CANADA TROOPS AFGHANISTAN- Our Canadians support First Peoples beloved brothers and sisters serving in our Military, Militia, Reservists, Rangers of the North and Cadets... oooyah!
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ONE BILLIION RISING- Afghanistan sisters reminding us not to forget them- we won't ever
For all our Canadian and Nato troops
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from Nova Scotia- we love our environment... our land... our nation and most of all our children- this is 4 the children of the future... and theirs... and don't put ur political bullshit and beans in it.... millions of us crossed over and voted tory 2 support Peter MacKay and our troops... and NO POLITICAL PARTY IS WITHOUT SHAME ON THIS DAY.... nor any politician..... it's our Canada- the everyday people... poor, disabled, broken hearted, soaring, educated, aged, crippled, disabled- visible and invisible, strong, vibrant- alive.... smart.... and aware- it's our Canada- and we will protect her... 36 million strong....
THE WOLVES- SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT- 4 the future of our children and theirs....
The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus; also spelled Grey Wolf, see spelling differences; also known as Timber Wolf or Wolf) is a mammal in the order Carnivora. The Gray Wolf shares a common ancestry with the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), as evidenced by DNA sequencing and genetic drift studies. Gray wolves were once abundant and distributed over much of North America, Eurasia, and the Middle East. Today, for a variety of human-related reasons, including widespread habitat destruction and excessive hunting, wolves inhabit only a very limited portion of their former range. Though listed as a species of least concern for extinction worldwide, for some regions including the Continental United States, the species is listed as endangered or threatened.
IF U LOVE WOLVES PLZ ENJOY IT!! SAVE THEM!!
COMMENT:
THIS WAS ON MYSPACE PROFILE - NOVA0000SCOTIA- 4 over 7 years..... and it will never change...our environment matters- and all politicians need 2 get off their butts and work 2gether..... the FIRST NATIONS, METIS, INUIT, NON-STATUS... say all politicians just talk, talk, talk, year in and year out and basicly do NOTHING!!!!! - looking back over 50 years- ain't that the damm truth
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Canada's First Nations- FIRST NATIONS- METIS-INUIT AND NON-STATUS- KID QUESTIONS
"First Nations people" refers to Status and Non-Status "Indian" peoples in Canada. Many communities also use the term "First Nation" in the name of their community. Currently, there are 615 First Nation communities, which represent more than 50 nations or cultural groups and 50 Aboriginal languages.
More than one million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, or 4% of the population (as of 2006). Fifty-three percent are registered Indians, 30% are Métis, 11% are Non-status Indians and 4% are Inuit. Over half (54%) of Aboriginal people live in urban areas.
Canada- First Nations- Questions children ask...
Children's section- we answer your most frequently-asked questions about Aboriginal peoples.
Are all Aboriginal people in Canada the same?
Not at all! There are three groups: First Nations, Inuit and Métis
How can I tell the different Aboriginal peoples apart?
To be able to recognize which group a person might belong to, you would need to become familiar with Aboriginal cultures, languages and where the different groups can be found in Canada
How can I tell where an Aboriginal person is from?
To be able to recognize which group a person might belong to, you would need to become familiar with Aboriginal cultures, languages and where the different groups can be found in Canada
Do First Nations people all speak the same language?
No way! There are actually 53 different First Nations languages spoken in Canada, and that's without including the different dialects of these languages!
How can I tell where an Aboriginal person is from?
Their name can often give you a good idea, or knowing what part of the country they're from, but the best way is always just to ask them!
Can First Nations people from different groups in Canada understand one another
Some of the 53 languages have common roots, so speakers of these languages can communicate fairly well. Other languages are completely, totally different. For instance, Haida and Mi'kmaq speakers would certainly have to speak English to understand one another.
Do all First Nations people live in First Nations communities?
No. Slightly more than half of all First Nations people in Canada live in towns and cities.
What are pow-wows? Can anyone go to a pow-wow?
Pow-wows today are celebrations of Aboriginal culture, especially dance and music. They are open to anyone who wants to enjoy learning about and experiencing Aboriginal cultures. They are also a good way to meet and talk to Aboriginal people in your area and, of course, to meet old friends and make new ones!
Why are Elders considered to be so special?
Elders are greatly respected for their patience and understanding, their life experiences, and their knowledge of traditional culture and language.
How did Aboriginal people get through the really cold winters in Canada many years ago?
Aboriginal people prepared for the harsh winter season by storing much food and supplies and moving their camps to more sheltered places. They also wore many layers of warmer clothing, a technique now widely used as the most efficient way to keep both warm and dry in cold weather.
Are there any famous Aboriginal people in Canada's history?
Lots of them! A partial list would include the famous leaders Chief Crowfoot (Blackfoot, Alberta) and Joseph Brant (Mohawk, Ontario) as well as television actor Jay Silverheels (Mohawk, Ontario), but there are many, many others.
Do First Nations people still wear feathers, beads, deerskin and things like that?
Some of them do, but only for special ceremonies or for competition dancing at pow-wows. Aboriginal people today dress the same as everyone else.
What do Inuit kids do for fun?
They play traditional Inuit games, as well as most of the same things you probably do for fun.
Why are some First Nations called "bands" and others are called "tribes"?
In Canada, First Nations are sometimes referred to as "bands"; in the United States they are often called "tribes". Many bands today prefer to be called First Nations.
Is the word "reserve" still used for where First Nations people live?
Yes. It describes land set aside by the federal government for Band use.
What kind of houses do Aboriginal people live in? Do they still live in tipis and igloos?
First Nations and Inuit stopped living in traditional dwellings such as tipis, longhouses (First Nations) and igloos (Inuit) many, many years ago. Today, Aboriginal people live in the same kind of houses as everyone else in whatever part of Canada they live in.
Do Inuit still use igloos and dog sleds?
Yes and no. On hunting trips the igloo has mostly been replaced by modern, lightweight tents, although good survival training still teaches how to build one for use in an emergency. The use of dog sleds was discontinued decades ago in favour of snowmobiles, although they are still very popular with tourists in the North!
Do First Nations people still wear long braids?
Some of the men still do, and of course many women do as well, but modern hairstyles are far more common.
Do Inuit still hunt seals and other animals for food? What do Aboriginal people eat?
Some Inuit still hunt for traditional game such as seals and caribou, but except at special feasts, most Inuit and First Nations people shop at the local grocery store and eat the same foods as you!
Canada's Gateway to Aboriginal Heritage...
A Children's site- games etc. love it..
http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/tresors/ethno/ety0102e.shtml
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Kawliga, In Mi'kmaq Joel Denny Eskasoni -incredible slides-COME VISIT NOVA SCOTIA
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Micmac Indian Fact Sheet- 4 CHILDREN-NOVA SCOTIA
Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Micmacs for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to look through our main Mi'kmaq language and culture pages for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Micmac pictures and links we consider suitable for all ages.
Micmac Tribe
How do you pronounce "Mi'kmaq?" What does it mean?
It's pronounced MICK-mack in English. In their own language, Mi'kmaq people pronounce it MEE-gmakh, with a raspy final consonant. The apostrophe is a vowel marker showing that the i is a long vowel. "Mi'kmaq" originally came from a word meaning "My friends."
What is the right way to spell "Mi'kmaq"?
Not all Mi'kmaq people use the same spelling system. Most Mi'kmaq First Nations use one of the three spellings Mi'kmaq, Micmac, or Míkmaq. Any of those three spellings is acceptable. Sometimes, especially in history books, you will see the word spelled another way: Miikmaq, Mikmaq, Mi'gmaq, Migmaq, Miigmaq, or Migmac. These are less accepted spellings but they all refer to the same tribe.
What is the difference between the words Mi'kmaq and Mi'kmaw?
Mi'kmaq is the plural form and Mi'kmaw is the singular form. "Q" is a plural ending in Mi'kmaq, like "S" is in English. So when Micmac people are speaking their own language, they use Mi'kmaw to describe one person or object, and Mi'kmaq to describe more than one. This makes sense to French speakers, but in English, we don't have endings for our adjectives. So when most Micmac people are speaking English, they use the plural form for everything (one Mi'kmaq canoe, two Mi'kmaq canoes, etc.) But some Micmac people continue to use the singular form in English (one Mi'kmaw canoe, two Mi'kmaq canoes.)
An interesting note: the plural noun "Mi'kmaqs" or "Micmacs" contains two plural endings, one in Mi'kmaq and one in English! Many bilingual Mi'kmaq Indians prefer to always say "Mi'kmaq people" instead of "Mi'kmaqs" because the double plural sounds so strange to them.
Where do the Micmacs live?
The Mi'kmaq Nation was a member of the Wabanaki Confederacy that controlled northern New England and the Canadian Maritimes. The Micmacs are original natives of the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick region. They also settled in locations in Quebec, Newfoundland, and Maine. Today, most Mi'kmaq people live on the Canadian side of the border, but the Aroostook Micmacs live in northeastern Maine.
How is the Micmac Indian nation organized?
Each Micmac Indian community lives on its own reserve or reservation. Reserves are land that belongs to the tribe and is legally under their control. The Micmac Indians in the United States call their community a tribe. In Canada, they call themselves bands or First Nations. Each Micmac tribe or First Nation has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country, Some Mi'kmaq nations have also formed coalitions to address common problems.
