Photo courtesy Joris Beugels
September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools in Canada. This day offers us an opportunity to learn more and reflect on the tangible and intangible effects of the residential school system, including the loss of Indigenous language knowledge during the residential school years and present-day language revitalization projects.
The Liard First Nation has been engaging in language preservation and revitalization projects for the last 40 years. Kaska is a Northern Dene (Athabaskan) language from the Kaska territory, which spans southeastern Yukon and northern British Columbia. The protection, promotion, and preservation of Kaska language learning is one of the Liard First Nation’s ongoing efforts, because of the importance local languages hold for the health and well-being of First Nations communities.
The Kaska Language Website and Kaska Cards app are two recent projects that are now archived in cIRcle and accessible via Open Collections. These materials, created by the Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society and Liard First Nation Language Department, support language learning within the Kaska community, for students in UBC’s Kaska Language courses, and anyone interested in learning the Kaska language.
Kaska Language Website
The Kaska Language Website is a collaborative online learning resource jointly sponsored by the First Nations Endangered Languages Program at UBC and Kaska First Nations in BC and the Yukon, with funding from the Government of Canada. The Website gathers together Kaska language materials, including lesson plans, listening exercises, conversations between fluent speakers, and more.
In cIRcle, the Language Lessons are split into thematic categories or topics, covering conversational queues about a wide range of topics including choosing what to drink with a meal, getting ready for school, and giving and receiving directions. Each Lesson is made up of a collection of learning materials, including instructional materials and worksheets with practice exercises and answer keys, audio recordings of key phrases and words spoken by Kaska language instructor Leda Jules, and interactive games.
Kaska Cards App
In addition to the Website, the Liard First Nations Department developed Kaska Cards, a language flashcard app, with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Kaska Cards app is a digital language tool designed to help aspiring Kaska language learners build a foundation for fluency in Kaska language. Audio—visual flashcard decks and recordings create an engaging learning environment that can be accessed anywhere via mobile app (through the Google Play or Apple Store) or web browser.
cIRcle’s 81 Kaska Cards records are also divided into thematic categories or topics, with each topic broken into smaller decks focused on a specific subset of a topic: the Weather Deck includes decks for hot summer weather, wet and stormy weather, and more. cIRcle’s items feature the Kaska Cards app audio recordings from Elder Jocelyn (Mallay) Wolftail, a fluent speaker of the Frances Lake Dialect.
What’s next for Kaska Learning in cIRcle
cIRcle now holds over 190 Kaska Language Lessons and Kaska Cards flashcard decks, with more on the horizon. In the coming months, cIRcle will continue to grow the collection of Kaska Language Lessons. All 102 individual language lessons available via the Kaska Language Website will be made accessible via Open Collections and preserved for future Kaska language learners through cIRcle’s long-term digital preservation practices. We invite you to explore these learning resources, download the Kaska Cards app, and start your journey to become a new learner of the Kaska language.
Call to action
Are you working on a project that supports Indigenous language revitalization or the preservation of Indigenous dialects? Contact us to find out how cIRcle can support these efforts.
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