<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">March 16, 2009</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">FINDING OUR TALK – SEASON 3 – A DOCUMENTARY SERIES ABOUT ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES TO AIR ON APTN</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Montreal, Quebec — Every fourteen days a language dies. By the year 2100 more than half of the world's languages will disappear.<span> </span>These are tough statistics, but it doesn't have to be that way. Indigenous people everywhere are fighting to beat the odds. <span> </span>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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">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.<span> </span>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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">In the first two seasons, the series focused on Aboriginal languages in Canada.<span> </span>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, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Chitimacha,</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "> as well as languages like Mi'gmaq, Abenaki and Anishnabe that are closer to home.<span> </span>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.<span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">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.<span> </span>The first four episodes that are scheduled to air as follows:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">EPISODE 1: ANISHNABE<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Broadcast date: April 1, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Rapid Lake, an Algonquin community where most people still speak Anishnabe is divided between the traditionalists and the federally appointed band council. <span> </span>In the neighbouring community of Kiticiaskik, which has always refused reserve status, a young videographer uses his skills to revive culture and language.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-style: normal; ">“An internal separation occurred that affected families, and since then, a linguistic divide exists in the community.<span> </span>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.<span> </span>It’s become a habit.”<span> - Kevin Papatie videographer, coordinator, Studio Midaweski, Kiticiaskik, Quebec</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">EPISODE 2: MI’GMAQ<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Broadcast date: April 8, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">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.<span> </span>One is a unique picture based teaching method, and the other is the support of the elders.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p>“The language helps you think differently.<span> </span>It is a native way of thinking.<span> </span>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.<span> </span>As a speaker, you know you think differently.”<span> - Gail Mettalic, Executive Director, Listiguj Education Directorate, Listiguj, Quebec</span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">EPISODE 3: ABENAKI<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Broadcast date: April 15, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p>“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</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">EPISODE 4: KTUNAXA</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Broadcast date: April 22, 2009</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">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.<span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">“</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">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.<span> </span>What she was telling us is that you don’t lose your language and culture because somebody’s taken it away.<span> </span>You lose it when you refuse to pick it up yourself.<span> </span>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.” <span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">- </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Sophie Pierre, Chief of the Ktunaxa Nation, Cranbrook, British Columbia</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Finding Our Talk 3 will be airing from April 1st to June 24th, every Wednesday night at:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">7:30pm PST (if you're in Vancouver)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">8:30pm CST (if you're in Edmonton)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">9:30pm MST (if you’re in Regina)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">10:30pm EST (if you're in Montreal)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">11:30pm ADT (if you're in Halifax)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p>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</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">The documentary series is produced by Mushkeg Media Inc. an Aboriginal-owned production company working with First Nations directors and crews.<span> </span>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. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">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: <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; "><a href="http://www.mushkeg.ca/">www.mushkeg.ca</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">For media information and interviews, please contact:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Sherren Lee<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Telephone: 514 279 3507 – Email: <a href="mailto:sherren@mushkeg.ca">sherren@mushkeg.ca</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Mushkeg Media Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">103 Villeneuve Ouest<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Montreal, QC<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">H2T 2R6 Canada<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><a href="mailto:mushkeg@videotron.ca"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; ">mushkeg@videotron.ca</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p> </o:p></span></p></body></html>