FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2023 (PDF DOWNLOAD)
FILE HILLS QU’APPELLE TRIBAL COUNCIL TO CELEBRATE INAUGURAL “LANGUAGES IN OUR LANDS” WEEK MAY 2023
(Treaty 4 Territory) The File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council’s Lands, Resources, Environment, & Stewardship (FHQTC-LRES) Department will recognize its first-ever annual Languages in Our Lands Week from May 8-12, 2023.
Languages in Our Lands Week, supported by the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council’s 11 Member Nations’ Leadership, Language Keepers, and the Lands, Resources, Environment & Stewardship’s Youth Advisory Council, aims to raise awareness of the critical state of First Nations’ languages and the urgency to take measures to ensure their preservation and revitalization.
In establishing this celebratory week, the FHQTC-LRES drew inspiration from the United Nations’ International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Proclaimed in 2019, this ten-year initiative supports the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages and acknowledges the vital role they play in contributing to the rich cultural fabric of Nations around the world.
Since time immemorial, First Nations have collectively been stewards of their ancestral territories’ lands, water, and environment. Our Natural Laws teach us that we are of our languages, and we are of our lands. Recognizing this intrinsic connection further strengthens the cultural identity of First Nations peoples.
Throughout Languages in Our Lands Week, FHQTC-LRES will dedicate individual days to celebrate the 11 Member Nations’ five distinct languages – Cree (nêhiyaw), Lakota (Lakhóta), Nakoda (Nakon), Saulteaux (Anishinaabe), and Dakota (Dakhóta).
As advocates for the environment, the department will also plant trees on Treaty 4 Grounds Reserve 77 in honour of their languages, acknowledging its ties to the land and the importance of climate action.
FHQTC-LRES encourages Citizens, businesses, organizations, and governments across Treaty 4 Territory to recognize our united purpose and partake in Languages in Our Lands Week by engaging in an act that celebrates language’s connection to the land.
For more information, please contact – Shannon Thomson, FHQTC Director, Lands, Resources, Environment & Stewardship department. Shannon.thomson@fhqtc.com
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The File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council (FHQTC) is a non-profit organization that carries out a variety of service delivery programs to its Member First Nations. FHQTC represents 11 First Nation communities and 17,000 Citizens in the Treaty Four Territory situated in southern Saskatchewan.
FHQTC’s mandate is to promote, advocate, and protect Inherent, Aboriginal and Treaty Rights of all Member Nations as well as to address their common interests equitably and professionally while respecting the priorities of First Nations’ culture.
FHQTC’s long-term organizational role is to build sustainable capacity with First Nations and their Citizens, taking into consideration their distinct cultural identities as Cree (Nehiyaw), Saulteaux (Anishinaabe), Lakota, Dakota, and Nakoda regarding land, resources, environment, and stewardship within Treaty Four Territory. FHQTC First Nations have systems of individual autonomous governance and collective First Nation Governance.
