Bringing Back our Voice

Language is the heart of culture. It determines how we communicate with one another, share stories and build relationships.

For Indigenous Peoples who did not have written words prior to colonization, language is how their culture and traditions survived from generation to generation. However, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has found that Indigenous languages are at risk of dying out, with 75% of those in Canada considered endangered.

One of these severely endangered languages is Halq’emeylem, the mother tongue of Cheam First Nation (CFN) in British Columbia. As the few fluent speakers age, CFN is introducing a comprehensive language revitalization program for young children in the community. The program will deliver a series of immersive language workshops to children up to six years old to create a new generation of Halq’emeylem speakers. It will also encourage adult participation through at-home activities and foster intergenerational learning while strengthening community and family bonds. 

The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) is contributing funding to help onboard a language facilitator, mental health support workers to provide trauma-informed care as needed, educational materials, digital learning tools and the physical workshop space. It’s important to engage with children early, when their minds are most open to learning language. Involving guardians in at-home learning activities ensures that language revitalization extends beyond formal workshops into daily life.

CFN’s language revitalization program is a movement to foster intergenerational healing using meaningful learning, planning and teaching processes. As Knowledge Keepers and cultural advisors, Elders will ensure that Halq’emeylem is taught in a way that honours CFN’s cultural heritage while helping create a new generation of speakers who are connected to their identity and able to carry the language forward into the future.

Archdiocese of Vancouver