A comprehensive survey of B.C. First Nations languages reveals that investments in language revitalization are working, resulting in more B.C. First Nations people engaged in learning their language than was previously reported.
Now in its fourth edition, the First Peoples’ Cultural Council’s (FPCC’s) Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages provides benchmark data to First Nations communities, leadership and all levels of government to support language revitalization planning, evaluation and advocacy efforts. For the first time, the report includes data on all 34 First Nations languages in B.C.
According to the 2022 report, there has been an increase in semi–speakers and immersion learning opportunities, as well as more than 3,000 new learners. Access to immersion opportunities across all domains for children or adults is critically important to building language fluency.
“The Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages is vital to our understanding of what resources and supports are needed in communities and is a testament to the hard work of the many language champions, elders, youth and kids who are speaking, learning and passing along their languages,” said Tracey Herbert, FPCC CEO. “It is great to see the positive impact of increased funding from both levels of government on the number of First Nations language speakers and learners in communities across B.C. We will continue to work collaboratively with our community partners to achieve long–term sustainable funding to make sure this positive momentum continues long into the future.”
Published every four years since 2010, the 2022 report gathered information from 167 First Nations
communities in B.C., reporting on 140,195 First Nations people. This was challenging in a period in which First Nations in the province faced many difficult circumstances, including the COVID–19 pandemic and record wildfires and flooding, which caused widespread evacuations and disruptions to people’s lives.
Despite this, communities have worked hard to continue language revitalization work, developing more
learning opportunities than ever before with support from FPCC. The report highlights many positive developments in the growth of community–based language revitalization projects across the province. Of note are the number of language nests for pre–school–aged children, which more than tripled, from 10 to 32, since the last report four years ago.
More children are also learning their First Nations language as their mother tongue at home. To celebrate these findings, the report highlights several families who are bringing back language within the home, including Roxanne and Cody Dool who are raising their three children to speak Halq’eméylem.
Adult language learning opportunities are also on the rise. Many adults who may not have access to
community–run language programs are learning their languages with online language tools such as FirstVoices.com and through one–on–one immersion programs such as FPCC’s Mentor–Apprentice
Program. This program pairs fluent mentors with language learners and has grown from 27 teams to
over 150 over the last four years. Growth in both the number of adult learners and immersion opportunities for young children support the intergenerational transfer of strong, living languages for
First Nations in B.C. and is a very positive development.
“As we mobilize for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, 2022–32, I’m pleased to learn from this report that many First Nations communities are making progress on their goals to bring their
languages to life,” said Terry Teegee, Regional Chief, British Columbian Assembly of First Nations. “The hard work of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and other First Nations organizations and the growth of funding and programs are nurturing the progress of language revitalization in the province. The federal and provincial governments have committed, through legislation and action, to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which affirms rights related to Indigenous languages. Much more work needs to be done to reverse the damage done by a long history of discriminatory government policies and practices, and I urge all levels of government to intensify and strengthen their support for First Nations in order to build on these successes.”