Pictured above L-R: Elder Simon Brascoupe, Elder Elisapee Birmingham, Elder Verna DeMontigny, Elder Oliver Boulette.
On June 21, 2023, National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages opened the doors to its head office in Ottawa, Ontario. Following a blessing of the office held in the morning, Commissioner Ignace, Director Greyeyes, Director Liberty, and Director Watt welcomed special guests to the Commission’s open house.
The open house was well attended. The Commission would like to take the opportunity to thank all those that took the time on this day to gather with us and help celebrate this important moment in the Commission’s journey.
The Commission would like to also acknowledge and thank Dr. Lorna Wanasts’a7 Williams who has generously allowed the Commission to prominently display, on the Commission’s entry wall, her words epitomizing the essence of why languages matter, that resonate across all languages, cultures, and people, and reflect why the Commission exists.
“You’re not learning a word; you’re learning a world. Language reclamation is about expanding the diversity of our knowledge because language is an expression of the accumulated experiences of people. Those who do revitalization work say that biodiversity and knowledge diversity are one and the same – it is work that makes our world better.” – Dr. Lorna Wanasts’a7 Williams
L-R: Elder Simon Brascoupe, Elder Elisapee Birmingham, Director Georgina Liberty, Commissioner Ron E. Ignace, Director Joan Greyeyes, Director Robert Watt
