Documentary series about Aboriginal languages to air on APTN

[Paul Rickard]

March 16, 2009

FINDING OUR TALK – SEASON 3 – A DOCUMENTARY SERIES ABOUT ABORIGINAL  
LANGUAGES TO AIR ON APTN

Montreal, Quebec — Every fourteen days a language dies. By the year  
2100 more than half of the world's languages will disappear.  These  
are tough statistics, but it doesn't have to be that way.  Indigenous  
people everywhere are fighting to beat the odds.  It's a remarkable  
story told in the exciting new documentary series Finding Our Talk 3,  
set to premiere on APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) on  
Wednesday April 1st at 10:30pm Eastern Standard Time.

Finding Our Talk 3 is a continuing documentary series of 13 half hour  
episodes produced by Mushkeg Media Inc. that looks at the state of  
Aboriginal languages both within Canada and the boarder indigenous  
world.  The series discovers and shares their successes by focusing on  
and celebrating the many individuals, communities and organizations  
that are reclaiming their language, and along with it, their culture,  
their stories and often, their very existence as a people.

In the first two seasons, the series focused on Aboriginal languages  
in Canada.  In Season 3, Finding Our Talk goes beyond borders to look  
at the state of indigenous languages like Sami, Mayan, Quechan, Maori,  
Gumbaynggirr, Arrente, Hawaiian, Chitimacha, as well as languages like  
Mi'gmaq, Abenaki and Anishnabe that are closer to home.  It looks at  
the effects new technologies and methods play in language  
revitalization, as a new generation takes up the responsibilities of  
language preservation in their home communities.

The documentary crews spent five months traveling to various countries  
such as New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Guatemala, Bolivia, USA and  
Canada to bring these remarkable stories of language revitalization,  
preservation and promotion.  The first four episodes that are  
scheduled to air as follows:

EPISODE 1: ANISHNABE

Broadcast date: April 1, 2009

Rapid Lake, an Algonquin community where most people still speak  
Anishnabe is divided between the traditionalists and the federally  
appointed band council.  In the neighbouring community of Kiticiaskik,  
which has always refused reserve status, a young videographer uses his  
skills to revive culture and language.

“An internal separation occurred that affected families, and since  
then, a linguistic divide exists in the community.  A lot of damage  
has stemmed from the residential schools, so as a result, the language  
and culture were neglected.  Today that generation is in their 40s and  
50s and they’ve managed to reclaim their language and culture, but  
most parents here speak French with their children.  It’s become a  
habit.” - Kevin Papatie videographer, coordinator, Studio Midaweski,  
Kiticiaskik, Quebec

EPISODE 2: MI’GMAQ

Broadcast date: April 8, 2009

A Mi'maq community that lost its language as it gained economic  
prosperity takes advantage of two powerful tools to help bring the  
language back into everyday use.  One is a unique picture based  
teaching method, and the other is the support of the elders.

“The language helps you think differently.  It is a native way of  
thinking.  I tell my children, ‘If you don’t have your language how  
can you call yourself native?’ It’s difficult to say, but it’s the  
truth.   As a speaker, you know you think differently.” - Gail  
Mettalic, Executive Director, Listiguj Education Directorate,  
Listiguj, Quebec

EPISODE 3: ABENAKI

Broadcast date: April 15, 2009

The Abenaki language has managed to survive the past several  
generations with only one speaker, like Cecile Wawanette or Monique  
Nolette Ille, per generation teaching a mere handful of students in  
Odanak or the eastern United States. Today their students, Philippe  
Chartrand and Brent Read, maintain the thin lifeline to this  
endangered language.

“There (are) 6 fluent Abenaki speakers: 3 in Canada and 3 in the US.  
So I mean you can’t get much more endangered than that.”  - Nancy  
Milette, Chief of the Koasaek Band of the Koas, Vermont

EPISODE 4: KTUNAXA

Broadcast date: April 22, 2009

Can the 'wired teepee' help save the Ktunaxa language in the  
Kootenays? The Ktunaxa people are going to find out because these days  
this unique, ancient language is heard coming from computers, tape  
recorders, the Internet, video cameras, and iPods.

“Our elder was a visionary, when she told us that if we felt that we  
had lost so much within that (residential school) building, that it  
was up to us to go back in there and take it back.  What she was  
telling us is that you don’t lose your language and culture because  
somebody’s taken it away.  You lose it when you refuse to pick it up  
yourself.  Today, our young people have that ability cause we have all  
the technology for picking our language back up again and making it  
useful for everyday use.”  - Sophie Pierre, Chief of the Ktunaxa  
Nation, Cranbrook, British Columbia

Finding Our Talk 3 will be airing from April 1st to June 24th, every  
Wednesday night at:

7:30pm PST (if you're in Vancouver)

8:30pm CST (if you're in Edmonton)

9:30pm MST (if you’re in Regina)

10:30pm EST (if you're in Montreal)

11:30pm ADT (if you're in Halifax)

The series is also available in HD broadcast on APTN HD (Bell  
ExpressVu, Channel 808), starting on: Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 @  
11:30am EST, Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 @ 2:00pm EST and Friday,  
March 27th, 2009 @ 2:30am and 2:00pm EST

The documentary series is produced by Mushkeg Media Inc. an Aboriginal- 
owned production company working with First Nations directors and  
crews.  Finding Our Talk 3 is being produced in English, along with  
French and Mohawk language versions, with special attention to the  
various languages presented for broadcast on APTN and Maori TV.

For more information about Mushkeg Media and to view clips from  
Finding Our Talk seasons 1 & 2 and well as upcoming episode  
descriptions of season three, visit us at: www.mushkeg.ca

For media information and interviews, please contact:

Sherren Lee

Telephone:  514 279 3507 – Email: sherren at mushkeg.ca

Mushkeg Media Inc.

103 Villeneuve Ouest

Montreal, QC

H2T 2R6 Canada

mushkeg at videotron.ca

  
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