Meet the team in Alberta working to keep dozens of Indigenous languages alive – CTV News
April 1, 2022
A team at the University of Alberta is working on a curriculum and other resources to help revitalize Indigenous languages not just on its campus, but also in communities trying to do the same thing.
Pam McCoy Jones leads the Supporting Indigenous Language Revitalization (SIRL) project.
“We’re building our team and building the teams within the other faculties, as well, to be able to do this work,” McCoy Jones told CTV News on Thursday. “This is really focused on relationship building and following the lead of what communities want and and need at different points in time.”
Thursday marked National Indigenous Languages Day, which Canada recognizes on March 31. The observance began in 1993 to honour the strength and endurance of Indigenous languages, which have been impacted by intergenerational trauma and colonialism, and the passing of elder speakers.
