We Are Speaking Our Language Again

I recommend Dah Dẕahge Nodes̱idē (We Are Speaking Our Language Again) to anyone interested in Indigenous language revitalization and learning more about the Tahltan people. I enjoyed watching how the Tahltan people are reclaiming their language and how their communities have come together to create programming that’s having a positive impact on reviving their language. I was struck by the beautiful lands and scenery of the Tahltan First Nation that this documentary opens with and that is shown throughout this film. I grew up in B.C. and miss the mountains and the rivers there. As a Nehiyaw person striving to reclaim my own Nehiyawewin language (that my parents lost in Indian Residential school), I’ve gained a deep appreciation for the power our Indigenous languages hold. How great to see the Tahltan Language Nest program for babies and children (from 0 to 5 years of age) that’s also inspiring parents to learn and that builds a strong foundation for the Tahltan language. Protecting our Indigenous languages is critical, and as digital is the way of the future, I feel the Tahltan people are wise to use technology as they do to capture and digitally document their language. The Tahltan language was almost extinct. There are only thirty fluent speakers remaining. So the archive the Tahltan people are creating will preserve their language for future generations. The process to reclaim one’s language can be arduous as it hits on many different levels, but in my experience, the rewards far outweigh the struggle. I’ve come to know that hearing and speaking one’s language is the key and the way back home. It lifts my spirits to see the Tahtlan people doing such a good job of reclaiming theirs.

Heather Clear Wind
Transdisciplinary artist, writer and published poet