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<div class="gmail-post-attachment" alt="<1024 - >640"><img src="https://4fkwkehyjaa18knruqmhi1qg-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/13107579_web1_180124-KCN-jordan-coble.jpg" class="gmail-attachment-full gmail-size-full" alt="" width="1404" height="936"><p> Photo: Capital News files
Jordan Coble.</p></div>
<h2 class="entry-title">Exploring First Nation languages in B.C.</h2>
<p class="gmail-lead">B.C. Indigenous language diversity unique
</p>
<ul class="gmail-author-meta"><li><a class="gmail-byline" href="https://www.ashcroftcachecreekjournal.com/author/barry-gerding/" rel="author">Barry Gerding</a></li><li>Aug. 13, 2018 6:30 a.m.</li><li><a class="gmail-byline" href="https://www.ashcroftcachecreekjournal.com/news/">News</a></li></ul> <ul class="gmail-social gmail-story gmail-top">
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<p>Jordan Coble feels both pride in his culture and a weight of
responsibility to ensure the Sylix language is preserved for future
generations.</p>
<p>“It’s a wonderful thing to gain— as the heart of any culture is the
language— but there is a level of stress and pressure that goes along
with that,” said Coble, a Westbank First Nation member who works as the
cultural and operations administrator at the Westbank First Nation
Sncəwips Heritage Museum.</p>
<p>Coble is referring to the findings of the status of B.C. First
Nations Languages 2018 report, assembled by the First Peoples’ Cultural
Council. It reveals while there is continued progress on Indigenous
language revitalization work, there are still serious threats to
language vitality as fluent speaking elders pass away, taking their
language with them.</p><div id="gmail-fsk_splitbox_3668_onscreen" class="gmail-fsk_splitbox_3668_onscreen"><div id="gmail-fsk_splitbox_3668" class="gmail-fsk_splitbox_3668" style="height:0px;text-align:center"></div></div>
<p>“There is an urgent need to document and provide substantial support
to ensure that each of the 34 unique First Nations languages and 93-plus
dialects in B.C. are maintained for future generations,” stated the
report.</p>
<p><ins><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/agreement-to-enhance-aboriginal-education-in-central-okanagan/" target="_blank">Agreement struck to enhance aboriginal education in Central Okanagan </a> </ins></p>
<p>Coble is part of that language resurgence effort, doing his small
part as one of 15 students on a four-year language learning program held
in Penticton, where he attends learning house classes two days a week.</p>
<p>“It is great that this program has started but ultimately it would be
great to see a language program like this taught at learning centres in
all of our band communities,” he said.</p>
<p>“It is a challenging and difficult to learn the language, but you
also get a reassuring sense of pride in our culture and our history.</p>
<p>“But learning the language becomes a responsibility that needs to be
passed on to future generations in a way that is authentic and accurate
as possible.”</p>
<p><ins>Part of the difficulty comes from the variety of dialects that
exist within the traditional Sylix territory that extends from the
southern B.C. Interior into Washington state. </ins></p>
<p><ins>The FPCC report cited several issues facing Indigenous language preservation: </ins></p>
<p><ins>* In 2018, there were 4,132 fluent speakers of First Nations languages in B.C.; this is a decrease of 1,157 since 2014 </ins></p>
<p><ins>*Just over half (52 per cent) of the fluent speakers are aged 65
or older, one reason why the fluent speaker numbers are declining </ins></p>
<p><ins>* Younger people have few opportunities to learn their languages </ins></p>
<p><ins>* All Indigenous communities continue to contend with a lack
language resources, a scenario that has not changed much since 2014 </ins></p>
<p>B.C. is unique within Canada when it comes to Indigenous language diversity, according to the FPCC report.</p>
<p>Within Canada, B.C.’s languages make up more than 50 per cent of the approximately 61 languages indigenous to our country.</p>
<p>Pauline Terbasket, executive director of the Okanagan Nation
Alliance, said the FPCC report just reinforces what few already don’t
doubt—that Indigenous languages passed on for hundreds of years prior to
immigrants settling in North America are in danger of being lost.</p>
<p>“We are seeing some progress about language preservation in the
bigger picture, the hope being to revitalize our language and our
culture. That is the hope,” Terbasket said.</p>
<p>She said the younger generation, people like Coble, are increasingly
dedicating themselves to learning their native language, and
specifically in the Central Okanagan School District expanding cultural
learning curriculums for Indigenous students at schools like Mount
Boucherie Secondary School have generated a positive groundswell of
support within the education community and both Indigenous and
non-Indigenous students.</p>
<p><ins><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/national-recognition-for-west-kelowna-schools-indigenous-student-academy/" target="_blank">National recognition for West Kelowna school Indigenous academy</a> </ins></p>
<p>“We do our best to help support those efforts but there will probably
never be enough resources. We have to be creative and innovative in how
we support our members learning to speak our languages,” she said.</p>
<p>“That work is humbling and arduous, but it is needed.”</p>
<p>The FPCC report cites a number of methods on how to revitalize B.C.
First Nation languages such as increased documentation and archival
efforts, the role individuals can play, First Nations chief and council
members advocating for language policy collaboration opportunities and
better public school and post-secondary system language program learning
models.</p></div></article>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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