WEBVTT 00:00:06.494 --> 00:00:38.190 [Music] 00:00:44.253 --> 00:00:48.253 I'm fascinated with the way language 00:00:48.253 --> 00:00:50.913 is central to our world view as indigenous people. 00:00:50.913 --> 00:00:54.874 I'm a Naheo artist and curator living on Lekwungen territory in Victoria, BC. 00:00:56.451 --> 00:00:59.291 My personal research centers around language revitalization 00:00:59.291 --> 00:01:02.067 and how it connects us to our cultures and lands. 00:01:03.742 --> 00:01:06.475 Over the past few years I've been on a journey to learn 00:01:06.475 --> 00:01:07.395 the Cree language. 00:01:08.227 --> 00:01:11.116 It's been a challenging and incredibly rewarding experience. 00:01:12.465 --> 00:01:15.468 Now I want to travel to Alberta, where my ancestors are from 00:01:15.468 --> 00:01:18.444 to discover the ways that different communities 00:01:18.444 --> 00:01:20.518 are revitalizing their languages. 00:01:25.757 --> 00:01:28.217 My mother and I both grew up not knowing anything 00:01:28.217 --> 00:01:31.277 about our Cree family because she was adopted out at birth 00:01:31.277 --> 00:01:33.267 as part of the '60s scoop. 00:01:34.008 --> 00:01:35.990 Twelve years ago, we met our Cree family, 00:01:35.990 --> 00:01:37.243 and since then I have been 00:01:37.243 --> 00:01:39.452 in a process of connecting with the community 00:01:39.452 --> 00:01:41.683 in Wabasca, Alberta, the place where my kokum, 00:01:41.683 --> 00:01:43.403 my grandmother Florence, was born. 00:01:47.477 --> 00:01:49.721 I recently met Nora Yellowmee, an administrator 00:01:49.721 --> 00:01:53.297 at the local school, Oski Pskiknowew Kamik. 00:01:55.292 --> 00:01:57.399 After realizing that we were second cousins 00:01:57.399 --> 00:01:59.988 she offered to help me learn about my family tree. 00:02:01.254 --> 00:02:05.254 (Nora) You have your grandmother, Florence. 00:02:09.707 --> 00:02:12.567 and her mother is Isabelle, and then, 00:02:12.567 --> 00:02:20.279 I'm here. And your grandmother. And your mom. 00:02:20.949 --> 00:02:23.066 (Narrator) Um, Fancine. 00:02:23.066 --> 00:02:24.546 (Nora) Your first cousins or 00:02:24.546 --> 00:02:26.095 second cousins. (Narrator) Ok. 00:02:26.476 --> 00:02:30.476 (Nora) And you're down here. (Narrator) I'm down there. 00:02:30.730 --> 00:02:33.480 Yeah, this is more than, 00:02:33.480 --> 00:02:37.139 a lot more than I knew before I met you, before I came up. 00:02:37.716 --> 00:02:41.716 (Nora) Yea, that's Isabelle. 00:02:42.233 --> 00:02:46.233 Nohkom Isabelle. 00:02:47.499 --> 00:02:50.049 (Narrator) This means a lot to me to see this. 00:02:50.049 --> 00:02:55.271 Again, um, because the more that I see it the more that I 00:02:55.271 --> 00:02:57.177 hear about this, and talk about it 00:02:57.177 --> 00:03:00.307 it's going to stick and I know 00:03:00.307 --> 00:03:05.337 I'll understand more and know more through that process 00:03:09.447 --> 00:03:12.327 (Nora) My dream for the language here, 00:03:12.565 --> 00:03:14.685 starting with the school, is to have 00:03:14.819 --> 00:03:16.929 our people who speak the language, speak it 00:03:17.043 --> 00:03:20.863 everyday, because we are not getting that. 00:03:21.004 --> 00:03:23.104 There are many Cree speakers working here, 00:03:23.133 --> 00:03:25.082 but they are not speaking it. 00:03:26.012 --> 00:03:29.382 For people, the young families now the young mothers 00:03:29.437 --> 00:03:32.414 speak Cree to their children 00:03:33.168 --> 00:03:36.578 and all the rest of it all follow. 00:03:38.286 --> 00:03:40.509 Seeing a photo of my kukom Florence 00:03:40.587 --> 00:03:43.817 as a young woman created a sense of healing and re-connection 00:03:43.874 --> 00:03:46.500 after feeling disconnected for most of my life 00:03:47.681 --> 00:03:50.211 Knowing more about my family's history 00:03:50.288 --> 00:03:52.708 has allowed me to connect deeper with my ancestors 00:03:52.931 --> 00:03:55.111 There is so much more to discover 00:03:55.175 --> 00:03:56.769 but, like learning the language, 00:03:56.773 --> 00:03:58.293 this will take time. 00:04:02.881 --> 00:04:05.241 The Kapaskwatinak Cultural Education Center 00:04:05.276 --> 00:04:07.149 is a place for the Children of Wabaska 00:04:07.174 --> 00:04:09.664 to connect to the land and their culture. 