The leader of a Micmac tribe is called the chief--saqamaw or sakmaw in the Mikmaq language. In the past, Micmac chiefs were chosen by tribal councilmembers. Often they picked one of the last chief's sons or nephews. Today chiefs are elected in most Micmac nations, just like governors or mayors.
What language do Micmac Indian people speak?
Most Micmacs speak English, but many of them also speak the Mi'kmaq language, Mi'kmawi'simk. Mi'kmaq is a song-like language with complicated verbs. You can listen to a Mi'kmaq woman talk in her language here and read a Mi'kmaw picture glossary here. If you'd like to learn a few easy Micmac words, kwe' (rhymes with "day") is a friendly greeting and wela'lin (pronounce wuh-LAH-leen) means "thank you."
What was Mi'kmaq culture like in the past? What is it like now?
Here's a link to the New Brunswick Bureau of Aboriginal Affairs. Their website has lots of information about Maliseet and Micmac culture, both in the past and today.
How do Micmac Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Mi'kmaq children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did have dolls and toys to play with. Here are some pictures of Micmac games for children. Teenagers and adults played a stick-and-ball game similar to hockey. Like many Native Americans, Mi'kmaq mothers traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents have adopted now.
What were men and women's roles in the Micmac tribe?
Micmac men were hunters and fishermen, and they sometimes went to war to protect their families. Micmac women took care of the children, built their family's house, and gathered plants to eat and herbs to use for medicine. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and religious festivals. In the past, the chief was always a man, but today a Micmac woman can be chief too.
What were Micmac homes like?
The Micmacs didn't live in tepees. They lived in small villages of wigwams, which are houses made of wood and birchbark. One Micmac family lived in each wigwam. Here are some pictures of wigwams like the ones Mi'kmaq Indians used. Today, Native Americans only build a wigwam for fun or to connect with their heritage, not for shelter. Most Micmacs live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
What was Micmac clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Mi'kmaq women wore hide tunics and long skirts. Mi'kmaq men wore breechcloths with leggings. Men didn't have to wear shirts in the Micmac culture, but when it was cold out, they wore warm robes. Mi'kmaq people also wore moccasins on their feet. Later, the Micmacs adapted European costume such as blouses and jackets, decorating them with fancy beadwork. Here are some pictures of Mi'kmaq clothing and some photographs and links about Native American regalia in general.
Traditionally, the Micmacs didn't wear long feather headdresses. Micmac women often wore a distinctive peaked (pointed) hat, and both men and women wore beaded headbands with feathers sticking up from them. The Micmacs didn't usually paint their faces, but sometimes men painted them red if they were going into battle. Most Mi'kmaq people wore their hair long and loose. In fact, French missionaries even complained they couldn't tell Mi'kmaq women and men apart because of their long hair! In the 1800's, some Micmac chiefs began wearing an impressive feathered headdress like the Sioux, and it became popular for Micmac women to braid their hair.
Today, some people still wear traditional Micmac clothing like moccasins or a beaded cap, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.
What was Micmac transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes?
Yes--the Micmac Indian tribe was well-known for their birchbark canoes. Here's a picture of a Mi'kmaq canoe. The upward curve in the middle of the canoe is a distinctive Micmac style. Canoeing is still popular within the Mi'kmaq nation, though few people handcraft their own canoe from birch bark anymore. Over land, the Micmac tribe used dogs as pack animals. (There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.) Micmac people used snowshoes and sleds to help them travel in the winter. The English word "toboggan" is actually borrowed from the Micmac word for "sled."
Today, of course, Micmac people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.
What was Micmac food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Micmac tribe was semi-nomadic. That means they didn't do much farming and moved around a lot as they collected food for their families. The Mikmaqs were good at fishing and hunting large game like caribou and moose. Micmac men also went to sea to harpoon seals, walrus, and even whales. Other foods in the Micmac diet included berries, squash, and maple syrup made from tree sap.
What were Micmac tools and weapons like in the past?
Mi'kmaq hunters and warriors used bows and arrows, bone spears, and heavy wooden clubs. Mi'kmaq fishermen used pronged fishing spears, hooks, and nets.
What are Micmac arts and crafts like?
Micmac artists are famous for their porcupine quillwork. Some colonists even called them the Porcupine Indians because they were so skilled at this art. The Micmacs also did beadwork and basketweaving. Like other eastern American Indians, Micmacs also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family.
What other Native Americans did the Micmac tribe interact with?
The Micmac were great traders, carrying goods between northern tribes like the Innu and Cree and New England tribes like the Abenaki and Pennacook. They were also fierce warriors, fighting with the powerful Iroquois and the Beothuk of Newfoundland.
But their most important neighbors were the Maliseets, Passamaquoddies, Abenakis, and Penobscots. These five tribes formed an alliance called the Wabanaki Confederacy. Before this alliance, the Micmacs were not always friends with these other tribes. Sometimes they even fought wars. But once they joined the Confederacy, the Wabanaki tribes never fought each other again, and are still allies today.
What kinds of stories do Mi'kmaq Indian people tell?
There are lots of traditional Mi'kmaq legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Mi'kmaq culture. Here is one legend about Glooscap (Gluskabe), the culture hero of the Wabanaki tribes, and another about Rabbit and the Moon.
Who are some famous Mi'kmaq Indians?
Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, the famous American Indian activist, was Mi'kmaq from Nova Scotia. She worked for Native American rights and an important figure in the American Indian Movement (AIM). In 1975 she was assassinated and the crime is still unsolved. Anna Mae is still an important figure for many Native Americans in the United States and Canada today. You can read more about her life and death here.
What problems does the Micmac Indian tribe face today?
In Canada, natives and non-natives have many conflicts about Indian land rights. The Micmac and Maliseet tribes of New Brunswick have been at the center of this controversy. When the Micmac and other Indian tribes signed treaties with the Canadian government, they gave up ownership of most of their original land. However, in exchange, the government agreed that the Micmacs would have special fishing, hunting, and logging rights. These special rights make white fishermen, hunters, and loggers very angry. They think it is unfair that they don't have the same rights that the Micmacs do, even though the Micmacs legally paid the government for those rights. Some white people in New Brunswick got so angry that they destroyed Mi'kmaq and Maliseet fishing equipment and burned a sacred site. Eventually the situation calmed down, but there is still a lot of tension between the Micmac Indians and their white neighbors in New Brunswick. Here's an article about this situation that is written for younger readers.
What about Micmac religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about Micmac spirituality or this site about Native American spirituality in general.
Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
Younger children may enjoy The Rough-Faced Girl, a Mi'kmaq version of the Cinderella fairytale. For older kids who like mythology, we recommend On the Trail of Elder Brother, a collection of Mi'kmaq legends told by a Native writer and illustrator. You might also be interested in Clearcut Danger, a Canadian novel about a Micmac girl and a white boy who team up to oppose an unethical logging company. Robert Leavitt's Maliseet and Micmac: First Nations of the Maritimes is a very good reference book about Maliseet culture for young readers, though it can be hard to find in the United States. Micmac: How Their Ancestors Lived Five Hundred Years Ago is an easier-to-find reference book with a lot of good information in it. You can also browse through our reading list of American Indian kids books.
How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organization here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2011.
Thanks for your interest in the Micmac Indian people and their language!
Learn More About The Micmacs
Micmac Indian Tribe
An overview of the Micmac people, their language and history.
Mi'kmaq Language Resources
Mi'kmaq language samples, articles, and indexed links.
Micmac Culture and History Directory
Related links about the Micmac people past and present.
http://www.bigorrin.org/mikmaq_kids.htm
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PHOENIX SINCLAIR- CANADIAN CHILD- physically tortured and murdered by drugged parent and lovers
WE MOURN PHOENIX SINCLAIR WHO WAS HORRIBLY TREATED BY HER PARENTS AND SOCIAL SERVICES...... abusing children CANNOT be blamed on residential schools - abusing children- is abusing children Canada- AND ALL CANADIANS MUST STEP UP AND FIX THIS.... no more child abuse Canada...
PHOTO
IDLE NO MORE- Phoenix Sinclair - the FACE OF CHILD ABUSE MURDER IN CANADA -2013
PHOENIX SINCLAIR'S FOSTER MOM IS SO BROKEN UP ABOUT LOSING HER FOSTER DAUGHTER 2 PARENTS SHE NEW WOULD KILL THIS LITTLE GIRL... STILL ON HUNGER STRIKE..... Shame on Canada Social Services..... Kids in Canada need better protection... r kids matter
IDLE NO MORE CANADA- Phoenix Sinclair's Fostermom still on hungerfast- on CHILD ABUSE IN CANADA- especially First Peoples
Phoenix Sinclair’s foster mother goes on hunger strike
http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/680773/winnipeg-woman-camps-out-in-front-of-legislature-to-protest-child-welfare/
and...
SOCIAL SERVICE AND GOVERNMENT REFUSE TO TAKE ANY BLAME 4 THE TORTURE AND MURDER OF THIS CANADIAN DAUGHTER WHO HAPPENS 2 BE FIRST PEOPLES OF CANADA.... we weep with shame
NEWS..
Phoenix Sinclair Inquiry hears child welfare has improved
Jul 23, 2013 2:54 PM ET One of Manitoba's largest child welfare authorities says changes made since the death of a five-year-old girl have made the system one of th
One of Manitoba's largest child-welfare authorities says changes in the eight years since the torturous abuse and murder of a five-year-old girl have made the province's protection system one of the best in Canada. In its written closing ...
