RANKIN INLET
A weeklong workshop focused on the advancement and revitalization of Inuit sign language (ISL) was held in Rankin Inlet this bast week.
Dr. Paige MacDougall and her father, Dr. Jamie MacDougall, give the thumbsup to a workshop on the revitalization of Inuit sign language in Rankin Inlet this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
The workshop was facilitated by the fatheranddaughter tandem of Dr. James MacDougall and Dr. Paige MacDougall in association with the Canadian Deafness Research and Training Institute.
Among the objectives tackled during the week were the release of a new booklet demonstrating ISL signs, the release of a second booklet detailing the history of the ISL project in Nunavut and the development of a new booklet describing the life of the late Yvo Samugshak, a wellknown resident of Rankin Inlet who used Inuit sign language exclusively to communicate.
The recent international recognition of Inuit sign language by Ethnologue (a catalogue of more than 6,700 languages spoken in 228 countries and information on 7,102 known living languages) was also announced during the week.
Dr. James MacDougall said the workshop was a continuation of the process of the documentation and revitalization of ISL, which began in 2006.
He said quite a bit of progress was made during the week.
"We produced some new materials including a booklet telling the whole story of the project which has been translated into Inuktitut and English," said James.
"We have a lot of interest from schools now, so we've been doing a lot of phrases that we use in elementary and high school.
"We've had those interpreted into both American and Inuit sign language in our efforts to develop new materials."
James said there was a special focus on Yvo Samugshak during the workshop.
He said the booklet being produced is a tribute to Samugshak and his life.
"The booklet contains highlights of his life, with graphics, and we're also making a video.
"We showed the preliminary material to his wife, Susan, and other people such as Philip Ugjuk, who knew him very well, and got feedback on what we've produced so far.
"We expect to have the booklet produced within the next few months and we expect there will be a lot of interest from across Nunavut on it."
James has been involved with the project since its beginnings 19 years ago.
He said the main focus has always been to document the language and promote it around Nunavut, but the project has progressed to the point where the group also wants to see training for interpreters and more accessibility and employment opportunities made available for deaf people in Nunavut.
"The group consists of deaf people and their families and they're all equally helpful in the development of our ideas.
"You have deaf people like Louisa (Nanooklook) and Philip (Ugjuk) who went south and returned, while others such as Johnny (Ugjuk) went to school here and never travelled south.
"Clayton Ungungai is the first deaf Inuit graduate in Nunavut, and he's just completed his two-year certificate at Algonquin College in Ottawa on aboriginal studies.
"The unique thing we find here is the interest in the families, which has resulted in the integration of deaf people here being a lot more complete, in a way, than it is in the southern part of Canada."
James said the acceptance of deaf people in Nunavut, and especially Rankin Inlet, is really quite remarkable.
He said ISL is quite different from American sign language, although they do share some aspects.
"There has been some borrowing, back and forth,
but the signs for most common objects are different because they appear different to people up here compared to people in the south.
"ISL is a made-in-Nunavut language and we're seeing an increased interest in the language here from hearing people, not just deaf people.
"A lot of indigenous peoples around the world had sign languages and, although it needs more study, we think there was sign language here all the way along, probably for thousands of years."
James said the group will try to take its developed materials and give them to schools for curriculum use.
He said even if there's just one deaf kid in a class, they seem very keen to learn the language.
"My daughter (Dr. Paige MacDougall) has done similar work in Mexican communities where there's a high percentage of deafness.
"She's looking at differences and similarities in different cultures with aboriginal people.
"That aspect is interesting, as well, from a scientific point of view.
"From here it's imperative we get the language established, and then get training programs started so we can have homegrown interpreters for deaf people."
