This week, we welcome the official opening of the Little Yellow Schoolhouse on the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation’s) land. It will be the new permanent home of the Language Nest program.
We appreciate that the structure has been salvaged and repurposed from an 112-year-old Vancouver school, but we are far more excited for the lessons that will be taught inside. In a home-like environment, babies and toddlers will be immersed in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language).
The removal of Indigenous languages from Canada was one of the explicit purposes of the residential school system. At one point, there were as few as seven fluent Sníchim speakers remaining.
A language is more than a collection of nouns and verbs and some syntax to make it all work. It is a unique way of seeing the world and relating to one another. For Indigenous people, it can be an anchor for one’s cultural identity and source of pride.
It is no wonder that, in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, the protection and revitalization of Aboriginal languages and language rights are mentioned more than a dozen times. Of course, the federal government and the church have an obligation to show up with the funding to make this important work possible.
Today, through a lot of hard work, there are hundreds of Squamish people learning the language, including the youngest generation that will carry it with them through life. We raise our hands to the Squamish Nation for this achievement.
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