Language is a vital component of culture, and preserving languages was the theme of this month’s President’s Lecture — held in the Indigenous gathering space at Chilliwack campus — featuring a presentation by linguist Dr. Strang Burton.
Many Indigenous languages are endangered around the world, including Halq’eméylem, the language spoken by the Sto:lo people of the Fraser Valley. Faced with the dominance of English and other major languages in politics, commerce, and culture, fewer young people among ethnic minorities are learning their traditional language.
Seeing that their language was at risk of dying out, the Sto:lo elders, with help from anthropologists and linguists, have been working to record and pass down the Halq’eméylem language. One of these elders, Siyamiateliyot, was in attendance at the event. She is one of the last living fluent speakers of Halq’eméylem, and her knowledge is an invaluable treasure. Sadly, as time goes by, this intimate first-hand knowledge becomes lost, and will be difficult or impossible for subsequent generations to replicate. The preservation work being carried out today will be crucial for the language’s long-term survival.
Burton’s presentation consisted of a brief overview of the Halq’eméylem language. Halq’eméylem is part of the Salish linguistic family, which includes Squamish, Okanagan, Bella Coola, and other Indigenous languages spoken across the Pacific Northwest. Halq’eméylem is divided into three dialects: Island (spoken on southeastern Vancouver Island), Downriver (spoken in and around Metro Vancouver), and Upriver (spoken in the Fraser Valley). One First Nations speaker of (Upriver) Halq’eméylem commented that she can understand the other dialects, but it is obvious where the speaker is from and confusion sometimes results. Halq’eméylem has a number of sounds (or phonemes) that an English-speaker might have trouble with, but includes sounds that a speaker of Welsh, German, or Chinese might recognize.
Burton illustrated some of his examples of Halq’eméylem language forms with stories from Sto:lo lore. For example, Lhílheqey, the name for Mt. Cheam, was once the wife of Mt. Baker. Lhílheqey left him together with her dog and seven children, and they were later turned into mountains.
Halq’eméylem is slowly clawing its way back from oblivion, but the language’s long-term survival is still in doubt. Halq’eméylem is normally only used in translating place names, or in speeches and the beginning and end of ceremonies, but rarely in conversation or literature, although the language allegedly gets more use in longhouse gatherings, according to Burton.
“We are in desperate times,” said one First Nations woman after the presentation. She made a heartfelt plea to the younger generations of the Sto:lo to do their part and “keep moving forward.”
UFV, for its part, has been helping the Sto:lo to preserve their language through provision of Halq’eméylem classes. UFV’s indigenization program in general seeks to help the people whose land the university, and the Fraser Valley as a whole now occupy.
Image: UFV Flickr
