially when an assessment of the problem lays the responsiblity give to spiritual lodges by the Creator God of preserving our culture is laid at the doors of the lodges of our spiritual leaders.
Dependency on government grants and ahering to government policy is not the solution. To be fair to all our people the solution I presented in my last response to this thread should be posted.
Unless the reason for it not appearing is that this site requires more funding and moderators to keep this discussion board going. Peace Michael Tahl
Re: Loss of Language
Getting native spiritual leaders to teach the people again without requiring exorbitant fees or having to become an initiate would be the ultimate solution. They may have been driven under ground in the late eighteen hundreds but they are free to teach native spirituality now.
Native spiritual teachers as leaders of sovereign tribal nations should never allow foreign political or corporate governments to establish school in their national areas. Or allow these governments to institute a mandatory series of studies dictating what the children of their people should or should not to learn.
Nations of people that truly believe they are sovereign nations and have the rights of nations would never allow this to happen or to carry on. Native people had a system of teaching their children from birth based on spiritual vision and not oral tradition as many people from these last two generations of our people believe and promote.
Its only the last two generations that believe oral tradition was the basis of the native system of education (passing down unrecorded knowledge) which is convenient when it comes to the legal system. A situation caused by their spiritual teachers either losing the ability to teach them to cull knowledge from the natural world.
Or native spiritual lodges are so influenced by political ideals and/or are so completely controlled by government grants, they find it more profitable to follow the non-native political agenda of allowing native cultures to deteriorate through underfunding and neglect.
These medicine lodges have established far greater economic control over our communities and have far greater ties with the government then they would have you believe. Just changing the titles of their spiritual teachers, herbalists and medicine people to "Doctor" after the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed (now called the North American Union) should verify where their alligence and goals lie. Peace Michael Tahl
Re: Loss of Language
First of all, I was in the residential school system in the early 1960's to early 70's. i don't think the use of our langusge was such a big deal, when I was in the system, because we were allowed to speak it then. I know in earlier years the languages were not allowed to be used, they were not permitted to express who they were, and today we have many many of our people who cannot speak who they are. I think that a real damage to our people who cannot speak their own language it's like missing the reality of who you really are. I can't imagine what it would be like not to speak my language, it is so a part of me.My mother wenrt to RS and I think her mother did too, my grandmother. Today I speak my language fluently, or which I am truly grateful. I think learning your language comes from being a child it has to instilled in you at a very young age to know who you are. Language loss is a big part of why there are lost natives so to speak. Our language is the foundation of who we are as a unique people. Where i come from, the language is being taught in the schools, starting from JK, but if the parents are not teaching at home I don't think the children will take it seriously. I have heard from some of colleagues from other communities that they learn their language from their childen, because they learn from school. The college here has an Ojiwa languge program and I heard good reports. Restoring our languages I think, should come from the top, in leadership in each community, we must go backward to go forward. Have you tried an awareness compaign/ Maybe there are others like you who have the same interest and desire, a commonality. If you have a vision, and a goal to achieve, gather some likeminded people and start from there, a suggestion, of course. I wish you luck.