Andrea Custer (photo submitted)

By Susan McNeil

Indigenous People's Month

From Michif to Cree to Latin, the language of Saskatchewan continues to evolve

Jun 8, 2022 | 8:48 AM

Hello in the Cree language is ‘Tansi’ or ‘Taanshi’ if you are Métis.

Want to learn it in Saulteaux? Go here to the University of Regina’s YouTube channel and take 30 seconds to watch the video. They also have Nakoda and Dakota examples.

With most Indigenous languages in Saskatchewan slowly fading away, learning has never been more important.

Of the over 165,000 Indigenous people in Saskatchewan, only 17 per cent can speak an Indigenous language. Language and culture (and food!) are tied together and preserving one means preserving another but, unlike cooking food which can be taught at any age, language skills are best learned at an early age.

Andrea Custer teaches Cree language courses at the First Nations University campus in Prince Albert.

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Custer has a lot of knowledge and a lot of practice teaching people of all ages how to speak Cree, but said its best learned young.

Custer said new technology, like Apps, can help teach old lanuages. She also finds a way to teach through humour. When you go to her blog https://www.pikiskwewin.ca/, you’ll find podcasts with titles like Cree and Coffee with the Crazy Crees.

John Diefenbaker School in Prince Albert has embraced the idea of early language learning and has even hired a teacher for the job.

John Diefenbaker School in Prince Albert has the right idea and Orlanda Chaboyer is now on staff, teaching Cree to kindergarten students. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Even though early learning is ideal, that doesn’t mean adult learners can’t pick up some skills.

To do it for free and on your own, try one of the many YouTube streams or, go with Custer’s recommendation for introductory Cree here: https://youtu.be/8CKtKS8mmTM.

For more formal classes, visit the FNUniv website and go as a paid student or try the audit route where you can listen but don’t commit to the course load – and don’t get marked.

Several treaties and many communities stretch the entire width and breadth of Saskatchewan, but another group is included with less formal recognition.

The Métis people speak a unique blend of various Indigenous languages and French, English or even Latin, called Michif.

Michif is also split into dialects, with one found in Île-à-la-Crosse, the second oldest town (if you use the European definition) in Saskatchewan.

Vincent Ahenakew has a deep-rooted understanding of language and in the case of Northern Michif, is literally the voice of it.

Ahenakew’s voice is the one heard from those who opt to learn the language by downloading the Northern Michif language app, found on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

At the moment, there are over 11,000 words on the app but Ahanakew says that after a meeting at the end of May, number will grow substantially, thanks to the annual gathering of the Michif language speakers in Saskatoon.

He has even written the book on the Michif language.

Ahenakew remembers hearing elders speak the language at the home he shared with his grandmother and out in the community, but in those days, people weren’t limited to one language as many are now.

““We have elders here, there’s not many left, but in the past they could speak Michif, they could speak French, they could speak English, they could speak Dene, and they could speak Cree. Sometimes, they could even speak a little Latin,” Anenakew said.

Like Custer, Ahenakew said languages are best learned young. He also said that many elders think that losing the language and belief system is having a negative impact on today’s Indigenous youth.

“I think all the problems that we have today, a lot of the elders say that if they had the language and the culture and beliefs we wouldn’t have the problems that we have today with the drugs and the gangs,” he said.

Despite retiring from his job as school principal in Île-à-la-Crosse last year, Ahenakew is still actively involved in the teaching process, but just does differently.

Also like Custer, he is relying on technology to keep old knowledge alive, using apps and YouTube and whatever other means he can find.

One of the big jobs at the Michif Speaker’s conference will be adding thousands of words to the app.

When talking about using modern social media to learn old languages, Youtube is also a source for those who like visuals and the Gabriel Dumont Institute’s channel includes several videos on the Michif language.

Also found on the Metis Gathering website are multiple resources on the Michif language, for those hungry for knowledge.

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