Words of the Ancestors: How three youth from the Northwest Territories are creatively keeping their languages alive

摘要

THE LAST SPEAKERS of ancient languages and keepers of their Indigenous culture are passing away. These elders have inherited a point of view of the world, and a way of seeing the environment that will be lost forever if they are unable to pass these cultural views on to the next generation. We are watching a generation passing that saw this land - this nation -Canada - Turtle Island - in a way that will be lost with each Indigenous language that disappears. Environmental perspectives, cultural worldviews and heritage are inherited and embedded in the languages of our First Peoples. Currently in Canada there are 60 Indigenous language being spoken. There are 500 speakers or less in 40 of these languages. Just 15 percent of the 1.5 million Indigenous people in this country speak their native language. Still, nearly 229,000 people rely on their ancestral language, whether it is spoken in the home, a second language or an attempt to relearn and restore it. The numbers in our North are significantly smaller.