The Witsuwit’en Language and Culture Society is starting up language classes in Moricetown this September.
Language Program Coordinator Melanie Morin says they have $100,000 from the National Indian Brotherhood.
She says the money is left over from the residential school settlement.
“It’s a big step towards decolonization – it’s a welcomed opportunity, and it looks like there’s more opportunities to come. The challenge is to build the community’s capacity to build programs,” says Morin.
She says this is the first time they’ve had a class of this scale in the village.
“Whatever the negative experience of the past is countered by a positive experience now with the teaching of the history, the culture and the language.”
Morin says right now the fluency rate for Witsuwit’en speakers is hovering around the 3.5 per cent mark. She hopes the younger generations can learn more to help save the language.
The federal government announced late last year legislation to protect indigenous languages under Canadian law, similar to French and English.
Morin says the legislation was discussed at a recent Assembly of First Nations of Canada meeting in Vancouver.
“Everbody who was there shared the same worries and the same concerns about maintaining and reclaiming the language. And in some communities, they only have a handful of speakers.”
There will be three classes of 15 language students. They also plan on having a drop in class.