You should be aware of the general situation of First Nations Languages in BC, as well as

the issues of language endangerment and revitalization (for instance, why is it an

important issue, what are some of the main causes of language endangerment, and what
sorts of things are being done to maintain and revitalize languages), but you dont need to
memorize names of particular languages or language families, or the statistics in the Report
on the Status of BC First Nations Languages.

British Columbia is home to 203 First Nations communities and an

amazing diversity of Indigenous languages; approximately 60%
of the First Nations languages of Canada are spoken in B.C. B.C.
First Nations languages are in a state of crisis: Fluent speakers make up a
small and shrinking minority of the B.C. First Nations population and most
of them are over 65. Of the 32 First Nations languages, 8 are severely
endangered and 22 are nearly extinct.

Why is it an important issue?

First and foremost, this is a human rights issue. Language loss is part of the oppression and
disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop
and transmit to future generations their histories, languages. In addition, the loss of language means the
loss of culture and the knowledge systems that are encompassed by and through a language.
There is also scientific interest in maintaining the diversity of the worlds languages; it can help us learn
about the capabilities of human mind and how language is processed in the brain

What are some of the main causes of language endangerment?

A major cause of First Nations language loss in B.C. is the church-run residential (boarding) schools that
began operating in Canada. When attendance became compulsory, children could be forcibly removed
from their families by police or Indian agents and taken to live in the schools, often on a year-round
basis. The speaking of First Nations languages was strictly banned within the schools, and was enforced
by often brutal means of physical and emotional punishment. Because children were removed from the
home environment where languages were spoken, and were unable to use their languages in the school
setting, many of them lost their languages completely, a loss which was passed on to subsequent
generations.

The B.C. public education system often fails First Nations children by neglecting to include and honour
First Nations languages and cultures in curricula.
First Nations community members lack opportunities, resources and support to teach, learn, use and
maintain their First Nations languages.
 Governments provide inadequate support and infrastructure for First Nations language programs in
schools and communities.
Poverty, abuse and substance abuse issues take precedence over language revitalization. Many First
Nations people live in urban centres, and are not surrounded by fellow community members who can
use their ancestral language.
Many First Nations languages have not yet created words and phrases for modern ideas and objects,
and are therefore not considered useful
First Nations people, languages and cultures are largely excluded from government, commerce,
industry, arts, higher education and media.
Many people hold the attitude that speaking only English is somehow better for children to be
successful in todays society. The myth exists that bilingual children lag behind their monolingual peers.

What sorts of things are being done to maintain and revitalize languages?

At the preschool level, communities are working to provide more language time for young learners, and
many communities have, or are developing the capacity to have, full immersion language nests.

In schools, communities are offering as much language for which they currently have the capacity.
Awareness of immersion as an effective model is growing, and there are First Nations schools across the
country that are demonstrating success, not just in language learning, but in other tangible outcomes
such as increased graduation rates.

At the post-secondary level, promising new programs have been introduced such as the University of
Victoria's B.Ed. and M.A. programs in Indigenous language revitalization. Organizations such as the First
Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and the Indigenous Adult And Higher Learning
Association (IAHLA) are working on a framework for a First Nations language degree. At the adult level,
individuals are working to build their own fluency in the language in order to be able to pass on the
language to others. Since 2008, the First Peoples Cultural Councils Mentor-Apprentice program has
funded 45 teams across the province to help adults gain fluency in their language