Mike Parkhill, Arleen Ash, and Cassandra Spade all contribute to language vitality in their own way.
From language apps to Order of Canada appointments, language revitalization success stories from northern Ontario are being recognized and celebrated.Mike Parkhill, Arleen Ash and Cassandra Spade, left to right, all contribute to language vitality in their own way. They're among people across across Canada who are fighting for Indigenous languages to survive and thrive. Cassandra Spade of Mishkeegogamang First Nation began learning her language later in life.
Spade is one of many people across northern Ontario — and across Canada — who are fighting for Indigenous languages to survive and thrive. As more people prioritize language revitalization, creative resources and new opportunities are being created. Her own efforts to learn her language only sparked her desire to do more, and she eventually reached out to her auntie, Arleen Ash of Mishkeegogamang First Nation, for help. She knew her auntie was a fluent speaker and could open her up to more opportunities to engage in conversation.Spade and Ash now teach Anishinaabemowin together for the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nation communities in northern Ontario. The two of them value the language and contribute to its survival.
"It's a moral imperative that we need to drive toward, always, in order to keep a healthy society," Parkhill said. Last year, the learning tool was made available to 68 classrooms at school boards across northern Ontario, with plans to expand to more this year.Language revitalization tools build on a foundation established over decades by people like Patricia Ningewance.
Patricia Ningewance and her grandson, Aandeg Muldrew, co-taught an Ojibway language immersion course in 2020.
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