NEWS
Phoenix Sinclair inquiry hears 5-year-old girl beaten, shot ... - CBC
www.cbc.ca/.../mb-phoenix-sinclair-inquiry-murder-girl-winnipeg.html
Apr 22, 2013 - As five-year-old Phoenix Sinclair suffered a final, deadly beating on the concrete basement floor of her family's home, a terrified stepbrother ...
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STEP UP MR. HARPER- IDLE NO MORE 4 CANADA- ALL POLITICIANS NEED 2 STEP UP- r women matter
CANADA Anonymous creates mpa of turtle island's missing and murdered aboriginal women of Canada - r daughters matter damm it!!!!
Premiers urge Stephen Harper to call public inquiry over missing aboriginal women ... Prime Minister Stephen Harper won’t meet ... minister and premiers: it would simply turn into a gang-up on the ...
http://o.canada.com/2013/07/24/premiers-urge-stephen-harper-to-call-public-inquiry-over-missing-aboriginal-women/
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Discover the Culture of Nova Scotia's first people -- the Mi'kmaw within Keji and the UNESCO SNBR
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Aboriginal People, Languages- CANADA
ARTICLE CONTENTS: Condition of Canada's Aboriginal Languages | Geographic Distribution of Canadian Aboriginal Language Families | Classification of Canada's Aboriginal Languages | Structural Diversity of Aboriginal Languages | Aboriginal Language Families of Canada | Suggested Reading | Links to Other Sites
Approximately 51 or 52 distinct indigenous languages are spoken in Canada. These languages fall into 11 separate families. Three of the families consist of only a single language, for which the term isolate is used. Of the remaining eight families, some are groupings of languages as closely related as those comprising the Romance, Germanic or Slavic families of Indo-European, while others are more ramified groupings on the order of Indo-European as a whole. In a few cases the Aboriginal language families of Canada and the rest of North America have been found to be distantly related, although many more proposals of relationship have been advanced than have actually been proven. In the light of present knowledge the majority of Aboriginal language families in North America appear to be as independent from one another as Indo-European is from Uralic, Sino-Tibetan or Japanese. North America is unquestionably one of the most complex linguistic regions in the world.
Many of the Aboriginal languages of Canada are spoken in several more or less mutually intelligible dialects, particularly when the language is distributed over a large area. Thus, CREE is a single language spoken in six recognized dialectal variants in dozens of communities and reserves from the Rockies well into Québec; and Ojibwa, with at least seven dialectical variants, is found in many communities throughout central Canada (see CREE SYLLABICS). Such dialects grade into one another to form chains whose members may approach mutual unintelligibility at the geographic extremes, but the chains themselves are regarded as single languages for purposes of classification. Cree and OJIBWA are two of the 10 Algonquian family languages spoken in Canada; some of these and still others are spoken in the US.
Native Language Families
Native Language Families
Condition of Canada's Aboriginal Languages
Statistics Canada estimated in the 1991 census that there were about 223 000 persons with a speaking knowledge of at least one Aboriginal language. Assuming that most of these speakers were also persons who reported having at least some INDIAN, MÉTIS or INUIT ancestry, approximately one Aboriginal person in five in Canada had a speaking knowledge of an Aboriginal language at the time. In the late 20th century the majority of native people, particularly younger persons, did not speak an Aboriginal language.
Cree
Cree
A Cree plaque at the Anglican church at Churchill, marking the Hudson Bay Railway excursion, 1946 (courtesy Canada Science and Technology Museum/CN Collection/CN005648).
Of the 51 or 52 Aboriginal languages, only Cree, Ojibwa and the languages comprising the Inuit Inupiaq branch of the Eskimo-Aleut family have sufficient numbers of speakers to give them excellent chances of long-term survival. A few of the remaining languages have at least reasonable chances of surviving in the near future, but the majority are endangered, and at least seven were approaching extinction in the mid-1990s, with only a handful of elderly speakers of these still living at the time. Undoubtedly, the number of Aboriginal languages once spoken in Canada considerably exceeded the present number. Nicola (see NICOLA-SIMILKAMEEN) and TSETSAUT (Athapaskan), Pentlatch (Salishan) (see INTERIOR SALISH), and SENECA and Tuscarora (Iroquoian) (see IROQUOIS) were all spoken in Canada in relatively recent times but are now extinct there; some of these are still spoken by small numbers of elderly persons in the US. Other languages that disappeared during the early stages of European contact include: BEOTHUK (isolate), HURON, St. Lawrence Iroquoian, NEUTRAL, and PETUN (all Iroquoian).
Geographic Distribution of Canadian Aboriginal Language Families
Not one of Canada's Aboriginal language families falls exclusively within Canada, and most straddle the US-Canadian border. Eskimo-Aleut extends not only into Alaska, but also into Siberia on the west and Greenland on the east. Within Canada, the Aboriginal language families concentrate in the West. Except for Eskimo-Aleut, whose Inuit Inupiaq branch stretches across the entire Canadian Arctic, only two language families, Algonquian and Iroquoian, are found east of Lake Winnipeg, and only Iroquoian is found exclusively beyond this point. Siouan (see SIOUX), Algonquian and Athapaskan are present in the prairies, although the latter two belong primarily to the Boreal Forest (Subarctic) area; and Athapaskan and Tlingit (see INLAND TLINGIT) are spoken in a number of communities in the BC interior. Along the West Coast and its inland waterways are found large numbers of Salishan, TSIMSHIAN, Wakashan (see NOOTKA) and HAIDA communities. The isolate Kutenai (see KOOTENAY) is located in southeastern BC near the lake and river of that name (Kootenay). Eight of the 11 families are found in BC alone.
This concentration of families has suggested to students of Aboriginal history that the West is a linguistically old area and the most likely staging area for successive migrations of speakers to the south and east, a view which accords quite well with archaeological and ethnological findings. By contrast, central and eastern Canada are dominated by the Algonquian family and particularly by the two languages Cree and Ojibwa. This situation suggests more recent language spreads relative to the West.
Classification of Canada's Aboriginal Languages
Linguistic classification involves both the question of the internal relationships among members of the same family and the question of the external links between families in still larger groupings, termed stocks or superstocks, depending on how comprehensive they are. The membership within families of all of the 50 Aboriginal languages is well established, higher-order groupings far less so.
The high-water mark of Aboriginal language classification for North America was achieved by Edward SAPIR in a famous paper published in the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1929, a paper which set the directions of Aboriginal language research for decades afterwards and which still provokes lively debate. In this classification, the numerous families of North America were first grouped into 12 middle-level stocks considered reasonably assured, and then - far more speculatively - into six far-reaching superstocks, considered possible though unproven. All but one of the Canadian Aboriginal families were subsumed under four superstock headings: Algonkin Wakashan (Algonquian, Kutenai, Wakashan, Salishan, plus three families in the US); Na-Dene (Athapaskan, Haida and Tlingit); Penutian (centered in California and Oregon, with Tsimshian the sole Canadian member); Hokan-Siouan (numerous families in the western US and some in Mexico, with the Siouan and Iroquoian families spilling over into Canada).
One family, Eskimo-Aleut, was regarded then, as it is today, as constituting a separate stock. In recent decades there has been a steady retreat among the majority of linguists from this and other massively integrative classificatory schemes, back at least to the middle-level stocks. In some cases, additional middle- and lower-level links have been proposed, even as the higher-order links have come undone through continuing research. Thus, Eyak, a language isolate in Alaska, has been joined to Athapaskan during the same period that saw the dismantling of the Na-Dene superstock as a whole; and the link between Siouan and Iroquoian, while problematic, is on firmer footing today than it was in 1929, although little remains of Sapir's Hokan-Siouan superstock, in which both families were originally placed.
Structural Diversity of Aboriginal Languages
Early descriptions of the Aboriginal languages of North America tended to cast them all in the same mold as "polysynthetic" or "holophrastic," in order to capture a tendency found in a number of them toward great complexity of the word, particularly the verb. It was often found that the formal elements expressed in the familiar European languages by separate words or word endings were, in many Aboriginal languages, combined in chains of prefixes or suffixes surrounding basic roots. Certainly there are families such as Eskimo-Aleut, Iroquoian and Algonquian where the term polysynthesis fairly characterizes the verb, but such general typological labels leave a spurious impression of structural uniformity for the whole continent and obscure differences sometimes found even among languages of the same family. Moreover, there are Amerindian languages that are as "analytic" as English, and others that are as "inflective" as Latin and Greek, so that it is impossible to speak of all the Aboriginal languages of the hemisphere as fitting a single structural type or set of types.
In addition, virtually every grammatical category known from the languages of the Old World (systems of person, case, number, gender, tense, mode, aspect, voice) is found among the languages of North America, and there are some unusual categories that have been the focus of considerable interest in Aboriginal language research: verb stems that denote categories of shape and motion, sets of demonstratives that indicate whether an object mentioned by the speaker is visible to him, verb modes that indicate whether what the speaker is saying can be verified from immediate experience, even different sets of numerals to count different classes of objects. One particular line of research which has developed around the so-called world view problem has attempted to determine if, and how, such categories influence habitual thought patterns and modes of perception among speakers.
Aboriginal languages also exhibit great diversity in their sound systems. In some families, such as Iroquoian and Eskimo Aleut, the inventory of basic sounds is fairly limited; in others, particularly those located in the Plateau and on the West Coast, the inventories of basic sounds, especially in consonant series, are quite large.
