Language Forum Day Three Recap

Thursday, 15 November 2018 10:48

A group photo towards the end of the language summit in Juneau.

Language Teachers heard a speech in the Tlingit language to kick off day three.

Storytelling

Storytelling was the theme at the language summit this morning.

30- 40 Language Teachers gathered at the front of Centennial Hall for a speech in the Tlingit Language Today.

Hans Chester, a Tlingit language and culture teacher, says for language teachers not to be scared in learning vocabulary in English to help improve a speakers knowledge and understanding of words in their own native language.

Alfie Price, a Tsimshian language teacher, personally thanked all the language teachers to be at the conference and says Elders understand the context of the First Nations language teachers when they spoke.

Lance Twitchell, a language instructor at the University of Southeast Alaska, performed a Tlingit ritual dance with the language teachers, chanting about the resilience of the Tlingit Language and how it’s getting stronger.

Language teachers gathering at the forum

Proceeding the dance, storytelling took centre stage, with inter-generational stories being told from Elders to audience members.

David Katzeek, a Chilkat Eagle of the Shangukeidi clan, told stories about the raven clans in Tlingit Culture to the spiritual presence of Elders being with audience members throughout the different walks of their life.

Story transfer of names between family members in clans within Tlingit culture was also spoken about by Katzeek, saying that participants in Tlingit culture often help each other describe and tell their stories among one another.

Progress in Tlingit Language Learning

Language Curriculum Instructor and Program Developer for the Carcross/Tagish First Nation Sean Mcdougall, says it's amazing all the Tlingit can come together at the language summit to have one mind and speak their shared language together.

He says what initiatives are being done to make language learning easier for Indigenous peoples.

"We're working with Simon Fraser University and Yukon Native Language Centre in Whitehorse to create language apps and to create online language courses. We're also staring a mentor awareness program where we will setup learning situations for our learners with our speakers for the ones who want to learn. "

He say's it's most impactful for learners to spend time with Elders and speakers, saying "he's seen people as old as 21-years-old become fluent in as little as five years".

The Edan Room where the breakout session occurred

Breakout Sessions

A breakout session, a place for discussion between people and come up with ideas and solutions for issues facing them, occurred at 2:30 today.

The theme today was "taking care of languages", and one common concern was how people should practice and learn the Tlingit language.

One participant suggested that paying people shouldn't always be the case to teach younger audiences Tlingit, as it often restricts learners from development.

Others said just learning Tlingit at school for 20 minutes a day wasn't enough to become fluent, and Elders and teachers need to teach learners in commonplace settings like homes for language learning to become more natural.

One Tlingit learner also sensed his own frustration of being able to tell inter-generational stories in English, but not in Tlingit.

Finding an inner strength to have courage and take the initiative to learn your native language, not being afraid asking for help when learning your native language, and for fluent speakers not being critical of language learners when teaching them their Indigenous languages like Tlingit were other common themes at the language breakout.