Language and Terminology
Language is an important part of individual and group identity. Western Canada contains the most diversity of aboriginal languages.
Aboriginal Perspectives: Aboriginal Studies 10, 2004
The three largest groups of aboriginal languages reported as mother tongue in the 2001 Census were Cree (80,000 people), Inuktitut (29,700) and Ojibway (23,500).
Statistics Canada, 2001 Census
In Alberta the most commonly spoken First Nations' languages are: Blackfoot; Cree; Chipweyan; Dene; Sarcee; and Stoney (Nakoda Sioux).
The term aboriginal refers to the descendents of the original inhabitants of North America. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of aboriginal peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit- each with their own histories, languages, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs
Aboriginal Studies 10: Aboriginal Perspectives, 2004
The word Inuit means "the people" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. "Inuk" is the singular form of Inuit. Words First: An Evolving Terminology Relating to aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Words First: An Evolving Terminology Relating to aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2004
The word Métis comes from the Latin "miscere," to mix, and was used originally to describe the children of First Nations women and French men.
Métis Nation Association of Alberta
"Otipemisiwak" (oht-paym-soo-wuk) is one word the Métis use to describe themselves. In Michif, a language developed by combining French nouns and Cree verbs, it means "The Free People."
Métis Nation Association of Alberta
Canada: is from "Kanata," meaning "settlement" or "village" in the language of the Huron.
Aboriginal Place Names 2001, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
The town of Fort Chipewyan was named after the Chipewyan people, and means "pointed skins," a Cree reference to the way the Chipewyans prepared beaver pelts.
Aboriginal Place Names 2001, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Medicine Hat is a translation of the Blackfoot word, "saamis," meaning "headdress of a medicine man." According to one explanation, the word describes a fight between the Cree and Blackfoot when a Cree medicine man lost his plumed hat in the river.
Aboriginal Place Names 2001, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
The town named Wetaskiwin is an adaptation of the Cree word "wi-ta-ski-oo cha-ka-tin-ow," which can be translated as "place of peace" or "hill of peace."
Aboriginal Place Names 2001, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Nunavut's Officials Languages Act declares Inuktitut (ih-NOOK'-tih-toot), French and English to be Nunavut's official languages.
Office of the Language Commissioner of Nunavut
Inuktitut/Inuinnaqtun is the largest language group in Nunavut. Seventy percent of Nunavummiut speak Inuktitut as their first language. Inuktitut is divided up into a number of different dialects, including Inuinnaqtun, which is spoken in the western-most parts of the territory. Inuinnaqtun uses Roman orthography, rather than syllabics.
Office of the Language Commissioner of Nunavut
Language is often considered as both an instrument and an essential part of culture. In many aboriginal societies, "the fundamental teachings are preserved in sacred stories, ceremonies and symbols," which are "the symbols of the ideas, concepts, and beliefs of a society which has an oral tradition." In this context, mastery by children of the language of their ancestors greatly assists in the transmission of values, beliefs and communication skills from generation to generation.
Statistics Canada. Canadian Social Trends Winter 2004 NO. 75
