Celebrating Indigenous women who are reclaiming and revitalizating their languages – CBC

Mar 08, 2020

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a day to shine a light on grassroots efforts to advance gender equality in communities across the country.

Indigenous women are often regarded as traditional keepers of language and culture. CBC News speaks with seven women who are making changes, both big and small, in their lives, communities, and nations when it comes to the reclamation, revitalization, and preservation of Indigenous languages.

Mary Ann Naokwegijig-Corbiere, originally from Wikwemikong First Nation, is an assistant professor in Indigenous Studies at the University of Sudbury and has been teaching Nishnaabemwin for the last three decades. She is one of two editors of the Nishnaabemwin: Odawa and Eastern Ojibwe Dictionary. She’s been adding new words to the dictionary since 1997, after consulting with five communities in southern Ontario.

“It’s been a very involved process. I had no idea I’d still be at this over 20 years later,” said Naokwegijig-Corbiere.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/women-indigenous-languages-1.5488482