First Languages

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“First Languages: Two exhibitions from the Canadian Language Museum,” 2023

(courtesy of Canadian Language Museum)

The Musée Héritage Museum (part of the Arts and Heritage Foundation of St. Albert) is pleased to present its latest exhibition that showcases the original oral nature of Indigenous languages, and the challenges of also transitioning them to written form. First Languages, featuring two travelling presentations from the Canadian Language Museum).

Beyond Words; Dictionaries and Indigenous Languages

The panels highlight the complex relationship between Indigenous languages and dictionaries over several centuries. From the earliest contact, wordlists, phrasebooks and dictionaries have been more than neutral bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous languages. They’ve also been used in colonization.

Cree; The People’s Language

Visitors learn the fascinating story of Cree, the most widely spoken Canadian Indigenous language. These displays feature maps and images, exploring the syllabic writing system, word formation, animacy and the future of Cree.

“We have a large Indigenous community in the Capital Region and with Cree in particular spoken here, we felt that bringing in the travelling displays would interest many people,” says Musée Héritage Museum Archivist, Vino Vipulanantharajah. “We are also adding our own local touches, with interactive activities.”

Visitors enter a tipi and hear recordings of spoken Cree. Throughout the exhibition are also a series of stations with opportunities to listen and try to translate Indigenous languages, and identify and learn the meaning of the Indigenous names of some Alberta places, plants and animals.

A Syllabics Typewriter is also on display from the Provincial Archives of Alberta, which was once used to type documents in Cree. And, visitors will see dictionaries and books related to Cree, and displays showcasing two well-known local Métis women, Victoria Callihoo (one of the first local Métis matriarchs); and Dr. Anne Anderson, a dedicated author and teacher who was instrumental in preserving the Cree language and promoting Métis heritage.

“We hope our added features will inspire people to think about the original oral nature of Cree and other Indigenous languages and the challenges in making them written languages, and also entice visitors to actually learn them,” adds Vipulanantharajah.“