Aboriginal Language Families of Canada
Algonquian
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
150 000
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
10 languages in Canada: Blackfoot (two dialects), Cree (Plains, Mitchif [Cree-French Creole], Woods, Moose-Eastern Swampy, Western Swampy, and Attikarnek dialects) and closely related Montagnais and Naskapi, Delaware (Munsee dialect), Mi'kmaq, Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, Ojibwa (Algonquin, Central, Eastern, Northwestern, Ottawa [Odawa], Saukeaux, and Sevem dialects), Potawatomi, ***Western Abenaki.
Athapaskan
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
27 500
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
13 languages in Canada: Babine, Beaver, Carrier, Chilcotin, Chipewyan, Dogrib, Gwich'in [Kutchin] (two dialects), ***Han (Dawson dialect), ***Sarsi [Sarcee], Sekani, Slavey-Hare (Bearlake, Hare, Mountain, and Slavey dialects), ***Tahltan-Kaska-***Tagish (three dialects of one language), Tutchone (Northern and Southern dialects).
Eskimo-Aleut
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
26 800
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Two languages of the Inuit-lnupiaq branch in Canada: Eastern Canadian Inuit [Inuktitut] (Aivilik, South Baffin, Tarramiut, North Baffin-lglulik, Itivimmiut, and Labrador dialects), Western Canadian Inuit (Siglit, Copper, Caribou, and Netsilik dialects).
Haida
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
220
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Language isolate (Skidegate and Masset dialects).
Iroquoian
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
730
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Four languages in Canada: Cayuga (two dialects), Mohawk (several dialects), Oneida, ***Onondaga.
Kutenai
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
170
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Language isolate.
Salishan
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
3350
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
10 languages in Canada comprising the Coast and Interior divisions, each with further subdivisions: Bella Coola (three dialects), Comox (Sliammon dialect), Halkomelem (three to four dialects), Lillooet, Okanagan (several dialects), ***Sechelt, Shuswap (two dialects), ***Squamish, ***Straits (several dialects), Thompson.
Siouan
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
4540
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Two languages in Canada belonging to the Dakotan branch of the family: Assiniboine, Stoney.
Tlingit
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
160
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Language isolate (Inland dialect spoken in Canada).
Tsimshian
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada:
500
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Two to three languages in Canada: Coast Tsimshian (two dialects, possibly languages), Nass-Gitksan (three dialects).
Wakashan
*Approximate Number of Speakers in Canada
3840
**Languages Spoken in Canada:
Four languages in Canada belonging to the Kwakiutlan and Nootkan branches of the family: Haisla, Heiksuk-Oowokyala (two dialects), Nootka (dialect chain).
Speakers of unidentified aboriginal languages:
5020
Total
222 830
*Data from the 1991 Canadian Census. The census resulted in different figures for the categories Mother Tongue (the language first learned at home and still understood), Home Language (the language spoken most often at home), and Knowledge of Languages (the language(s) spoken well enough to use in a conversation). The present figures, rounded off, are from the third category. While the figures are indicative of relative numbers of speakers, they cannot be taken as absolute, since a number of Aboriginal reserves were incompletely enumerated. The figure for Iroquoian speakers, for instance, is too low, since other sources indicate between 1000-2000 speakers in Canada for Mohawk alone.
**Principal dialects are in parentheses and alternate names of languages and dialects in square brackets.
***Near extinction, or recently extinct, in the mid-1990s. Languages known to be extinct are not listed.
The Status of Proposed Distant Genetic Relationships of Canadian Aboriginal Language Families
Algonquian Family
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Algonquian-Ritwan (Algic)
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
Algonquian + Ritwan (Wiyot and Yurok of NW California)
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
Widely accepted as established. Wiyok and Yurok may not form a separate subgroup as the term Ritwan implies.
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Algonkin-Wakashan
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
Algic (as above) + Mosan (Wakashan, Salishan and, in the US, Chimaknan) + Kutenai + possibly Beothuk (the extinct language of Newfoundland)
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
The overall hypothetical construct considered doubtful, some links (Kutenai with Salishan and/or Algonquian) considered possible. Link with Beothuk now discounted.
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Macro-Algonquian (Algonquian-Gulf)
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
Algic + Gulf grouping in SE US (Muskogean, Natchez, Tunica, Chitimacha, Atakapa)
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
The status of the Gulf grouping uncertain, that of the larger construct even more so.
Athapaskan Family
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Athapaskan-Eyak
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
Athapaskan (Northern Pacific and Southern) + Eyak (Alaska)
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
Widely accepted as established
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Na-Dene
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
Athapaskan-Eyak + Haida + Tlingit
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
Tlingit possibly remotely related to Athapaskan-Eyak, Haida now thought not to be. No relationship yet found between Haida and Tlingit.
Eskimo-Aleut
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
Eskimo-Aleut + Chukotan (Siberia)
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
The connection with Chukotan, now generally accepted, makes Eskimo-Aleut the only Aboriginal language family of North America with a proven Old World connection.
Haida
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Na-Dene
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
See Athapaskan.
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
See Athapaskan.
Iroquoian
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Macro-Siouan
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
Iroquoian + Siouan + Caddoan (central US)
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
The Iroquoian-Siouan link is firmer than the postulated Siouan-Caddoan and Iroquoian-Caddoan links.
Kutenai
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Algonkin-Wakashan
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
See Algonquian.
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
See Algonquian.
Salishan
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Mosan
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
See Algonquian.
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
See Algonquian.
Siouan
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Macro-Siouan
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
See Iroquoian.
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
See Iroquoian.
Tlingit
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Na-Dene
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
See Athapaskan.
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
See Athapaskan.
Tsimshian
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Penutian
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
15 families and isolates mostly found in California and Oregon
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
Penutian grouping postulated but not proven. The relationship with outliers such as Tsimshian is especially tenuous.
Wakashan
Proposed Larger Group Affiliations
Mosan
Stocks, Families or Isolates Included
See Algonquian.
Status of Groupings and Links in Current Research
See Algonquian.
See also COMMUNICATIONS IN THE NORTH; CREE SYLLABICS; NATIVE PEOPLE, EDUCATION.
Author MICHAEL K. FOSTER
Suggested Reading
L. Campbell and M. Mithun, eds, The Languages of Native America (1979); J.K. Chambers, ed, The Languages of Canada Part 1: The Native Languages (1979); Michael K. Foster, "Canada's First Languages," Language and Society , 7-16 (1982); J. Helm, ed, Handbook of North American Indians, articles on aboriginal language families in vol 5 (Arctic), 6 (Subarctic), 7 (Northwest Coast), 15 (Northeast) and 17 (Languages) (1978); M.D. Kinkade, "The Decline of Native Languages in Canada," in R.H. Robins and E.M. Uhlenbeck, eds, Endangered Languages (1991); [Map of] "Indian and Inuit Communities and Languages," National Atlas of Canada, (5th ed,1980); International Journal of American Linguistics; T.A. Sebeok, ed, Linguistics in North America (1973). Note:Statistics Canada, Knowledge of Languages, Catalogue no 93-318, reproduced by authority of the Minister of Industry. Readers wishing additional information on data provided through the co-operation of Statistics Canada may obtain copies of related publications from Publications Sales, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ont, K1A 0T6 (toll-free 1-800-267-6677).
Links to Other Sites
Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge
The website for the Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge, which features Canada's largest essay writing competition for Aboriginal youth (ages 14-29) and a companion program for those who prefer to work through painting, drawing and photography. See their guidelines, teacher resources, profiles of winners, and more. From the Historica-Dominion Institute.
Sustaining Momentum: The Government of Canada's Fourth and Final Report in Response to the Kelowna Accord Implementation Act 2011-12
See the full text of a 2012 report about federal government investments and accomplishments related to Canada's Aboriginal peoples and communities. From Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."
Site for Language Management in Canada
This site offers a history of language in Canada, from the first languages spoken by aboriginal populations to the introduction of French and English. From the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, University of Ottawa.
Languages of Canada
A comprehensive online database of languages currently in use in Canada. Also provides details about extinct languages. Check out the "language maps" for more information. Based on "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition." From SIL International, a US website.
FirstVoices Language Archive
A website devoted to Canada's indigenous languages. Features program information, multimedia dictionaries, and related resources. Produced by The First Peoples' Cultural Foundation.
Raid on Deerfield
A narrated history of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield and its aftermath from Native and European perspectives. Also features fascinating stories about Native societies, cultures, trade practices, and traditions. This multimedia website is from the Memorial Hall Museum in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre
An extensive online information source about the history, traditions, and languages of First Nations peoples in Saskatchewan.
Yukon Native Language Centre
A superb multimedia site that offers an introduction to native languages in the Yukon. Features the Gwich'in, Hän, Kaska, Northern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Tagish, and Upper Tanana languages. Includes information about training programs for teachers and the public.
What is linguistics?
An excellent introduction to the field of linguistics. From the University of New Brunswick at Saint John.
Newfoundland and Labrador: Language
Learn about Newfoundland’s rich linguistic history. From the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site.
Dictionary of Indian Tongues
A facsimile of an 1862 publication about the "Tshimpsean, Hydah and Chinook" languages. Features definitions and English translations. From Library and Archives Canada.
