Keeping language alive
EFFORTS TO PRESERVE BLACKFOOT LANGUAGE ARE PAYING OFF
The Keepers of Our Language have completed their run, but their journey is far from over. On Saturday, Keepers involved in the last leg of the four-year, 435mile awareness event made their way to the 60th Annual Piikani Nation Celebrations Powwow in Brocket where they took part in a ceremony and paid tribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women, as well as victims of stroke and suicide.
The goal of the run is to promote the importance of language to culture for Blackfoot people. Over the past four years, some 250 runners have taken part in the event, running 435 miles across Blackfoot lands.
“Part of it is making them aware of their traditions and their culture,” said William Big Bull, an organizer for the event. “The ultimate part of it is that they were able to run across the Blackfoot territory and see it for themselves. Not from the back of a car, or on TV, and not in some tragic story — but on their own, in a good way.”
Big Bull said by taking part in the run, those involved have exhibited a tremendous amount of power and strength.
Their efforts over the past four years appear to be paying off. Big Bull said the Alberta government will be helping to set up a year-long webinar series that, once a month, will help teach people Blackfoot language and push the message of its importance to Blackfoot people culturally.
“This webinar will reach a bigger audience,” he said. “Most people don’t come (to the powwow), and most people don’t come to public meetings. They aren’t involved in politics. But their children are all sitting there playing computers at home. We thought we’d find a way (to reach them) with this webinar, for them to participate in a forum in their living room. It’s probably the best way (to reach them).”
A simple writing system has been developed for the Blackfoot language to help people better learn the language.
“It’s basically a taste of the language,” Big Bull said. The system will help people learn everyday usage of words, as well as teach them the writing system so they may share that skill with others.
“They’ll be able to use it on their computers, play around with it, and if they have questions, these webinars will give us a chance to continue on with it.”
At the end of the year, the group will come together and discuss how the work they have done over the past four years can be continued and passed on to other Keepers of Our Language.
“We’ve completed our task here,” Big Bull said. “So we’re passing the torch.”