FEATURED PROJECT
GWAII TRUST HAIDA LANGUAGE PROGRAM – CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS Since 2014, the Gwaii Trust has made $550,000 available for Haida language programming, with $367,405 allocated to date to programs in Old Massett and Skidegate. At the south end, the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program has been offering immersion classes and writing a glossary of Skidegate Haida. At the north end, the Xaad Kil Strengthening Project was launched in 2018, as a multi-faceted approach aimed at increasing language health in Old Massett. The project is now delivering programs, creating resources, and building community infrastructure for an effective and healthy revitalization strategy, with help from a $50,000 Haida Language grant. The Xaad Kil office in Old Massett, which receives matching funds from the Council of the Haida Nation, has three part-time staff: a resource coordinator, a program coordinator and an administrative coordinator. This team offers resources and culture programs to schools, offices and any community member willing to learn Xaad Kil. The structure of the office is based on community input and needs, through an advisory committee and community
engagement meetings. Through the coming year, the project plans to create resources for every household in Old Massett to learn Xaad Kil, host 24 dinners to speak Xaad Kil, and host 10 regalia/sewing/craft workshops. In addition to the three staff in the office, the project will employ elders to help create resources, mentor learners, and ensure proper pronunciation. It will also employ language instructors, a resource creation specialist, workshop facilitators to lead activities like weaving, food preserving and song creation, and artists to create signage for the “Naming Our World” project. “The Xaad Kil Strengthening project will greatly benefit the Northern Haida Gwaii communities where Xaad Kil is meant to be spoken and thrive. Promoting and using the language of Haida Gwaii is paramount to the survival of the worldview and expression that honours this land that sustains us,” wrote Leslie Brown in the grant application. “The Xaad Kil goal is to reach every household and support every learner, no matter their skill level, while teaching them skills that deepen their Haida roots through language and culture.”
Photos courtesy of Jaskwaan Bedard
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