We are still here!
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| 5 € / reduced 2,50 € |
| 16 years and older |
| Ground Floor, Hall 3 |
| Part of: WeSearch |
In Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off the north-west coast of Canada, and on Prince of Wales Island (Alaska), numerous people are working tirelessly to revitalise the Haida language and forge alternative paths into the future.
In the 19th century, the colonial government’s attempts to eradicate First Nations’ cultures were multi-faceted: family ties were broken, cultural and political systems were banned and languages were prohibited.
But X̱aad Kíl / X̱aayda Kíl (the Haida language) will not die out, because there are still fluent and semi-fluent speakers and even silent speakers – people who understand the language but hardly speak it themselves. All available means are being used to support them, to adapt the language to today’s needs and to pass it on to future generations.
Participants
Sabrina N’Diaye studied ethnology and political science. She learnt the craft of journalism at ZDF, after which she worked for SWR and ARTE. She has been with RBB since 2016, where she presents the rbb24 Spätnachrichten and realizes longer documentaries as an author.
Jasḵwaan Amanda Bedard is a mother, Haida language educator, and Indigenous language advocate from G̱aw Tlagée – Massett, Haida Gwaii. She is an Assistant Professor for Simon Fraser University’s Indigenous Languages Program, where she teaches the Haida language as well as Indigenous language pedagogies. She is also a Haida singer, X̱aad Kíl translator, and X̱aad Kíl learning resource developer.
Jordan Lachler is a linguist and Director of the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He brings in considerable experience in researching and teaching Indigenous languages from many years of close collaborative work with a range of Indigenous language communities including Haida and Nakota.
Monika Zessnik is Curator of the North American Collections in the Ethnologisches Museum. Her field research includes topics like religious influences on Indigenous socio-economic systems. Currently her work is focusing on collaboration projects with Indigenous Stakeholders whose cultural belongings are stored in the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin.