Native chiefs urge funding to save their languages (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Native chiefs urge funding to save their languages

Tue Nov 14 2006

By Kevin Rollason
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/local/story/3773272p-4364122c.html

ABORIGINAL educators and citizens from across the country are gathering
in Winnipeg this week to save native languages.

Both Phil Fontaine, Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and
conference co-organizer Chief Murray Clearsky, of the Waywayseecappo
First Nation, fear that unless aboriginal language instruction is added
to the education system in native reserves and communities across the
nation -- much like French Immersion is in many schools across English
Canada -- their languages could be lost.

"Our language is in great danger," Fontaine said yesterday.

"Fifty-two of our 55 languages are in various stages of disappearing.
And if they disappear here it would be extremely difficult to retrieve.
This is our country."

Clearsky said that, for aboriginal people, their language and culture
are tied together.

"To me, as a leader, if you're going to be a sovereign nation, you have
to speak and understand your own language," he said.

"It's a hard thing to do to keep our language, but if we aren't able to
do it, and have our language in our schools, in a few years there will
be no such thing."

Fontaine said the federal government, under the Liberals, was set to
spend $172 million across the nation for indigenous languages, but
under the Harper Tory government that has been slashed to $5 million.

"We hope to convince the government to reinstate funding," he said.

Fontaine said aboriginal groups have already found that in communities
where native languages are included in an immersion program at the
local school, the language thrives.

Fontaine himself says he sees the loss of languages firsthand when he
travels the country and speaks in his own language.

"It really depends where you are because there are areas of the country
where the language is strong but then you go to many communities and
the language isn't spoken or it isn't by many people," he said.

The National First Nations Language Conference is being held at the
Winnipeg Convention Centre until Wednesday.

Joy Keeper, a spokeswoman for the Manitoba First Nations Education
Resource Centre, said there are hundreds of conference attendees from
across the country and from the United States.

kevin.rollason at freepress.mb.ca