About Us

Speak Up: Speak Indigenous

ihamik (speak)

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.

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

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.

An Attractive Call to Action

Decade of Indigenous Languages: UNESCO

Statistics Canada has recently reported that, “while the work to revitalize Indigenous languages [in Canada] reflects their importance to Indigenous peoples, it also reflects the reality that many languages, which had at one time flourished, have become endangered.” The decline of Indigenous languages can be traced back to successive waves of colonial policies, and reversing this trend requires urgent, coordinated, and multifaceted approaches.

The United Nations Global Action Plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032) urges us to take decisive action to safeguard and promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism. The plan emphasizes the importance of interventions such as “awareness-raising campaigns” aimed at fostering multilingual education and eliminating negative stereotypes about Indigenous peoples and their languages (Annex p. 43).

Why Revitalize Our Language?

Language: a tool for healing, speaks for the land, waters, and non-human beings. The words and beauty in the way we pronounce words are rooted in our interactions with the land. The interrelationship between humans and non-humans form part of an intimate kinship based on mutual respect and harmony with the land. Speaking in Indigenous language is a prayer in itself. Every time we speak an Indigenous word, we honour and celebrate our ancestral connection with the land, water, human and non-human. These sounds and hums represents our ancestral interaction with the land. Can we lose this thread of connection? This sounds?

The Language of Life: Healing the Land and Waters

We were the speakers before we became writers. Our stories crossed across time and memories intending to connect to the land through our ceremonies. Our language was a bridge to reach to the spirits of the land and water and non-humans. These languages needs to be spoken to revive the land and waters which are suffering.

Our Vision

Our vision is honoring and revitalizing Indigenous knowledge through educational initiatives that promote understanding and reconciliation.

We strive to bridge past and present by integrating traditional teachings with contemporary learning, creating pathways for dialogue and healing that foster a genuine commitment to truth and reconciliation within our communities.