Heritage Web site gets boost (fwd)

[Phil CashCash]

Heritage Web site gets boost
Canadian Press
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030909.wlang0909/BNStory/National/

Victoria — First Voices, a First Nations Internet-based archive
recording the province's rapidly disappearing aboriginal languages, was
given a near million-dollar boost Monday by Heritage Minister Sheila
Copps.

The First Peoples' Cultural Foundation will receive $774,000 during this
fiscal year.

With that money, the foundation will archive 200 proper nouns and 2,000
conversational phrases for up to 15 aboriginal language groups,
including the Sencoten of Saanich. Only about 30 elders are left who
speak the language.

"If you want to create a strong world, you have to have diversity in all
of its aspects," Ms. Copps  said. "If we don't manage to save these
languages they are going to be extinct within one generation."

There are more than 6,000 aboriginal languages around the world. More
than half are endangered.

About one language is lost every two weeks globally, according to Simon
Robinson, executive director of the cultural foundation.

In Canada alone, there are more than 50 indigenous languages, of which
32 are in B.C. There is an urgent need to document those languages
while enough fluent speaking elders are still alive, Mr. Robinson said.

Those native languages embody the deep history of First Nations people,
their stories and connection to the land.

"What is it to be human and not understand how we relate to the Earth,"
he said.

Ms.  Copps said she hopes staying connected to their heritage will
instill in children a sense of pride and self-esteem.

The first language families to be archived include the Haida, Tsimshian,
Wakashan, Coast Salish, Interior Salish and Ktunaxa. Within those
categories are languages such as Nisga'a and Gitxsan, which is under
the Tsimshian family.

First Voices is an on-line resource, the brainchild of Peter Brand and
John Elliott, that will archive the language database using text,
sound, images and video.