Aboriginal Language Conference Draws Hundreds

Aboriginal Language Conference Draws Hundreds

Thursday, December 04, 2008 at 14:40

One of the organizers of this year’s First Nations Language Keepers Conference in Saskatoon says there is a sense of urgency to protect their languages before they disappear.

Dorothy Myo is president of the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre, which is hosting its annual conference for the rest of the week.

Myo says around 350 people came to the conference last year, but she expects around 500 delegates this year.

She says people are worried about First Nations languages being lost, in part because the current generation has not passed on the languages to their children.

Myo says Aboriginal children rarely hear their mother tongues, even in reserve communities.

Elders and traditional teachers will conduct workshops over the next two days to help language teachers build language survival skills.

There will also be forums to discuss people’s concerns about the survival of First Nations languages.