Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty recently spoke to an audience in Saskatoon about Indigenous language preservation. (Ron Quaroni/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

Language and culture

Lieutenant Governor looking to help language preservation

Feb 12, 2020 | 5:00 PM

Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governor is using his office to support the preservation of Indigenous languages.

Russ Mirasty, who is a speaker of Woodland Cree and a member of Lac-La-Ronge Indian Band said the issue has long been close to his heart.

“It’s important to me because of who I am, with Cree being my first language, so it’s something that’s always been an interest for me and continues to be,” he told paNOW.

Mirasty spoke last weekend in Saskatoon at an event for Heritage Language Day about the importance of preserving Indigenous languages in Canada. One of the points he raised with the audience was that people of European origin in Canada for example, could always return there to discover more about their native tongue. But Indigenous people in this country had nowhere to turn to if the mother languages were lost. The Lieutenant Governor said the work to make sure the languages stay alive needs to be done on the local level. Overall, he is optimistic about what he is seeing.

“We see a Cree emersion school in Saskatoon, so those are all positive steps, at the community level I think there’s a recognition we need to do more,” he said.

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Also, Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division is designing a Cree language program and looking for community input.

In his experience, Mirasty has also seen an interest from younger people in learning the languages. He said at the event he attended in Saskatoon there was a children’s choir which sang the national anthem in Cree.

Mirasty explained language is important for Indigenous communities as many don’t have a written record, but rather used oral history to pass on knowledge. It’s also about identity.

“Language really defines a person and their culture and their traditions; who they are,” he said.

(Ron Quaroni/paNOW Staff)

Kevin Lewis, an assistant professor through the college of education and the University of Saskatchewan, who has helped create a certificate of Indigenous languages course, said having the Lieutenant Governor supporting the work is positive.

“I think it does help,” he said.

Lewis, himself a speaker of multiple Cree languages said the program at the university has grown and received more interest as word has got out about it. He is exciting about where everything is going.

“A lot of bands down in southern Saskatchewan, northern Saskatchewan, eastern and western, they’re all really wanting the language in their communities,” he said.

Currently the certificate programs works with three Cree dialects and Michif. Lewis said they are working to add more.

In terms of learning Indigenous languages, Lewis said recent research is showing that age is not as big a hurdle to learning as previously thought.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s really based on the enthusiasm, your hunger for learning something and also the commitment,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn

MH/GH