00:04:10.142 --> 00:04:11.982 Knowledge Keeper Lorraine Cardinal 00:04:12.027 --> 00:04:14.587 helps guide the children through land based education 00:04:14.645 --> 00:04:17.234 including coming of age ceremonies. 00:04:17.872 --> 00:04:20.052 I'm excited to learn about these teachings 00:04:20.052 --> 00:04:22.752 since I didn't have the opportunities to experience them 00:04:22.802 --> 00:04:25.972 Growing up disconnected from community and family. 00:04:27.136 --> 00:04:31.236 The reason that I do these things, 00:04:32.077 --> 00:04:35.197 like the coming of age because 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:39.269 it's also my responsibility as a Naheo School 00:04:39.300 --> 00:04:42.760 to protect the children, 00:04:43.238 --> 00:04:46.838 creator's children. And when I'm protecting creator's children 00:04:48.190 --> 00:04:52.140 we need to teach them those protocols. 00:04:52.225 --> 00:04:54.915 We need to teach those values. 00:04:54.982 --> 00:04:57.162 They need to know them so that they don't 00:04:57.162 --> 00:04:59.977 end up getting hurt in the future. 00:05:00.502 --> 00:05:02.544 And that shame of our language 00:05:02.573 --> 00:05:06.013 and who we are, and our ceremonial ways. 00:05:06.064 --> 00:05:10.494 Losing those has caused big destruction 00:05:10.494 --> 00:05:11.878 in our communities 00:05:12.969 --> 00:05:15.729 Because our children, as they're growing up, 00:05:15.730 --> 00:05:17.290 they know who they are, 00:05:17.290 --> 00:05:20.375 they came with the gift of knowing who they are. 00:05:20.375 --> 00:05:23.662 I have a responsibility to pass those teachings 00:05:23.726 --> 00:05:26.346 on to other children too, 00:05:26.390 --> 00:05:29.740 because they will experiment, they will explore 00:05:29.950 --> 00:05:33.070 and we want to prevent them 00:05:33.121 --> 00:05:37.531 from hurting each other or hurting themselves, right? 00:05:38.287 --> 00:05:42.717 (Singing and drums) 00:05:54.688 --> 00:06:00.868 (Lorraine) They call that oskeskwew (?) oskinîkiskwew (?) 00:06:01.484 --> 00:06:05.344 young manhood and young womanhood. 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.490 I want to thank you and honor you for 00:06:10.551 --> 00:06:12.329 coming into this world. 00:06:12.892 --> 00:06:15.375 You are a blessing to us. 00:06:15.432 --> 00:06:17.509 We are so very honored to have you 00:06:17.524 --> 00:06:20.064 as part of us, Naheo school. 00:06:21.239 --> 00:06:25.069 Always remember to hold your head up, don't be ashamed 00:06:25.705 --> 00:06:28.725 and always accept yourself for who you are 00:06:29.305 --> 00:06:31.583 and honor those gifts you brought with you 00:06:32.760 --> 00:06:35.141 And welcome into womanhood 00:06:35.141 --> 00:06:36.122 Welcome. 00:06:37.441 --> 00:06:40.621 It truly is a blessing and an honor to have you 00:06:40.654 --> 00:06:44.024 as a young Naheo iskwew (?), 00:06:44.056 --> 00:06:47.815 A young Naheo woman. Welcome. 00:06:48.746 --> 00:06:50.376 (children talking) 00:06:50.843 --> 00:06:53.313 (Lorraine) Somehow, someway 00:06:54.185 --> 00:06:59.655 fear got instilled in us as indigenous people. 00:07:00.343 --> 00:07:04.403 Shame got instilled in us as indigenous people. 00:07:04.968 --> 00:07:08.612 Our children, what they experienced here today 00:07:08.726 --> 00:07:11.156 taught them how sacred they are, 00:07:11.321 --> 00:07:12.971 how important they are, 00:07:13.558 --> 00:07:16.408 how beautiful they are and that 00:07:16.732 --> 00:07:21.282 they're not just beautiful in physical form. 00:07:21.340 --> 00:07:25.370 that they're beautiful in spiritual form too. 00:07:25.489 --> 00:07:27.919 All we need to do is believe in them, 00:07:27.933 --> 00:07:30.513 to love them, and to tell them that 00:07:30.546 --> 00:07:32.794 they're important and they'll start feeling 00:07:32.811 --> 00:07:34.413 good about themselves. 