Supporting Mi'kmaq Language and Culture in Newfoundland

BRIDGEWATER, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - May 29, 2015) - Department of Canadian Heritage

The Government of Canada is providing $52,719 to the Mi'kmaq Burial Grounds Research and Restoration Association under the Aboriginal Languages Initiative.

Gerald Keddy, Member of Parliament (South Shore-St. Margaret's), announced the funding today on behalf of the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

Quick Facts

• A 5-day cultural immersion camp will be offered to 150 participants of all ages from the Flat Bay community of Newfoundland.
• Participants will receive 9 hours of Mi'kmaq beginner language instruction per day, through structured language lessons, and cultural activities such as medicine identification and survival skills.
• The Mi'kmaq Burial Grounds Research and Restoration Association is located in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, and its mandate is to support cultural education and training through exhibits, publications, documentaries, workshops, curriculum development, lectures, and traditional ceremonies.
• The Aboriginal Languages Initiative supports community-based language projects that contribute to the revitalization and preservation of Aboriginal languages.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is committed to the revitalization and preservation of Aboriginal languages and cultures, and we are pleased to support the Mi'kmaq Burial Grounds Research and Restoration Association's ongoing efforts to enhance the Mi'kmaq language."

-The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

"This is a great opportunity for the Mi'kmaq Burial Grounds Research and Restoration Association to continue to build on the Mi'kmaq language instruction it has been offering over the past years. Our Government is pleased to support a project that will have a positive impact on this community today and for generations to come."

-Gerald Keddy, Member of Parliament (South Shore-St. Margaret's)

"Our focus is to engage groups of families who want to learn how to speak, and continue to speak their Mi'kmaq language, and we would like to offer a heartfelt thank you, wela'lin, to Canadian Heritage for accepting our Mi'kmaq language proposal. With this funding, we are able to continue our work to teach the fundamentals of our Mi'kmaq language and culture in the Maritimes, our great and native land. Learning the foundational components of our Mi'kmaq language will give us the opportunity to continue to relearn our precious Mi'kmaq language, which is the key element in our oral history as it was handed down to us since the beginning of our time. Every word in Mi'kmaq has a profound-almost poetic-meaning that is extremely significant to keeping our tradition and spirituality alive."

-Délina Petit Pas, Chairperson, Mi'kmaq Burial Grounds Research and Restoration Association Board of Directors

Associated Links

Aboriginal Languages Initiative

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