It's not unusual these days to hear students speaking Mi'kmaw at John J. Sark Memorial School on Lennox Island First Nation. "Wela'lioq," says a classroom of students in unison, which means "thank you.
" "Nmu'ltes," they say. That means "see you later." New $17M recreation centre being built at Abegweit First Nation 'We're going to be welcoming the world here,' Lennox Island chief says of new park funding Over the past few years, the community has been taking steps to revitalize the Mi'kmaw language on Lennox Island.
Kids are learning it in daycare and in school. Mi'kmaw signs are also stationed throughout the community. "It's really nice because elder community members notice when the students are using the language and are coming home to share what they've learned, sharing phrases, they're identifying animals," said Kim Colwill, the First Nation's director of education.
"They're using the Mi'kmaw language and it's beautiful." 'Really important for our kids' Practising Mi'kmaw culture, including everything from drumming to speaking the language, was illegal at the Lennox Island First Nation's school as recently as the mid-1980s. But now, it is quite the opposite.
The language is everywhere. The school's mascot is the Muin, or "bear," and reminders of how to say phrases such as "can I get a drink of water?" are always nearby. "We know that it's really important for our kids to be immersed in the language," said Jamie Thomas, Lennox Island's director of culture and tourism.
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