Page 10— Ha-Shilth-Sa—October 7, 2021
Video game teaches children Ditidaht language Game is designed to prepare three to six year olds for language classes at the First Nation’s community school By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Nitinaht Lake, BC - Ditidaht First Nation has released a kid’s video game that takes players on a cultural journey by canoe through the nation’s traditional territory, off the coast of Vancouver Island. The game was designed as a tool to prepare children aged 3 to 6 for attending kindergarten at Ditidaht Community School (DCS), where they begin taking diiʔdiiʔtidq language classes. Through songs and traditional teachings voiced by community elders and speakers, children are provided with an opportunity to learn their traditional language “in a fun way,” said Tina Joseph, Ditidaht Kids research and production manager. “It’s hard to believe that something like this was developed so tailored to our children in our language,” she said. “To see the representation of my own people is amazing … it helps kids identify with culture and feel like they’re a part of something.” Illustrated scenes, such as community members hanging fish in a smokehouse, also expose children to traditional ways of life, said Joseph. “[Smoking fish] was and still is a huge part of our culture,” she said. “It sustains us and nourishes us.” Funded by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC), Ditidaht Kids was created by DCS’ language department, which collaborated with fluent elders, knowledge keepers, singers, historians, teachers, parents, and children. While gaming may not be a holistic method for language revitalization, FPCC Language Technology Programs Coordinator Kyra Borland said it’s an important tool that supports language revitalization efforts. Not only is gamification a “great way” to merge cultural roots with modern technology, Borland said it also makes language learning available to anyone living outside of the community who doesn’t have access to elders or knowledge keepers. “Making that context available is a really important way of reconnecting folks who have become disconnected from their community with the language
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Amanda Peter uses the Ditidaht Kids video game after it was released. The game can be downloaded for free onto mobile devices. Critical to language revitalization is suprevitalization opportunities that exist,” going today.” porting Indigenous communities’ right to she said. In 2002, Jeffrey started taking language self-determination, said Borland. Since its release on September 23, there classes at DCS when she was 23 years “The ability to identify and meet [their] have been over 350 downloads of the old. At the time, she said the nation had needs without external interference is game, which is available for free through around 10 fluent speakers. an important part of reconciliation in the Apple Store app, and will soon be “Now, we’re down to four,” she said. our country,” she said. “To give folks available through the Google Play app By continuing to speak her traditional the power to determine what, why, how, store. language, Jeffrey said she’s preserving when, and where language revitalization Debbie Jeffrey, who voiced one of the her elders’ teachings and making them will happen for them in their communigame’s characters, was first introduced to accessible others. her language through her grandparents as Like many other nations along the coast, ties.” The other piece, Borland said, is providdiiʔdiiʔtidq language revitalization is a young child. ing nations with data sovereignty. challenging because there aren’t many By modernizing the tools used to teach “Having these games developed influent speakers left, said Ditidaht Kids language, the semi-fluent speaker said it house by teams that are from the comProject Coordinator Dave Mason. will have a wider reach among the namunity allows the community to control “The normal means of [revitalizing tion’s younger population. where that data ultimately ends up,” she language] is to sit on your grandparents’ Jeffrey said previous attempts to teach said. knee and listen to them,” he said. “But language to her 8-year-old weren’t as efLooking back on the two-year project, that’s no longer possible because there fective as the video game. Jeffrey said it has been an “honour.” are so few speakers left.” “Now that she has the app downloaded, “Our culture is stored in language and Developing an adventure game that she’s hooked,” said Jeffrey. “It’s imporour work to save our language is gaining would allow kids to become acquainted tant to keep our language and culture with their language was one solution, said momentum,” she said. “This game is a alive … utilizing technology is definitely part of that work.” Mason. beneficial as this is where our kids are
Phrase of the week: Qwac’ałʔišʔał ʕay’iičḥ huupʔatuʔaƛquu hupał Pronounced ‘qwa calth ish alth ah r ich who butt alt qu who pulth’, it means ‘autumn season sure brings beautiful sunsets’. Supplied by ciisma.
Illustration by Ivy Cargill-Martin
