“Qanga Taima!”

t he students go over the date and weather, and take attendance in the language. t his is Priscilla’s third week of being Inuvialuktun teacher. s he was formerly a teacher’s assistant for more than a year. b efore she could teach the students, Priscilla had to study. In s achs Harbour, Inuvialuktun has become mostly a language of the elders. “I learnt the language by hearing my parents and nanuk speak when I was little,” she said. “ l istening and reading along with the materials that came with this program really helped me.”

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To tell you the truth, I am still not 100% confident. But I am confident enough to read it, say it, and write it so I can teach these kids.”

With her dynamic teaching style, the children seem to be having fun. t hey excitedly shared their knowledge of naapachat (a traditional game), and of sewing zipper pulls and decorative pillows.

“o ur people come from a place where we are taught visually, so I try to incorporate a lot of hands-on activities,” Priscilla said. “ t hey are very intelligent children, I am surprised how fast they are soaking it up. It seems ingrained in them, and they pick it up so quickly it touches my heart.” a student in her class said, “I talk to my grand nanuk and daduk in the language. We tell them our Inuvialuktun names.”

Priscilla had left s achs Harbour for school in Inuvik, but came back after her education. s he cites her family and her love of going out on the land to hunt and to fish as her reasons for coming home.

For now, Priscilla hopes to help popularize the language. “I really hope they can take what they learnt here and take it outside of the classroom. I hope they can be more comfortable speaking it,” she said. s he had found herself speaking Inuvialuktun in the community, especially with her mother and children.

“It’s even getting to the point where it’s difficult for me to switch over to e nglish,” she laughs.