Program aimed at revitalizing Upriver Halq’eméylem language sees first graduates
The University of Fraser Valley’s first cohort of Upriver Halq’eméylem speakers have graduated from the school’s graduate diploma program.
Upriver Halq’eméylem is a dialect of Halkomelem, spoken for thousands of years by Stó:lō communities all along the Fraser River and its tributaries, on Vancouver Island from Malahat to Nanoose and along the Cowichan River, and in some areas of Washington.
However, years of loss and forced assimilation had reduced the number of fluent speakers to just one when the university established its first Halq’eméylem language course 20 years ago.
The oral language was first written down in 1976 by the Coqualeetza Elders Group and linguist Brent Galloway.
According to UNESCO, 75 per cent of Indigenous languages in Canada are at risk of disappearing.
Colonial practices and legislation, such as the residential school system, the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857, the 60s Scoop and the Indian Act, all contributed to the systematic destruction of Indigenous language and culture.
One of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action is the preservation, strengthening, and revitalization of Indigenous languages.
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