The Canadian launch of the Decade of Native Languages, mandated by the UN, took place on Friday in Ottawa.
The event was led by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and the Canadian Council for the Arts in to recognize, appreciate and highlight the importance of indigenous languages in building a sustainable future for humanity.
There were the Governor General, Mary Simon, the Head of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Perry Bellegarde, as well as various diplomats.
As Indigenous peoples, one of the most important rights we have is self -determination, and that is because we have our languages, our territories, our laws, and our citizens.said Chef Bellegarde at the opening ceremony.
Our languages are the root of who we are and necessary for our survival as Indigenous people, he added. Stimulating and promoting our languages is important.
” We don’t want to win the residential school system, which is trying to eradicate our languages. “
We must support the protection and growth of indigenous languages. This is the responsibility of all speakers and the communitysaid Mary Simon after giving a speech in Inuktitut.
The best way to animate our languages is to speak to them as soon as possible, on all occasions.he also said, citing as an example that he had the point of speaking Inuktitut during his inauguration as the 30th Governor General of the country and during the Speech from the Throne last fall.
By the end of 2032, I would like to see a United Nations convention for our languages that are legally binding, would also like to attend the Cree leader Wilton Littlechild. I dream of it, because a declaration can have effects, but no legal effect.
Music performances concluded with the opening ceremony. Mi’kmaw singer Emma Stevens, Métis fiddler Zachary Willier, and Inuk-Mohawk singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer showed up a few pieces.
Hope on the horizon
The second part of this launch took the form of a discussion circle consisting of young speakers and experts in native languages.
In turn, participants recounted their experience learning their traditional language and discussed their wishes for the next decade.
In the future, young people need to know that in education, it’s okay to make mistakes, says Gabrielle Fayant, a Métis woman from Alberta. You must not give up. Despite the difficulties, it was worth it.
What every individual wants is to feel like they belong, says Aluki Kotierk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. Not having access to language learning affects a person’s sense of belonging. So it has to be fixed.
Why have we existed so long in this territory? This is because the territory has been good to us and we have been good to it. Our languages contain tremendous power, which reflects our relationship to the landsays Louise Profeit LeBlanc of Nacho Nyak Dän First Nation in the Yukon.
In 2019, the General Assembly ofUN adopted a resolution to return to the agenda the critical loss of native languages and emphasize the urgent need to nurture, stimulate and promote themthus mandated the International Decade of Indigenous Languages from 2022 to 2032.
Under this resolution, Member States are called upon to seek ways to supply mechanisms that will make it possible to preserve indigenous languages in their territory.
Source: Radio-Canada