Aboriginal Place Names
This site highlights Aboriginal place names found across Canada. From the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) is the national Inuit organization in Canada. Represents four Inuit regions – Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Nunavik (northern Quebec), Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories. Their extensive website covers regional political, economic, cultural, and environmental issues. Also offers online articles from the magazine "Inuktitut" in Inuktitut, English, and French.
Love and Lonesome Songs of the Skeena River
An article about the role of traditional love songs created and sung by the Tsimshian people of British Columbia. From the "Canadian Journal for Traditional Music."
Four Directions Teachings
Elders and traditional teachers representing the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, and Mi’kmaq share teachings about their history and culture. Animated graphics visualize each of the oral teachings. This website also provides biographies of participants, transcripts, and an extensive array of learning resources for students and their teachers. In English with French subtitles.
Knowledge of non-official languages
This appendix presents the non-official language classifications used for the 2006, 2001 and 1996 Censuses. The classification, with the exception of English, French and non-verbal languages, is the same as the one used in establishing mother tongue, home language and language of work. From Statistics Canada.
Niitsitapiisini: Our Way of Life
This website presents the culture and history of the Blackfoot-speaking people as they know and understand it. It has been developed through a unique collaboration among the people of the Blackfoot First Nations and Glenbow Museum.
Ohwejagehka Hadegaenage
To learn more about the Iroquois languages and to hear Cayuga words and phrases, visit Ohwejagehka Hadegaenage.
Naskapi Lexicon
The "Naskapi Lexicon" database provides users with access to a trilingual dictionary, with translations of terms into Naskapi, English, and French. A Library and Archives Canada website.
East Cree
This site is intended as a resource for Cree language teachers, literacy instructors, translators, linguists, and anyone who has an interest in the nuts and bolts of the Cree language.
CBC: Aboriginal
This website offers links to various CBC programs and features concerning Canada's Aboriginal communities.
Inuktitut Tusaalanga
This website offers tools and strategies for learning Inuktitut, the Inuit language.
Language Portal of Canada
The Language Portal of Canada offers resources for language learning and writing in English and French. A Government of Canada website.
Canada’s First Nations
This extensive multimedia website profiles the history, culture, and language of Canada's First Nations peoples. Also examines the impact of European contact on First Nations communities. A joint project of the University of Calgary and Red Deer College.
Pepamuteiati nitassinat: As we walk across our land
Explore Innu history and culture in the vast landscape of Labrador and eastern Quebec through their place names and stories about the land.
Inuktitut Our Language
A website from the Pirurvik Centre provides online resources to help learn the Inuktitut language.
A Lexicon of Snow
A lengthy list of Innuit and English words that refer to "snow". A University of Calgary website.
Dane-zaa Stories & Songs: Dreamers and the Land
Explore the oral histories of the Dane-zaa through the stories and songs brought to the people by Dreamers (Nááchê). Also learn about the Doig River First Nations, one of the Dane-zaa communities of the Peace River area of BC. Includes an online teachers' guide and notes about the Dane-zaa Záágé? language, a member of the Athabaskan language family. Requires Flash or Quick Time media programs. From the Virtual Museum of Canada.
Kwakiutl Band
The website for the Kwakiutl Band, one of the original inhabitants of the northern Vancouver Island region. Features an illustrated overview of their culture, history, and heritage and information about treaty negotiations and reserve lands. Click on the Our Land: History section for links to articles about the fragile relationship between local First Nations communities and the Hudson's Bay Company in this area.
The Bill Reid Centre For Northwest Coast Art Studies
Part of the Department of First Nations Studies at Simon Fraser University, this centre is devoted to "the study of First Nations art of the Northwest Coast as the visual embodiment of a broad cultural development since the end of the last Ice Age." Click the links on the right side of the page to view an illustrated profile of the history and heritage of featured language groups and villages.
The Dakota Documents
A brief survey of research into the relationship between various factions of the Dakota Nation. From Canadian Heritage and the Prince Albert Grand Council.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/languages-of-native-people
------------
OVER 150 ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN CANADA- here's overview of 150
Languages-Aboriginal Languages in Canada
Tansi (Cree) - Oki (Blackfoot) - Yo (Kwakwala) - Wotziye (Dene) - Tanshi (Michif)
- Hello/Greeting in different languages
Introduction
With over 50 Aboriginal languages currently spoken across the country, Canada has an incredible amount of linguistic diversity. For many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, language is an expression of their nationhood and identity. Language is a vital tool for the transmission of values, spiritual and traditional beliefs, and the entire histories of a people from generation to generation.
Aboriginal Languages in Canada
Aboriginal groups in Canada—First Nations, Inuit, and Métis each have their own distinct languages and dialects within these languages.
Language isolate: in linguistics, a language isolate is a natural human language that has no "genetic" or ancestral link to any other language.
First Nations languages
Across Canada, there are eleven Indigenous language families comprised of at least 59 individual languages. These families are: Algonquian, Athapaskan, Eskimo-Aleut, Haida, Iroquoian, Ktunaxa (Kutenai), Salishan, Siouan, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Wakashan.1 The largest language family is Algonquian, which covers a vast geographical range from the Atlantic Provinces to the central-eastern sections of British Columbia. Cree, part of the Algonquian family, is the most commonly spoken First Nations language in Canada with an estimated 80,000 speakers in 2005.2 Three of these language families (Haida, Ktunaxa, and Tlingit) have only one language and are considered language isolates. Furthermore, a single language can contain many dialects and linguistic variations within a small geographical area. For example, Halkomelem has Upriver, Downriver, and Vancouver Island dialects. For a list of Aboriginal languages currently spoken in Canada, as well as their distribution, visit the Atlas of Canada here.
The diversity of these languages is remarkable, even within a single language family. Halkomelem, spoken by the Coast Salish of the lower Fraser River and southern Vancouver Island, is as different from Okanagan as Finnish and Hungarian. Cree (Algonquian) is as different from Mohawk (Iroquoian) as English and Japanese.3 Linguists have found that many First Nations languages are typologically unique, using structures and systems remarkably different from the more commonly studied Indo-European languages. As a result, linguists have found that First Nations languages are incredibly valuable to gaining better understandings of the way humans use language.4
As First Nations traditionally preserved and transmitted their culture and history through the oral tradition, no First Nations language in Canada had a writing system prior to European contact. Starting in the mid-19th century, European missionaries created writing systems for the Cree and Ojibwe peoples in an effort to teach them about Christianity. Over time, these writing systems were developed and consolidated to encompass more languages. Currently, the Algonquian, Athapaskan, and Eskimo-Aleut language families use variants of the Canadian Aboriginal Syllabic writing system. Some First Nations languages use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).5 Others have their own systems. Many Salish nations in British Columbia, for example, have their own practical orthographies that are based on Roman characters.
First Nations Languages map of B.C. Click to enlarge. Reproduced courtesy of the Museum of Anthropology, University of B.C., Vancouver.
British Columbia is the most linguistically diverse region in Canada. In a province that only encompasses about 10 percent of Canada’s total area, more than 30 Indigenous languages are spoken here.6 Of the eleven Indigenous language families in Canada, eight are found in B.C, including the three language isolates: Haida, Tlingit, and Ktunaxa. (See Aboriginal language map of B.C., to the right.)
The Inuit, living in the area above the tree line stretching from the Western Arctic to northern Quebec and Labrador, all speak mutually comprehensible dialects of a single language. This language is most commonly known as Inuktitut, the dialect spoken by Inuit peoples in the Eastern Arctic. Inuktitut is the third most-spoken Indigenous language in Canada, with over 25,000 speakers.7 To learn some Inuktitut, visit Tusaalanga Inuktitut.
Métis people, who are the descendants of European settlers and First Nations, traditionally spoke a language called Michif. Michif evolved as a result of the fusion of European and Aboriginal cultures. It is generally a mixture of Cree verbs and sentence structures combined with French noun-phrases.8 Originally a trading language, Michif was soon adopted as the "national" language of the Métis. Michif is still spoken in some Métis communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, although it is estimated that there are less than 1,000 fluent speakers.9 Many Métis speak First Nations languages as well, including Cree, Dakota, Ojibwe, and Dene.
Another language that developed during the fur trade is Chinook. Chinook was most commonly spoken in British Columbia and along the Northwest Pacific Coast. Chinook is not as linguistically complex as other languages and is therefore considered a jargon. It is comprised of English, French, and the language of the Chinook people.10 While Chinook is for the most part no longer spoken, Chinook continues to be researched and studied via dictionaries. Many Chinook words are have entered the English vernacular of the Pacific Coast. Some common Chinook words still used today are potlatch and tyee.
