Photo courtesy of Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre
The First Nations Language Keepers Conference is kicking off today at the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre.
Speeches on the importance of preserving Indigenous languages from elders, academics and educators will highlight the two-day annual event. The conference is currently in its 12th year, and is hosted by the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre.
“For this year, we’ve really, really made an effort to highlight some of the more endangered languages like Nakota (and) Dakota,” said Melody Wood, an Indigenous knowledge systems researcher and event organizer. “In order to truly understand the culture, you need to understand the language. Understanding that language has a spirit — I think would be a great motivator for people to continue to learn language.”
Topics of how to introduce children to Indigenous languages will also be discussed at the conference.
“It all begins in the home, so we really try to reach out to parents,” said Wood. “If you know your language, speak it at home because it’s so important. There really is a community effort, and that’s why it is open to everyone.”
The First Nations Language Keepers Conference will start this morning and will continue until Thursday afternoon.