00:07:34.415 --> 00:07:38.635 I'm proud of them. Their spirit is still alive and well. 00:07:40.085 --> 00:07:44.236 (Narrator) What do you see being the way forward 00:07:44.422 --> 00:07:48.502 so that these young ones in the community 00:07:50.049 --> 00:07:52.379 can not only understand the language 00:07:53.463 --> 00:07:55.893 and its relationship to their spirit 00:07:56.066 --> 00:07:58.356 and their relationship, to the land 00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:01.076 and each other and themselves, 00:08:02.414 --> 00:08:05.794 but be speaking it? How do you feel about 00:08:06.331 --> 00:08:09.091 the future of the language in these 00:08:09.157 --> 00:08:10.567 next generations to come? 00:08:11.070 --> 00:08:14.580 We have to believe in ourselves to be able to do it 00:08:16.087 --> 00:08:22.637 and we need to set our goal 00:08:23.523 --> 00:08:28.632 and if it's revitalizing the language, then let's do that. 00:08:29.192 --> 00:08:31.094 How did we learn Cree? 00:08:32.847 --> 00:08:36.397 We learnt it sitting around with the old people, 00:08:36.438 --> 00:08:37.747 visiting each other and 00:08:38.065 --> 00:08:41.125 our parents speaking to us, you know? 00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:48.836 So we can get it back. We just need to do it. 00:09:03.047 --> 00:09:05.137 John Bigstone is a Wabiskaw elder 00:09:05.168 --> 00:09:08.028 who carries vast spiritual and ceremonial knowledge 00:09:09.425 --> 00:09:12.565 He invited me to the land where he holds sweat lodge ceremonies 00:09:12.595 --> 00:09:15.570 to share teachings about the spirit within our languages. 00:09:16.605 --> 00:09:18.065 [Music] 00:09:29.751 --> 00:09:33.821 [inhales deeply] 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:37.930 It clears your mind when you breathe in this smudge 00:09:44.087 --> 00:09:46.217 English language is inadequate 00:09:47.489 --> 00:09:49.451 if you're going to describe spirit. 00:09:50.053 --> 00:09:51.105 Anything of spirit. 00:09:51.774 --> 00:09:52.844 Its inadequate. 00:09:55.808 --> 00:10:00.677 They named it according to their connection to that plant. 00:10:00.677 --> 00:10:02.729 because they spoke to the plant 00:10:03.730 --> 00:10:05.258 They had a connection. 00:10:05.754 --> 00:10:07.744 They had a connection to all of life. 00:10:07.777 --> 00:10:09.393 They understood their environment. 00:10:09.696 --> 00:10:11.868 They understood that everything was alive, 00:10:12.406 --> 00:10:15.614 and your spirtit has a connection with that spirit 00:10:15.877 --> 00:10:19.225 of mother earth, and everything that grows on her body. 00:10:22.394 --> 00:10:26.906 Prior to contact, everything was described in a more spiritual way. 00:10:26.952 --> 00:10:30.906 Mitos (?) you know, has a spiritual meaning. 00:10:31.612 --> 00:10:35.732 Sifta (?) as in spiritual meaning that's the poplar and the spruce. 00:10:37.682 --> 00:10:43.459 (...?) coming back to the language where our families have had these interruptions 00:10:44.730 --> 00:10:46.753 of residential school, the 60s' scoop 00:10:47.657 --> 00:10:54.749 I'm curious what your thoughts are about those of us with this blood in us 00:10:55.385 --> 00:10:58.845 and whose ancestors have spoken the language 00:10:59.073 --> 00:11:04.733 and whether you think that we have it inside of us 00:11:04.826 --> 00:11:07.217 just waiting to come out, 00:11:07.293 --> 00:11:11.354 this bone memory or blood memory of the language. 00:11:12.060 --> 00:11:14.072 Yeah, it's in yur DNA. 00:11:15.782 --> 00:11:18.202 It's programmed in there already. 00:11:18.312 --> 00:11:20.674 You just have to wake up that programming. 00:11:22.825 --> 00:11:26.925 That's why you're here.