Our History
The [Speak Indigenous] language campaign is intended to promote awareness and to advocate for the creation of safe spaces for our languages. Our message is for everybody, from new language learners, to Indigenous peoples who connect with and have pride in their identities, to businesses and organizations
Tanya Dawn McDougall
St Theresa Point First Nation, MB
Background
Speak Indigenous is an important initiative dedicated to the revitalization and preservation of Indigenous languages in Canada. Canada is home to a vast array of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, each with their own distinct cultures and languages. Over 70 Indigenous languages are spoken across the country today, yet many are facing the threat of extinction.
The loss of Indigenous languages is a pressing issue, but reversing this trend is possible through collective effort. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, as well as organizations, have significant roles to play in supporting language revitalization. A key aspect of this is the creation of safe spaces for Indigenous language learners and speakers. These spaces not only provide a platform for language practice but also affirm the cultural importance of these languages.
By fostering environments where Indigenous languages are valued and celebrated, we can support language learners, strengthen community bonds, and preserve these languages for future generations. The Speak Indigenous initiative encourages a broader, inclusive approach to ensuring the survival and flourishing of Indigenous languages across Canada.
How Initiative came about
The concept for this campaign began to take shape during the pandemic in February 2022, influenced by key Indigenous knowledge keepers who were part of our project team. These experienced educators, representing various language and cultural groups from northern Manitoba, openly shared the challenges they faced—and continue to face—in teaching and learning Indigenous languages. Through these discussions, the urgency of language revitalization became clear, and the need for creating safe spaces to learn, practice, and grow Indigenous languages emerged. From this, the Speak Indigenous initiative was born.
As conversations unfolded, it became evident that society, including Indigenous communities, faces an urgent need to establish and nurture safe spaces for Indigenous languages. This urgency also presents an opportunity for people to come together and support the revitalization and growth of these languages. Reviving Indigenous languages requires active, intentional efforts that go beyond words, calling for collective work to remember and restore these languages.
Central to this effort is advocacy—particularly advocating for language safety and creating environments where Indigenous languages can thrive. These revitalization efforts must be broad and multifaceted, involving educators, administrators, Indigenous peoples, and non-Indigenous peoples alike. While language revitalization has been ongoing, this campaign marks a new beginning, emphasizing the need for both immediate action and long-term commitment to preserving and growing Indigenous languages.
The Speak Indigenous logo reflects and represents Indigenous cultures in Northern Manitoba. In the logo, the wolf, mahihkan – an Ithinimowin/Ininimowin, or “Cree” language translation, denotes the teaching held by some Indigenous peoples who view mahihkan as a “master communicator” with an ability to communicate across great distances. For the project team, Mahihkan (wolf), is a viewed as metaphor reminding us to remember the power of our voices and to take up speaking Indigenous languages. The boreal forest, the land, is depicted in the outline of the bush and the star in the night sky represents kihwihtinacahk (North star). The swirl represents the northern lights and is used to embody the sacredness of the language and is understood as a gift from Manito (Creator).
For many Indigenous peoples, the wolf is a bearer of cultural teachings, including teachings about protection, humility, communication and the power of voice. Wolf’s teachings can serve to guide efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages by encouraging us create safe, protected spaces for Indigenous languages; practice humility as speakers and learners; and respond to wolf’s powerful message of language revitalization.
For the Indigenous Languages Campaign, the wolf came forward through prayer and consultation to be the totem spirit. The wolf is known to be a master communicator. Just as language for humans is complex and multi-faceted, so it is for wolves. The wolf’s howl for example can be heard across great distances and is believed to extend and carry through into the spiritual realm.
This power of the use of language is what conveys the hopes for this campaign wherein we need our indigenous languages to transport across time, experiences, and space to a place that they continue or reconnect as part of our collective and individual identities as First Nation people.
We take example from the wolf’s use of language to convey messages, contextual meaning, purpose, and relational understanding. We pray that the wolf, with his deep understanding of the urgency of our mission to embrace our languages, assists us in our reconnecting, reclaiming, and revitalizing efforts as we go into the future.
