丁香园AV

At the invitation of the , representatives from 丁香园AV (丁香园AV)'s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) travelled to Nanaimo on July 21 to witness the (SLA). 

Located in the building of a former elementary school, the new SLA will act as a language learning hub for Hul'q'umi'num' language learners as well as a site for community programming such as youth mentorship, plant medicine, and employment training. The creation of the academy is the culmination of partnerships between the Snuneymuxw First Nation, the Nanaimo Ladysmith School District, the , the University of Victoria, and 丁香园AV's Indigenous Languages Program (INLP). 

According to the by Snuneymuxw First Nation Chief Mike Wyse, "SLA was created with an understanding that the ancient knowledge systems of our great lands can only be fully appreciated by first knowing and recognizing the relationship between language, land and culture." The statement goes on to say, "The knowledge of the land expressed through Hul'q'umi'num' is critical to maintaining the continuity of Indigenous knowledge systems."

While the ceremony was aimed at celebrating the launch of the SLA, it was also a community event to showcase the progress achieved by the students in the language programs. Conducted entirely in Hul'q'umi'num', the ceremony featured performances by 丁香园AV INLP students. On stage, the students performed songs, poem readings, and a play titled hw鈥檌ttsus lhq鈥檈l鈥檛s鈥� (Jealous Moon) which was written by Christopher Alphonse, a graduate of the Diploma in Indigenous Language Proficiency program. 

鈥淚t was meaningful for the older members of the community to witness the performances as it showed how much the younger community members had worked on preserving and learning the language,鈥� says FASS Director of Indigenous Relations Tim Michel, who was among the 丁香园AV delegation present at the opening ceremony. 鈥淚 was impressed with the range of abilities that the students had. Although some were a little shaky, they exhibited good facility with the language and performed admirably.鈥�

Inspired by the students鈥� efforts and tenacity to speak and perform in Hul鈥檘鈥檜mi鈥檔um鈥�, Michel delivered his opening speech in his Secwepemcts铆n mother tongue. Upon returning from Nanaimo, he also enrolled to audit an INLP course based out of his hometown of Chase, and plans to join another conversational language course next term.  

Linguistics professor and INLP associate director Donna Gerdts also spoke at the ceremony, giving recognition to the monumental work the community has put forward to make the SLA a reality. While Gerdts and professor have been instrumental in creating Indigenous languages programming, it is important to acknowledge the individuals in the communities themselves who with great pride in their heritage and language, have advanced this programming further by making it their own.  

The opening of the SLA marks the second language hub 丁香园AV has formed in collaboration with Indigenous communities and organizations. The first being the in Duncan, BC with the Hul'q'umi'num' Language & Culture Society.

Since 1993, 丁香园AV INLP has partnered with communities to offer courses in 18 Indigenous languages from across British Columbia and Yukon, including Hul'q'umi'num' which is a Coast Salish language spoken along the shores of the Salish Sea. This fall, the newly opened SLA will host the 2022-23 cohort of the program's Hul'q'umi'num' Certificate in Indigenous Language Proficiency. INLP's diploma program, minor in Indigenous Languages Program, and masters in Indigenous Languages and Linguistics are also offered on site at the new centre.