Language loss
Despite the amazing diversity of Aboriginal languages across Canada, many languages are declining in use or are endangered due to the tragic history of assimilation policies carried out by the Canadian government. In an attempt to assimilate First Nations cultures into English society, the government discouraged and suppressed thousands of years of linguistic diversity and knowledge. One devastating assimilation strategy was the residential school system. Starting in the late 1880s, thousands of Aboriginal children were forcibly taken from their parents and communities and were forced to attend church-run boarding schools funded by the Canadian government.11 Speaking First Nations languages at school was strictly forbidden, and students who disobeyed these rules often faced severe physical or emotional punishment. Cut off from their families, many students lost the ability to speak their First Nations languages and subsequently, were unable to pass on these skills to their children. Furthermore, even after the residential school system ended, many adult survivors were too traumatized and ashamed to speak or re-learn their language again. Some others discouraged their children from learning their ancestral language, believing that fluency in English or French would make their lives easier. As a result, generations of Aboriginal peoples are still experiencing the repercussions of language loss. When a language is lost, the culture, health, and identity of a people is also threatened.12
Today, the statistics on Aboriginal language use appears grim: across Canada, only 25 percent of the Aboriginal population is able to speak or understand an Aboriginal language without full fluency.13 Among the Haida, Tlingit, and Ktunaxa, all of whom who speak language isolates, the average age of mother-tongue speakers is about 50 years old.14 As these speakers age and pass on, languages become increasingly endangered. For Aboriginal peoples living in urban areas, they face greater obstacles learning and speaking their languages because they are isolated from their communities and may lack cultural support.
Language revitalization
Despite this history of language loss, Aboriginal Canadians are working together to revitalize their ancestral languages by preserving the knowledge of elders and teaching a new generation of speakers. Instead of viewing language loss through a pessimistic standpoint, some people refuse to consider some languages "extinct," but rather see languages that have no fluent speakers as "sleeping languages" that can be "awakened".15 One common goal among some First Nations communities is to promote local control over their children’s education, a common philosophy among supporters of Aboriginal rights and self-government. For example, in British Columbia, the Stó:lo First Nation of the Fraser Valley have developed many initiatives to revitalize their traditional language, Halq’emeylem (Upriver Halkomelem). One program is the Pre-School Language Nest, a pre-school system modelled after a family home environment where children learn through natural language immersion. Another initiative is the Master-Apprentice Program, in which a fluent speaker is paired with a learner, and they carry out daily activities using Halq’emeylem at all times.16
In British Columbia, the Ministry of Education has recognized the rights of First Nations to develop and educate their children in their traditional languages. Sixteen school districts in the province are approved to teach fourteen different First Nations languages for the B.C. Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum. Languages are regularly added to the curriculum following a consultation process with band councils, elders, and language teachers.17
In academia, linguists and anthropologists are recording as many mother-tongue speakers of Aboriginal languages as they can. For some people who have forgotten their language, listening to these recordings can trigger their memory and help them regain their language skills. These initiatives have bridged academic research with on-the-ground language revitalization. For example, the Squamish Nation has combined language curriculum development sessions with a Squamish speaking group for elders. Having a place where elders can be surrounded by other fluent Squamish speakers has become just as much a reason for the meetings as the curriculum development. Post-secondary institutions are also increasingly offering Aboriginal language courses to students. See, for example, UBC’s First Nations Languages Program. Furthermore, some students are finding innovative and groundbreaking ways to revitalize Aboriginal languages through their academic studies. In June 2009, Fred Metallic, a York University Ph.D. candidate, became the first university student to write a doctoral dissertation in an Aboriginal language without an English or French translation. His dissertation, written entirely in Mi’kmaq, examines the reclamation of history and culture by the Mi’kmaq First Nation in Atlantic Canada.18
Over the years, the federal government and Aboriginal peoples have made significant efforts to heal and reconcile the legacy of discrimination and assimilation. In their final report, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recognizes that the "Aboriginal language status and use is a core power in Aboriginal self-government."19 For Aboriginal peoples, speaking their traditional languages is not only an expression of identity, it is also an assertion of empowerment. In conclusion, the following quote encapsulates the importance of language for Aboriginal peoples in Canada:
"One Elder has said, ‘Without the language, we are warm bodies without a spirit’."
Mary Lou Fox, Ojibwe elder
By Alice Huang.
Recommended resources
Maps and Charts
Atlas of Canada: Aboriginal Languages (interactive map)
Department of Natural Resources Canada
http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/peopleandsociety/lang/aboriginallanguages
Canada’s Aboriginal Languages (interactive map)
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/map-aboriginal-language/
Canada’s First Nations: Native Civilizations Language Map
University of Calgary
http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/firstnations/civilisations.html
Currently Spoken Aboriginal Canadian Languages (chart)
Lakehead University
http://bolt.lakeheadu.ca/~jomeara/canadianLanguages.html
First Nations Languages of British Columbia
UBC Museum of Anthropology
http://www.moa.ubc.ca/pdf/FN_Lang_map.pdf
First Peoples’ Language Map of BC (interactive map)
First People’s Heritage, Language, and Culture Council
http://maps.fphlcc.ca/
Sound Recordings and Writing Systems
First Voices
A suite of web-based tools and services designed to support Aboriginal people engaged in language archiving, language teaching & culture revitalization. Website contains thousands of text entries in many diverse Aboriginal writing systems, enhanced with sounds, pictures and videos.
http://www.firstvoices.com/
Free Native American Lessons and Courses
Links to vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation guides of several Canadian Aboriginal languages (Abenaki, Chinook, Cree, Haida, Halkomelem/Salish, Michif, Ojibwe)
http://www.multilingualbooks.com/freelessons-nativeamerican.html
Tusaalanga Inuktitut
A comprehensive, interactive website to teach users Inuktitut, created by the Pirurvik Centre in Iqualuit.
http://www.tusaalanga.ca/
Learn Michif
A dynamic and interactive website that teaches the user various Michif words and phrases, as well as other elements of Métis culture such as material objects, music, and history.
www.learnmichif.com
Television and Radio Stations
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)
Television programs related to Aboriginal peoples in English, French, and Aboriginal languages
http://www.aptn.ca/
Available on most cable systems; check your local listings
Aboriginal Voices Radio
Features Indigenous musical artists from Canada and around the world.
http://www.aboriginalvoices.com/index.shtml
Listen at 106.3 FM (in Metro Vancouver)
CBC Aboriginal Legends Project
First Nations legends and songs from across Canada, narrated in English and different First Nations languages by elders
Listen Online: http://www.cbc.ca/aboriginal/legends-project/
IsumaTV
Online collection of Inuit (Inuktitut) and Indigenous multimedia in over 41 languages.
Watch online: http://www.isuma.tv/hi/en
Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC Radio)
Radio broadcasts in Cree, Dene, and English, based in Saskatchewan
Listen Online: http://www.mbcradio.com/index3.html
Word of the Day: http://www.mbcradio.com/word_of_day/today/default.asp
Videos and Documentaries
Cry Rock
Produced by Banchi Hanuse
A beautiful, short documentary about Nuxalk oral tradition that explores the intersection of place, culture, and stories in the Bella Coola Valley.
Official website: http://www.smayaykila.com/cryrock/
Finding Our Talk
Produced by Mushkeg Media
A series of documentaries featuring Aboriginal languages in Canada and the broader Indigenous world. DVDs available at UBC Library.
Episode Guide: http://www.mushkeg.ca/
Our First Voices
Produced by Knowledge Network, British Columbia
A documentary celebrating thirteen BC First Nations languages and preserving them for future generations.
Watch online: http://www.knowledge.ca/program/our-first-voices
Our First Voices- Shorts
Produced by Knowledge Network, British Columbia
A series of short clips from the documentary ‘Our First Voices,’ celebrating thirteen BC First Nations languages and preserving them for future generations.
Watch online: http://www.knowledge.ca/program/our-first-voices-shorts
Our World
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, in partnership with First Nations communities in BC/Yukon
A series of short videos featuring First Nations youth and their communities. In English and different First Nations languages.
Watch online: http://films.nfb.ca/ourworld/index.php
Linguistics and Language Study
Institute on Field Linguistics and Language Documentation
University of Oregon
http://logos.uoregon.edu/infield2010/home/index.php
Indigenous Languages and Technology Listserve
University of Arizona
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~cashcash/ILAT.html
First Nations Languages: Provincial and Territorial Curriculum Guides
The Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers
http://www.caslt.org/resources/modern-lang/first-nations-support-materials_en.php
First Nations Language Program, University of British Columbia
http://fnlg.arts.ubc.ca
Aboriginal Language and Literary Institute, University of British Columbia
http://alli.arts.ubc.ca
Resource Guides
First Nations Languages
Xwi7xwa Library, University of British Columbia
http://www.library.ubc.ca/xwi7xwa/lang.htm
First Nations Languages of British Columbia
University of British Columbia Library
http://toby.library.ubc.ca/subjects/subjpage1.cfm?id=896
Endnotes
1 Canada, Towards a New Beginning: A Foundational Report for a Strategy to Revitalize First Nation, Inuit, and Métis Languages and Cultures, Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures (Ottawa: Department of Canadian Heritage, 2005), 33.
2 Canada, Towards a New Beginning, 34.
3 Canada, Towards a New Beginning, 33.
4 Thompson, James. Personal communication with, Erin Hanson, November 1, 2010.
5 "Writing Systems," Yinka Dene Language Institute, www.ydli.org/dakinfo/writing.htm (accessed October 11, 2010).
6 Robert J. Muckle, The First Nations of British Columbia: An Anthropological Survey, 2nd ed. (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2007), 38.
7 Canada, Towards a New Beginning, 33.
8 Canada, Towards a New Beginning, 33.
9 Canada, Towards a New Beginning, 37.
10 "Chinook Jargon," Yinka Dene Language Institute, www.ydli.org/bcother/chinook.htm (accessed October 11, 2010).
11 Canada, Towards a New Beginning, 44.
12 First Peoples’ Heritage, Language, and Culture Council, Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages, (Brentwood Bay, B.C.: First Peoples’ Heritage, Language, and Culture Council, 2010), 7.
