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| Participants of the First Nations Languages Sharing Circle |
The First Nations Languages Sharing Circle is facilitated by an Elder each week, and this role has been shared by Mabel Nipshank, an Elder from the Cree Nation, and Kelvin Bee, an Elder from the Kaw Kaw Ka Nation. Raised in Northern Alberta in a small Metis community, Mabel’s first language was Cree and she often shares stories during the Circle from her childhood and the practices that she learned from her kookim (‘grandmother’ in Cree). Kelvin has worked for the past year as one of the in-house Elders at the Aboriginal Front Door. Kelvin is a first language speaker of Kwak’wala and he brings to the Circle a rich knowledge of the many stories and dialects that are shared and spoken by First Nations people, particularly in BC.
The remainder of this article contains excerpts from two separate conversations with Mabel and Kelvin, during which they shared some of their reflections pertaining to the First Nations Languages Sharing Circle.
Q: What motivated you to become involved as an Elder?
Mabel: I realize how fortunate I am to be fluent in my language and that I still carry my cultural values and beliefs. I wanted to share this with other people who may not be as fortunate. I feel really honoured and privileged that I can share with others.
Kelvin: My motivation is to keep our language alive. If we don’t keep it in a good sense, it will die and the colonial attempt to wipe out our language will have succeeded. It has been my privilege to help this language program, especially in the Downtown Eastside where we don’t always use cultural practice and knowledge well. In this community, there are not only people from the West Coast Nations, but also from the Plains, the North West Territories, the Yukon, and the Metis. In the Circle, many people have come from the Manitoba and Ontario sections and so we try to involve all the languages.
Q: What do you think participants are learning in the Circle?
Mabel: I think they have an interest and thirst to learn about culture and language. The Circle follows the traditional values of sitting in a circle and sharing knowledge, language and food. People also want to be a part of a community. We are very much a communal people and we’re not meant to be isolated. Being part of a family or a circle alleviates loneliness. The Circle also offers opportunities to speak our languages which was taken away from us. It instils pride that we contributed in making what is known as Canada today.
Kelvin: They have an understanding that they’re going to learn a little piece of their language. Just this little piece is a glimmer of hope that shines in their aura. This gives them hope to hold onto and breaks cycles.
Q: What are you learning from the Circle?
Mabel: I am learning about other languages and dialects. It has also reminded me that our beliefs and legends are similar. There’s a lot of joy in knowing that.
Kelvin: It lifts me up to see those who come to the Circle grow. I get a feeling of wealth from watching their success in using the words, and from being able to help them move forward, even if it’s not my language.
Q: What are your hopes for the Circle in the future?
Mabel: I hope it will become larger. One of the challenges of this Circle is that the learning process is slower because there are so many languages around the table. I would like to see more people come to practice their traditional language. This way, they can work in small groups of 3 or so to practice the language. I hope the Circle will be kept informal and open so that those who participate can continue to decide how to learn best in their own way. If there is enough funding, my dream would be to go out and do a medicine walk with participants. To go out into nature and identify the plants used for medicine and pick sacred medicines.
Kelvin: In the future, I hope we will practice more building of words together in our traditional languages. I also hope that the Circle will include sharing of less used First Nations languages such as those spoken by the Haida Gwaii and Bella Bella people. It would also be good to have more resources, such as language CDs, for people to practice with. My hope is that this language program will be backed with more support and be recognized for doing good in the community and for bringing people in. There are regulars who attend and it seems there’s something here for them. The Circle is most successful because of the regulars and their determination to learn.
