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In The Barren Grounds, the language of the animal-beings is what they call the good words.
The good words are a dialect of Cree. In fact, what sets Eli and Ochek off on a relationship of trust is that he greets Ochek in Cree when he first enters Askí.
Throughout their journey, no less than thirty Cree words are used. These are all new words to Morgan, and their uses create a learning opportunity.
A key moment in Morgan’s learning process happens when Mahihkan—the wolf—comes to their camp to drag away Eli. In response, she yells mwach—no—at him.
Morgan was introduced to the word mwach in her dreams. Her mother says mwach to resist Morgan being taken into foster care. Morgan uses the same word to resist when Eli is being taken away from her.
Morgan’s use of mwach is a significant moment, for it is the first time that she uses a Cree word spontaneously. At this point, Cree is no longer a language in her dreams, or a foreign language of the animal beings. Cree is being revitalized as her own everyday language.
Indigenous Peoples had their languages stripped away
A reason that Morgan, a Cree girl, does not speak her language is due to the legacy of colonialism. Indigenous Peoples had their languages stripped away, particularly but not exclusively through forbidding Indigenous languages at residential schools and punishing children who spoke in their language.
Today, efforts are being made to rectify the past and revitalize Indigenous languages. Over 70 Indigenous languages are still in use today, spoken by about 240,000 Indigenous people. Encouragingly, some languages such as Michif are in a state of renewal.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recognized the importance of revitalizing Indigenous languages. They called upon the federal government to acknowledge that Aboriginal rights include language rights, and to enact an Aboriginal Languages Act.
In response, the federal government passed the Indigenous Languages Act. This law recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ language rights. It requires consultation between the government and Indigenous governments to provide funding for reclaiming, strengthening, and keeping Indigenous languages.
The law has been criticized for not including any specific rights such as the right to services or education in a person’s Indigenous language
The law has been criticized for not including any specific rights such as the right to services or education in a person’s Indigenous language. This stands in contrast to rights and protections for English and French speakers in Canada under federal legislation. It also stands in contrast to territorial laws in Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories that recognize and provide specific rights for Indigenous languages spoken in each territory. However, the law is a starting point and we can learn much from other language laws already in place across the country.
Morgan’s learning process serves to remind us that Indigenous languages can be revitalized. The task is not easy, but is key for the Reconciliation process.
Language is a distinguishing feature of a culture. It can reveal and transmit values and identity rooted in that culture. How would revitalizing Indigenous languages help us all with the Reconciliation process?
