INDIGENOUS TECH Language Regeneration How a new generation of language warriors is using cutting-edge technology to revitalize Indigenous languages BY JAMIE MONASTYRSKI T hey are calling it the silent genocide. Indigenous languages are in danger of becoming extinct. It’s a fact and the numbers are stark. Of the approximately 60 languages spoken by Indigenous peoples, only three – Cree, Inuktitut and Anishinaabemowin – are expected to survive. This potential widespread language loss will have devastating effects, as language is essen- tial to cultural heritage, pride, ceremony and identity. Indigenous advocates have fought, arguing that Indigenous people have a constitutional right to be taught in their own languages, and federal funding should be at par with French language education. Federal funding for French and English language schooling sits at approximately $4,000 per child, while Indigenous languages receive only about $4 per child from the federal government. Chief Duke Peltier of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory appeared on CTV’s Your Morning, hosted by Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake, on National Indigenous Peoples Day last year, and spoke about the Challenge4Change fundraising program for Indigenous languages. SUMMER/WINTER 2018/19 – Chiefs of Ontario Advocate magazine 34 l