13 Mary Jane Norris, "Aboriginal Languages in Canada: Emerging Trends and Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition," Canadian Social Trends 11-008 (Ottawa: Department of Statistics Canada, 2007), 19.
14 Canada, Towards a New Beginning, 35.
15 "Holding Our Tongues," ABC Radio National, www.abc.net.au/rn/awaye/stories/2010/2758510.htm (accessed October 11, 2010).
16 First Peoples’ Heritage, Language, and Culture Council, Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages, 29.
17 British Columbia, "Aboriginal Languages Alive in B.C. Schools," Ministry of Education www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010EDUC0073-000736.htm (accessed October 10, 2010).
18 Erin Rosenberg, "Mik’maq PhD Dissertation a Canadian First," This Magazine this.org/magazine/2009/05/12/mikmaq-phd-thesis/ (accessed October 10, 2010).
19 Canada, Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (Ottawa: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada, 1996).
Bibliography
British Columbia. "Aboriginal Languages Alive in B.C. Schools." Ministry of Education. http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010EDUC0073-000736.htm (accessed October 10, 2010).
Canada. Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Ottawa: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada, 1996.
Canada. Towards a New Beginning: A Foundational Report for a Strategy to Revitalize First Nation, Inuit, and Métis Languages and Cultures. Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures. Ottawa: Department of Canadian Heritage, 2005.
First Peoples’ Heritage, Language, and Culture Council. Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages. Brentwood Bay, B.C.: First Peoples’ Heritage, Language, and Culture Council, 2010.
"Holding Our Tongues." ABC Radio National. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/awaye/stories/2010/2758510.htm (accessed October 11, 2010).
Muckle, Robert J. The First Nations of British Columbia: An Anthropological Survey, 2nd ed. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2007.
Norris, Mary Jane. "Aboriginal Languages in Canada: Emerging Trends and Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition." Canadian Social Trends 11-008. Ottawa: Department of Statistics Canada, 2007.
Omniglot, http://www.omniglot.com/writing/ucas.htm (accessed October 11, 2010).
Rosenberg, Erin. "Mik’maq PhD Dissertation a Canadian First." This Magazine http://this.org/magazine/2009/05/12/mikmaq-phd-thesis/ (accessed October 10, 2010).
Yinka Dene Language Institute. http://www.ydli.org/dakinfo/writing.htm (accessed October 11, 2010).
http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/culture/languages.html
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Oh... our beautiful First Nations, Inuit, Metis and Non-Status
people of Canada... and their dying languages... I have Mi'kmaq Nova Scotia -Mr. Denny singing Mi'kmaq to Hank Williams Kaw-Liga on former myspace page (over 10,000 views and 875 friends 4 over 7 years).... and Nova Scotia's Dee Paul singing Lakota /Mic'kmaq and they are just so beautiful.... it's like losing lost treasures.... and I hope there can be media recordings made ... these dears are elderly.... and there goes such an important part of Canada's past.... and those of First Nations, Inuit, Metis and Non-Status children deserve 2 keep the incredible 200 languages or so.... It's Canada after all...
.
More than words- NATIVE LANGUAGES : Can Canada's dying languages be saved?
The clock on the kitchen wall at the Moraviantown Reserve seniors' centre loudly clicks away the seconds as Velma Noah waits to see if any of the few remaining speakers of a vanishing language can remember the word for "beet."
Five elderly women and a man stare ahead of them, silently searching for a word they may not have heard since they were children, when nearly everyone on this small reserve could speak the language. Ms. Noah frets the cover of an English-Delaware dictionary, which might hold a clue. But if the word for beet isn't in the book and she can't tease it out of the minds of the three women most likely to know, one more piece of the language could be gone forever.
Alma Burgoon is 80; Retta Huff, 86; and her cousin Mattie Huff, 90. Along with one or two other elderly women on the reserve, "they're the last known speakers. They're all over the age of 70," says Ms. Noah, 36-year-old mother of four.
Ms. Burgoon is still looking for the word. "Gosh, I don't know."
Suddenly there's chuckling around the folding table as someone remembers: maxkeetkweek.
The women laugh to hear such a strange-sounding word, but behind the laughter is the serious business of breathing new life into a language, word by word.
Europeans gave this language the name Delaware (or Munsee Delaware), but its advocates today are taking back the name Lunaape (or Lenape). Its once-large territory has been reduced to a rump at Munsee-Delaware Nation -- also known as Moraviantown -- a reserve near London, Ont., with a population of about 200. During the 20th century, teaching Lunaape to children fell out of favour. Today it survives in the gossip of a handful of elders and on stop signs that read "ngihlaal."
Like dozens of First Nations languages across the country, Lunaape is in danger of disappearing within a matter of years. Canada's indigenous languages are in a state of crisis. Those who, like Ms. Noah, would save them can't afford to wait. Unless the knowledge is transferred to a new generation, dozens of traditional tongues will breathe their last.
By Statistics Canada's count there are around 50 indigenous languages spoken in Canada (other organizations reach higher figures by counting certain dialects as separate languages), and 222,210 people reported them as a mother tongue in the 2006 census. Only a handful of these languages -- principally Inuktitut, Ojibway and various dialects of Cree -- can be expected to survive without active intervention, according to linguistics experts. In 1951, 87% of aboriginal Canadians reported an indigenous language as a mother tongue compared with 21% by 2001 and 19% in 2006.
A 2007 Statistics Canada report tracking changes in aboriginal language use noted that although most aboriginal languages "experienced long-term declines in their continuity ... not surprisingly, the endangered ones suffered the most."
There is no specific point at which a language officially becomes endangered. "The way that linguists usually look at it is to take into consideration the normal course of language transmission," says John O'Meara, a linguist at Lakehead University who has studied Lunaape since 1979. "By that I mean languages are passed on from one generation to the next. If at some point that process of transmission is broken, then you can deduce that the language isn't going to be spoken by younger people in the future."
Just finding out exactly how many speakers there are left of a language can present a challenge. If it dips below 100 speakers, Canadian censuses will (with some exceptions) lump it into a category with other tongues rather than publishing an individual number. Another source of data is U.S.-based Christian organization SIL International, which collects information on languages worldwide. It lists 16 indigenous Canadian languages and dialects as "nearly extinct."
Lunaape is on that list as "Munsee." British Columbia figures prominently, as the home of Bella Coola (20 speakers left by last count in 2002), Haida (55), Kutenai (12), Sechelt (40) and seven others. The Yukon tongue of Tagish is a heartbeat away from vanishing; a story in Up Here magazine last spring soberly noted that "its last living speaker, Lucy Wren, is in her 90s and there is sparse interest from the community in reviving the language."
Native languages have declined because of economic and social pressure to speak English and French. Language activists also blame assimilationist education policies; children sent to residential schools were often punished for speaking the languages they had learned at home.
"What happens, then, when you begin to devalue the languages?" asks Keren Rice, a linguistics professor at the University of Toronto, and director of its Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives. "People didn't speak them to their children because they didn't want their children to have the hard time that they had."
Alma Burgoon said her school forced her to learn English around age five simply because the teachers couldn't speak Lunaape -- or as she sometimes calls it, "Indian."
Today, the 80-year-old serves as one of Ms. Noah's teachers of Lunaape. As the community's lone full-time language worker, Ms. Noah is on a quest to become fluent in the language before its few, frail speakers are gone.
"You know when you know what you're supposed to be doing? This is what I'm here to do," says Ms. Noah, whose goal is to learn the language well enough to be able to go into local schools and teach children. "I want to be a fluent speaker. That's my dream ... Because if I become fluent, I can make someone else fluent.
"We're kind of starting at the bottom. Things couldn't get worse. They're going to get better. I know that."
This kind of emergency rescue effort is typical of what's going on across the country with languages on the brink of extinction.
"It's often the case that things have to be on the edge for people to realize what's happened," says Prof. Rice, the University of Toronto linguist. "The communities have clearly defined that this is something they value and are going to put energy and really some of their top minds into."
Revitalization efforts rely on modest funds. Federal support for language preservation programs through the Aboriginal Language Initiative amounts to $5-million a year, or about $5 for every aboriginal man, woman and child. (A separate $4.2-million infrastructure exists for the territories.)
In 2005, Amos Key Jr. co-authored a report, Towards a New Beginning, that urged the Department of Canadian Heritage to act quickly to reverse the death march of indigenous languages. The report, he says, is "gathering dust in Ottawa." In 2007, the Assembly of First Nations called on the federal government to spend $2.6-billion over 11 years to help revitalize native languages.
One of the most dramatic options is school immersion programs like the one in place near Brantford, Ont., on the Six Nations reserve.
With a resident population of 11,297 and an 18,000-hectare territory, Six Nations of the Grand River is the largest Indian reserve in the country. The north-south roads are named after the nationalities that make up the Six Nations: Oneida, Tuscarora, Seneca, Onondaga, Mohawk and Cayuga.
Yet English is the language of everyday interactions here. The 100 or so remaining fluent speakers of Cayuga represent a minority who speak a language surviving in critical but stable condition.
It certainly doesn't sound that way in the halls of I.L. Thomas Elementary School, a modern-looking school in the shape of a tortoise shell.
More than a third of the school's 308 kindergarten to Grade 8 students are enrolled in half- or full-day Cayuga immersion.
