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Yukoners Celebrate Upcoming National Aboriginal Language Day

Friday, 29 March 2019 15:17

National Aboriginal Language Day is set for this Sunday.

Dozens of Yukoners and First Nations are paying tribute this week to mark National Aboriginal Language Day this upcoming Sunday.

One such event included an open house today at the Yukon Native Language Centre, where storytellers like Southern Tutchone Educator and Speaker Hazel Bunbury spoke in different First Nations languages such as Southern Tutchone, Gwi'chin, Tlingit and Kaska in front of dozens of people.

Bunbury says the story she is telling today is inter-generational and passed down from her relatives.

"I will be telling a story in my own language in Southern Tutchone, the Ta'an-Whitehorse dialect.  These were some of the stories told to us by our mom. I picked one of my favourite (for today)... it's a story about the eagle and the raven."

Kwanlin Counsellor Sean Smith says the language day is especially important for the passing of First Nations languages down to younger generations.

"I guess our goal today is just to celebrate First Nations languages across the Yukon and throughout the world.  It's important for a lot of the older generations within our communities to ensure the worldview of the traditions, the customs, and the culture is represented accurately through the language that will be passed down to the younger generations." 

Ministers alike also spoke yesterday in the legislature  highlighting the importance of National Aboriginal Language Day.

Frost says what she's seeing in the Yukon with First Nations language revitalization is encouraging.

"The Government of Yukon is committed to working with Yukon First Nations to revitalize languages so that they can be heard in homes and in communities across the Yukon for generations to come."

MLA for Porter Creek North  Geraldine Van Bibber also says history was made when a First Nations language was broadcasted for the first time in the commentary of an NHL game.

"In Canada, we have 60 Aboriginal languages with three being the most prominently spoken - Cree, Ojibway and Inuktiktut. This past Sunday, history was made when Earl Wood used Plains Cree to announce play-by-play during the Carolina Hurricanes -  Montreal Canadians game."

Yukon is home to 8 different First Nations languages alone.

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