Under The Northern Sky (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

  Under The Northern Sky 

  A figure of speech 

  By Xavier Kataquapit

  http://www.firstperspective.ca/story_2006_01_10_sky.php

   The Cree language was the first form of communication that I learned as a
small child. Everyone around me spoke it. It was natural and very comforting
for me. Cree was the only language I spoke for the first few years of my life.
However, it wasn’t long before I started to become bilingual. Mom understood
the importance of a good education. At a young age, she encouraged myself and
my younger brothers to learn the English language before we started school. She
provided her daily nurturing in the Cree language and taught us some English one
word at a time. 

  I started school at about six years of age. I can remember meeting my teacher
for the first time and being frightened at being taken into another world. I
recall being in the class with my cousins and relations and speaking in our own
language. I was confused at first because all the lessons and material were in
English. The woman who taught us could not speak Cree and always spoke to us in
English. In fact, it felt really intimidating and scary to wander around the
hallways or any part of the school where most of the adults that worked there
spoke a foreign language. 

  All through my schooling at home, Cree was the way to communicate. Even
though I understood and learned the English language, I seldom spoke it and
instead I talked to my friends in class in Cree. We always felt separated from
our teachers because they could not speak our language. We understood them but
they could not always understand us. There was also a sense of intimidation and
the possibility of being excluded from friends in the class if anyone spoke
English. We were all shy to begin with and when anyone of us spoke in another
language we would make fun of each other. So, no one made the effort to speak
the English language in a big way. 

  This reality made it difficult for all of us when we graduated from
elementary school to high school. Back in the late 80s and early 90s students
were still being sent away from Attawapiskat to attend school in places such as
Timmins and North Bay. When we started High School, we stuck together because of
the common bond of language. It was familiar and comforting for all of us to
freely speak Cree. As we were away from home being able to speak in our
traditional language made us feel more comfortable in our new world. This
didn’t make it any easier on us. Everything we had to do revolved around the
use of the English language. I remember myfirst year of school being difficult.
I was shy and I had a hard time adjusting to this new reality. We still made fun
of one another when someone spoke English but it became more and more necessary
to speak a second language in order to be understood and to survive. As a
result of all this confusion and fear I did not actively start speaking the
English language until I was 14 years of age. 

  A friend once asked an interesting question about my ability to speak two
languages. He asked what language I used in my mind when I thought about
things. At first I was surprised at the question because I never really thought
about it. This was funny because as I thought about the question, I was speaking
a mix of both Cree and English. The answer is that sometimes I use Cree and
sometimes English. 

  Up north, this use of both traditional Cree and modern English is becoming
the norm. Young people use a mix of traditional words and gestures along with
North American catch phrases. It is interesting to see this change in the
language in a small remote community. Students no longer leave the community to
go south to attend high school, yet through the growth of cable and satellite
television and modern communication technologies such as the internet, young
people are more exposed to the North American pop culture and fashion trends.
This exposure has meant that younger people are using their traditional
language less. 

  Fortunately, the remoteness of our communities has meant that we are still
able to retain our traditional language to a great degree. Cree is the only
language I can use when I speak to my grandmother as she lived in a traditional
setting most of her life. My parents speak mostly Cree although they are able to
communicate fairly well in English. At this point in time most young people are
able to fluently speak both languages. 

  Many northern First Nations are similar to Attawapiskat in that they have
included education in Cree language as part of the curriculum for young
students. These teachers are usually local people so that makes things easier
for the children. Although we have relied on our remoteness to ensure we retain
our language, things are changing quickly. Cree language studies for our youth
will make sure that our language will continue to be passed down through the
ages. So that in 20 years from now all the children in Attawapiskat will be
able to say Meegwetch, Mee-Nah-N-Che Kah-Wah-Mee-Tee-N Oo-Tah (Thanks, see you
here again). 
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