Some Materials Highlighting Awareness of National Indigenous Languages Day (March 31)

Today is National Indigenous Languages Day which since 1993 has celebrated the many Indigenous languages that have been spoken in America and throughout North America. This vital day highlights the need for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to focus on the important and necessary work of revitalizing the languages spoken by the First Nations of Canada. There are over 60 Indigenous languages belonging to 12 different language families in this country. Unfortunately, according to UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, about three-quarters of these languages are listed as “critically endangered”. You can see an interactive map of the many different Indigenous languages spoken in Canada with this link.

To honour these languages, we want to highlight some print and online resources in our collection that showcases some of the Indigenous languages that are spoken in Canada today.

We hope that you take some time to reflect on the essential work of restoring and revitalizing the most essential part of First Nations cultures across this country. After all, this year marks the start of the Decade of Indigenous Languages, spearheaded by UNESCO to help save endangered languages not just in Canada, but around the world as well.

Happy reading!