May 20-21, 2025
At the Manitoba Aboriginal Languages Strategy (MALS) Symposium in Thompson, Manitoba, language champions, educators, Elders, and community members gathered for two days of dialogue, learning, and celebration. The gathering underscored a shared commitment: to carry Indigenous languages forward by grounding revitalization in both land-based practice and innovation.
The program opened on May 20 with a panel from the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, which outlined community-led approaches in British Columbia to strengthen language, arts, and heritage. A keynote panel hosted by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO followed, focusing on the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) and the urgency of coordinated action. Afternoon Land Based Workshops were hosted at the Boreal Discovery Centre and the day closed with a keynote dinner address by Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams.
The following morning, Dr. Ronald E. Ignace, delivered a keynote that traced the decades-long journey of language revitalization across the country. He reflected on the hard-fought path that led to the Indigenous Languages Act in 2019 and the establishment of the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages. His message was clear: Indigenous languages are not simply communication tools, but living vessels of knowledge systems, carrying solutions for the future of our lands, governance, and economies. He shared how the Commission continues to advance this mandate, supporting Indigenous Peoples in their work to safeguard and strengthen their languages for future generations.
Dr. Mavis Reimer and Elder William Dumas shared the Six Seasons of the Asiniskow Ithiniwak project, which brings Cree stories to life through books, digital apps, curriculum guides, and exhibits. Rooted in the cycles of the land and teachings of Rocky Cree knowledge keepers, the project honours history, culture, and the responsibility to pass knowledge from one generation to the next. This intergenerational work continued in a student panel from University College of the North, where young people spoke of their journeys in reclaiming language and the roles they hold in carrying it forward.
The panel Indigenous Languages & Innovation, led by Tom Johnson, Daniel Blair, and Dr. Ramona Neckoway, explored how digital platforms, video games, and virtual reality experiences, developed with community guidance, are creating new ways for languages to be learned, practiced, and shared, even when fluent speakers are few. Their work emphasized that technology can be an innovative approach to teaching Indigenous languages while honouring Indigenous ways of being.
As the symposium closed, the energy in the room carried a shared sense of purpose. The two days reflected both the urgency and the hope embedded in language revitalization: urgency to address the realities of language shift and loss, and hope in the creativity, resilience, and commitment of communities leading the work.
The Commission was honoured to be a part of this important gathering and acknowledges the Manitoba Aboriginal Languages Strategy for convening such a powerful space to learn, connect, and affirm that Indigenous languages remain central to cultural strength and collective futures.
