Conversations About Indigenous Language Revitalization: Urban Edmonton Strategies and Methods

Abstract

This study examines how the indigenous ways of knowing are implemented within community- based language teaching programming within Edmonton. Some Indigenous languages are still learned at home from birth, and in others, daycare and schools play a larger role in introducing the language to children; here, through a local case study, this project investigates how Indigenous languages are being taught to adults in community programs in urban Edmonton. Through interviews with participants who teach Indigenous languages (e.g., Plains Cree, Nakoda) to adults, I present methods and strategies for revitalizing their language and teaching language within urban settings such as Edmonton.

Department: Anthropology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jenanne Ferguson