Hundreds gather at Indigenous Language Conference. Photo by Joel Willick.
Organizers of a conference in Saskatoon say youth are the key to revitalizing Indigenous language.
Hundreds have gathered for the First Nations Language Keepers Conference, which is presented by the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre. This year’s conference is entitled “Celebrating Youth: Our Future Language Keepers.”
Conference Organizer and SICC Indigenous Systems Coordinator, Melody Wood says the conference keynotes and presentations will focus on ensuring youth are knowledgeable in Indigenous language.
“All of the keynotes, presentation and workshops will focus on youth,” says Wood. “They are going to talk about land-based education, what you can do in the home before youth go to school, as well as what you can do in the school and community, so there is a lot we can talk about when getting youth involved in Indigenous language.”
Wood also says Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination will come from a strong understanding of Indigenous language.
“If we think about sovereignty and self-determination, the only way we can get there is through language,” she says. “The biggest hurdle is to have parents start early and have them speaking to their children in their Indigenous language in their homes.”
The conference runs Wednesday and Thursday at the Saskatoon Inn.