Aboriginal Languages Day declared

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The languages of Native people living in British Columbia will be both celebrated and promoted across the province this fall as the province holds Aboriginal Languages Day on Oct. 14.

In a proclamation by the provincial legislature, the government recognized 'the important contribution of Aboriginal languages in British Columbia to the culture and heritage of the province.'

The proclamation also made note of the fact that more than half of the Aboriginal languages spoken in Canada are spoken only in B.C., and that many of these languages 'are in danger of imminent extinction.'

Carmen Thompson is interim project manager with the First People's Cultural Foundation, the organization that spearheaded the naming of an official Aboriginal languages day and which is planning events to mark the date. The foundation, a crown corporation created in 1990, works to preserve and enhance Aboriginal languages in the province.

Although the proclamation names only the one date, the foundation is planning on making it an annual event, Thompson said. The date was chosen not because it had any particular significance, but because it fell after summer and before Christmas, and was on a weekend, making it easier to plan events and have people attend, she said.

"Not many people know how many actual languages are located in B.C. alone,' Thompson said, adding there are about 32 different Aboriginal languages spoken in the province.

"Pretty much every one of them is having problems. . . I would say a good 90 per cent of them are endangered," she said.

Thompson said some other communities have held events in the past to celebrate and promote Aboriginal languages, but nothing has ever been done province-wide before.

What the foundation is planning to mark Aboriginal Languages Day is to hold a major event in Vancouver, and then having events in five or six various locations across the province for those who can't attend the Vancouver event.

Although plans for Aboriginal Languages Day are still in the preliminary stages, Thompson said the day's events will include public events during the day, followed by a gala event in the evening. Thompson hopes more concrete plans will be in place later in the month.