(Note: Pending review and approval by the UArctic Indigenous Advisory Board.)
It’s important to be aware and respectful of the wishes of the Indigenous community that the language you’re interacting with belongs to. Opinions on whether or not non-Indigenous people should use a given Indigenous language will vary by community and even by individual. If unsure, it never hurts to ask a teacher of the language in question or get into contact with a community representative. Research concerning an Indigenous language and involving participants must also be conducted with the explicit approval of the community and is furthermore to be carried out from start to finish on their terms.
It’s essential to reflect on why you are interested in learning an Indigenous language or conducting research related to one. Make sure that for instance you are not using Indigenous languages for personal gain, especially in a way that doesn’t contribute anything to/takes away from the community.
“I don’t think that engaging with Indigenous languages should be viewed as an act of charity for the poor or disenfranchised, but simply as an opportunity for all of us to learn, more fully humanize one another, and be the best versions of ourselves.” --Anton Treuer, Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University.
Arctic Indigenous languages exist in diverse political and cultural environments in what is now Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Some Arctic Peoples have been divided across national borders, and all experienced assimilation policies. Speaking Indigenous languages was forbidden during most countries’ colonial eras. Education and public services were only offered in the official state language, and children were taken to residential schools away from their families, culture and environment. Many people experienced lifelong trauma, rejected their mother tongue later in life and – to save their children from shame and oppression – did not pass it on to future generations. --Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat
Some Indigenous language learning programs have separate sessions for Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners; often this is in part because some Indigenous learners carry trauma or feel shame regarding their language as a result of the harm caused by colonialism. This being a sensitive area, some Indigenous students may feel uncomfortable learning alongside non-Indigenous students, who are learning the language for different reasons and who do not share these same feelings/lived experiences. In addition to this, colonialism has led to disparities and barriers in financial nature/related to educational opportunities; these aspects can collectively inhibit an Indigenous student’s overall engagement and learning with their language.
In programs where there are no separate classes, it is important to be mindful possible circumstances of fellow students who are Indigenous and to be respectful of their learning journey. From his experience teaching Ojibwe to mixed classes and with collaborative work related to Indigenous priorities, Treuer highlights the importance of supporting Indigenous people to be the leaders in learning environments and in joint endeavors, so as to not “take voice, position, and authority from native people”.
In practice, the above ideas can take many forms. Here are a couple of examples of ways to show respect towards Indigenous classmates and collaborators:
-Heritage speakers of a language shouldn’t be expected to know everything or be used as a dictionary.
-Be sure to give other students a chance to answer a teacher’s question, as well as to share ideas in project contexts.
Limited resources and opportunities related to Indigenous language learning is another aspect to be aware of. Shortages of language teachers, along with limited funding, are a problem that get in the way of many Indigenous languages’ revitalization, and these issues may worsen with the addition of non-Indigenous students partaking in programs. Elder Iehnhotonkwas Bonnie Jane Maracle, Wolf Clan, Mohawk Nation at Tyendinaga Territory, expressed concern in an interview about how teacher shortages can be exacerbated by mixed Indigenous/non-Indigenous programs; teachers in effect may shift from teaching in Indigenous communities to elsewhere, due to demand for language instruction at universities for instance.
The above information serves to foreground the necessity of centering Indigenous peoples and ways of knowing in contexts related to Indigenous languages in higher education, and more broadly in those related to Indigenous priorities. Indigenous peoples in the past have been largely or fully left out of conversations and spaces surrounding their languages, and this continues to a certain extent to this day. This is also true of resources and opportunities related to Indigenous language education and revitalization, which are in many cases quite limited, and which Indigenous peoples do not always get to benefit from.
Making contributions towards Indigenous language revitalization, in addition to participating in Indigenous language learning or conducting research about Indigenous languages, must not happen at the expense of Indigenous peoples, nor should Indigenous peoples be displaced in spaces needed for Indigenous language revitalization and education. Relatedly, it is vital that Indigenous languages not be extracted from the culture and worldview that they are intrinsically connected to.
Through respectful engagement with Indigenous languages and by acknowledging the historic and ongoing realities associated with them, you can help mitigate language shift.
Should Nonnatives learn Native languages?– Anton Treuer
Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ languages — Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat
McDowell, S. G. (2024). Revitalizing Indigenous Languages in Toronto: The Responsibilities and Potential Roles of non-
Indigenous Peoples [Master's Thesis, University of Toronto]. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/138331. (PDF)
Further Reading
They're not Indigenous — but they're learning Indigenous languages | CBC Radio
UArctic’s Indigenous Learning Resources
