Joan Greyeyes, U of S director of First Nations and Métis relations, spoke to the publication about the need for engagement in Indigenous languages.
“There’s an awakening from many students who are craving to know their traditions, their customs,” she said, adding that the trouble with understanding languages such as Cree and Michif is that "we’re the last generation who are fluent speakers."
Efforts undertaken by the U of S, such as a new Indigenous language preservation program, aims to ensure that these languages and dialects not only survive, but thrive.
“We’re creating a pool of people for universities to hire,” added Greyeyes. “They need to have these credentials for non-Aboriginals to even listen to them. So now they’ll have that.”