Tom Deer's classroom is identified by the brass plate on the door that lists his Cayuga name, Haíhokta. Inside, in careful elementary teacher's cursive, Mr. Deer writes the date on the board: "Ahsé¸h hado¸t, Joto'go:wah 3, 2008" -- Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008.
He calmly scolds a fidgety pupil in Cayuga -- wittily, judging by the giggles of the 16 students in his class, who range from Grades 4 to 6. Most of these students have been learning Cayuga, and nothing but Cayuga, since kindergarten.
"They can pretty much understand everything that's said to them and they can pretty much say whatever they want to say," says Mr. Deer. "It may not always be grammatically correct, but they can do it."
As for English, he says, "It doesn't really have a role in my classroom."
In addition to class work, the language is worked into a broader curriculum about traditional culture. Partway through the day, pupils rearrange the chairs to set up for social dances. They take turns reciting the opening declarations in rehearsed, but fluid, Cayuga.
"We're an island here," Mr. Deer says. "Cayuga exists only here in this community anymore. When you see a student learn about the culture ... and be able to apply the language that they've learned to cultural settings, it makes me feel really good."
Principal Kathryn Hill concedes that some parents are wary of putting children in a system that won't expose them to instruction in English until Grade 7. And she recognizes the challenge of having them continue on with the language after the immersion is over, and they are again surrounded by English.
Ms. Hill winces when asked whether the immersion students tend to keep the Cayuga language in their lives after completing the program in Grade 8. "My experience is that they don't," she says.
The Shuswap immersion program run by the Adams Lake Indian Band in British Columbia has likewise "successfully been producing new fluent Shuswap speakers," but, says University of British Columbia linguist William Poser, "How many of them, if any, will have kids together and pass on the language is an open question."
Tesha Emarthle, 35, acknowledges it's a "huge commitment" to have her daughter Makelitv enrolled in Mr. Deer's Six Nations' class (where, like the rest of the children, she goes by her Cayuga name, Gayadadage), but she sees it as a duty to pass her traditions on to her three children.
Should a full language revival prove unworkable in some communities, experts like Prof. Poser suggest there are other ways of bringing about a linguistic comeback.
"We can certainly imagine a situation in which children learn native languages in school as written languages, together with much cultural information, just as European children not very long ago learned Latin, or as many Jews still learn Hebrew."
In the absence of formal programs, however, much language revitalization depends on grassroots efforts by advocates like Ms. Noah in Moraviantown, or Mr. Key at Six Nations.
At 55, Amos Key Jr., director of the First Nations languages program at Six Nations' Woodland Cultural Centre, is one of the youngest native speakers of Cayuga.
During his quarter-century career, he has helped set up a radio station with programming in traditional languages; created Mohawk and Cayuga immersion programs at I.L. Thomas and Kawenniio/Gaweni:yo; banked recordings of ceremonial language for longhouse keepers; and spearheaded a language nest program that helps endangered languages cling to life by joining elders and small children in preschool settings (an idea imported from New Zealand.)
Right now Mr. Key is working with York University to establish an M.A. and PhD program in indigenous thought, which will allow students to submit work in native languages.
"I don't want to take the ‘woe is me' approach," Mr. Key says. "My question has always been, How can we stand up?"
For Ms. Noah, who spends a couple days each week rounding up most of what's left of her community's Lunaape speakers so she can practise the language, reviving Lunaape isn't simply a matter of remembering vocabulary and syntax; it is a mission to restore traditional culture, and thus identity. Without it, she says, Moraviantown will continue to struggle with problems like drug addiction and high secondary school dropout rates.
"It's not the social workers that'll help, it's the language. If you know your language, you know who you are," she says.
Convincing the elders to take part took some doing at first because their generation was discouraged from speaking Lunaape.
Now attitudes are changing. Says Ms. Burgoon, "I'm proud to be able to speak it. I think it's kind of an honour to me that I can speak the language.
"The only thing is, if it's such an honour, [why do] my sons just walk away? They don't want to talk about it. They don't think anything of the language at all."
Ms. Noah will only be satisfied if her grandchildren speak the language every day, just as her grandparents did. Her vision for the future of the Delaware Nation is not so different from Alma Burgoon's childhood memories -- the same memories that must be plumbed for information if Lunaape is to survive.
"One day," Ms. Noah says, "we'll have an immersion program so the kids will grow up in the language, with Lunaape as their first language and English as their second language. That's the way it's supposed to be."
COMMENT: hmmm this is about preserving First Nations native languages...
kotter51, obviously from your comment, you are opposed to immigrants. I realize in those aread that you expressed, yes there is a huge asian population many who do not know english. But when an 50 year old man and women need to make a living to support their family after running away from their homeland for many untold reasons, I don't think they have the luxary on attending school to learn english. So instead of spewing hate just move to the states and enjoy all the english you can hear
COMMENT:
I take hope from the example of modern Hebrew - a language that was revived after being lost for hundreds of years.
COMMENT: (our precious Adam Beach starred in Code Walkers... love and pride in our beautiful Adam)
Some of the anti-native bigots need to watch "Code Walkers" to see how much Native Language has done for our freedom.
COMMENT:
It's a sad day when Canada can spend millions of dollars to build a Human Rights Museum and yet our Native People live in poverty. It's a sad day when we spend millions funding Cultural Festivals for cultures that have played no role in our histroy in Canada Culture whilst denying our founding Culture, Native, the funds to keep their launguage and their culture alive.
COMMENT:-) truth
I read there was 120 languages or dialects in canada...thats incredible..so .you can say there was 120 civilized nations with their own language and customs...do you realize what a rich heritage we have...No other country in the world can come near that...and they had their own religion, bascically live in harmony with nature...everything matters from rocks to ravens...they kept it pristine for us to inherit..man has really betrayed their trust. . we could learn so much....something to save..no
http://www.nationalpost.com/life/story.html?id=1206724
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AND... A CANADIAN SMILE
And then God created Canada....
Finally a joke that explains what it's like to be Canadian...
Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Heaven, God went missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day.
He inquired of God, "Where have you been?"
God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look Michael, look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put LIFE on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance."
"Balance?" inquired Michael, still confused. God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth,
"For example, Northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while Southern Europe is going to be poor; the Middle East over there will be a hot spot. Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people," God continued, pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot and arid while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel, impressed by Gods work, then pointed to a large land mass in the top corner and asked, "What's that one?" "Ah," said God. "That's Canada, the most glorious place on Earth. There are beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers, streams and an exquisite coastline. The people from Canada are going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and they're going to be found traveling the world. They'll be extremely sociable, hardworking and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace. I'm also going to give them super-human, undefeatable ice hockey players who will be admired and feared by all who come across them." Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed;
"What about balance, God? You said there would be BALANCE!"
God replied wisely, "Wait until you see who I'm putting next to them...."
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2003 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Our home is the native's land
We pay whatever, our gov-ern-ment demands
We pay whatever, our gov-ern-ment demands
-This Information is Courtesy of canada.com
The Senate meets on average for 100 days a year. Senators are allowed to miss 21 days without losing any salary.
Research Grants $30,000.00 per year. Office Budget $20,000.00 per year. Tax Free Expense Allowance $10,100.00
Free business class flights for Senators and their families, as many as 52 return-trip flights a year. Free telephone calls and faxes, and also free postage, at home as well as office. Free gym privileges, private equipment and instructors, subsidized haircuts, dry cleaning, furniture and limousine rides.
Imagine working for a company that has a little more than 300 employees and has the following statistics:
30 have been accused of spousal abuse
9 have been arrested for fraud
14 have been accused of writing bad cheques
95 have directly or indirectly bankrupted businesses
4 have done time for assault
55 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
12 have been arrested on drug related charges
4 have been arrested for shoplifting
16 are currently defendants in lawsuits
62 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
-Can you guess which organization this is?
-It is the 301 MP's in the Canadian Parliament. The same group that cranks out hundred of new laws designed to keep the rest of us in line.
-This Information is Courtesy of The Ottawa Citizen
The Federal Government wasted $853,000.00 over 3 years on motel rooms for the homeless, and they were never even used.
-As seen on: CITY TV News
It's now official the citizens of Canada's largest province will soon have a historic and unprecedented opportunity to overhaul their province's political system by changing the way elections are run. On Monday, March 27, the Government of Ontario made the long-awaited announcement confirming the formation of an Ontario Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform (OCA).
This Information is Courtesy of Fair Vote Canada
Hydro One chief and CEO Tom Parkinson was paid a salary of $780,000, a bonus of $702,000 and other compensation of $129,630 for a total of $1.6-million in 2005. Amidst a spending scandal he had to quit, but will walk away with at least $3-million in severance pay.
This Information is Courtesy of The Globe and Mail
Miscellaneous Trivia
In Canada, if a debt is higher than 25 cents, it is illegal to pay it with pennies.
"O Canada" was proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980, 100 years after it was first sung on June 24, 1880.
Canadian bacon is made the rib-eye of the pork loin.
There are no skunks in Newfoundland
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USED TO HAVE 7 LIBRARIES - still incredible collection of Canada's First Peoples from the 60s and 70s..... with artwork and history going back 2 the 1600s in Canada and America.... they are treasures...
Canada/North America's First People had bathrooms and sewage- sinks of a sort- medicine-clothing- beautiful- and one with nature..... God's first environmentalists.... 10,000 years.... IDLE NO MORE CANADA
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