Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, July 2, 2007

INUVIK - When the first day of kindergarten approaches for students in Inuvik, their parents face an important decision.

Should the children study in English, French, or Inuvialuktun?

Sandra Ipana, who is the aboriginal language instructor, said the school offers the three options in kindergarten.

When parents choose Inuvialuktun, she said, the children are sent to her class, where they learn the basics of the traditional language.

This can mean colours, numbers, names of animals, songs, and small poems or prayers.

On June 28, the last day of the school year, Ipana reflected on how things have changed since she was a child.

"When I was five, I was in this class and they were trying to teach me English. Now I'm trying to teach the language. The roles have switched," she said.

Indeed, teaching Inuvialuktun has been a very personal journey for Ipana, who attended the Stringer Hall residential school.

"I never forgot it. I was one of the lucky ones," she said. "My mother never spoke English because when she did, it didn't make any sense"," she added with a laugh.

While some residential school children were forbidden from speaking traditional languages, Ipana said this did not happen to her at Stringer.

"They provided translators," she said.

Of course, Ipana said the greater effect of residential schools was altogether devastating.

As the language was lost, she said, generations of traditions were nearly brought to a stop.

"We went through a stage of residential schools, where the language got lost. Those who lost their languages started their families in strict English. Now, we are teaching their children," Ipana said.

In addition to teaching language, Ipana said her goal is to make young aboriginal children proud of their heritage.

She said students in her class often hear stories from elders, and even drum dance using pots and pans.

"If you tell a child 'your granddad was a really good whale hunter,' they start to take pride in that," Ipana said.

She added her class also has Slavey and Gwich'in students, who are taught their own languages whenever possible.

After fifteen years of teaching - including seven alongside Donna Johns, who Ipana mentioned as an invaluable help in preparing materials such as books - she added things seem to be getting better for the world's few speakers of Inuvialuktun.

Students today can continue their language studies until Grade 6, she said, and even continue learning Inuvialuktun in high-school when Inuvialuktun is covered in Northern Studies.

But she said mastery of the language is extremely difficult for anyone in this generation.

"I wouldn't call myself a fluent speaker," she said modestly. "At least I can understand the stories the elders tell me."