Photo: John Ulan
A student-led Indigenous language club at the University of Alberta, Canada, is helping Indigenous students learn Indigenous languages and connect with their cultures. One student, Danni Okemaw, started teaching in the club at the invitation of a friend, although initially she was unsure about teaching. "I felt like I had to be at a certain level to teach language. But I quickly realized that if there was nobody else in the room that knew Anishinaabemowin, I was the expert there. So I started teaching," said Okemaw. Six years later, Okemaw is nearly reached her goal, becoming fluent in her mother and father’s languages, as well as Plains Cree, the language of Treaty 6 territory where the University of Alberta resides. "Indigenous Language Club has been so amazing for my personal goals. But what’s most important is that we are participating in "wahkohtowin" -- we are practicing kinship -- while engaging in our language. That’s the spirit of language and who we are," she said.
|
|
More:
